S/23467 (F.W.)
sir,
Sha
th
July, 1929.
I am commended by the Air Council to refer to your letter $/26090 of the 11th January, 1928, conveying the sanction of the Lords Comme sioners of His Majesty's Treasury to the payment from Air Votes of a grant of £100,000 in aid of the onstruction of an aerodrome at Kowloon, Hong Kong, and to request you to inform Their Lordships that a proposal has been received from the Governor of the Colony to the effect that a hanger should be erected on the serodrome for use jointly by civil and Air Force machine A «
As Their Lordships are aware, the Council did not contemplate, when the formation of the aerodrome was under discussion, the erection in the near future of any permanent buildings at the cost of the Imperial Exchequer, but they have since received reports showing that the continued use of the temporary matsbed buildings at present occupied constitutes a grave danger for the following reasons:-
(a) In the very likely event of a typhoon, the structures would inevitably be demolished and the consequent damage to aircraft would entail a serious loss;
(b) The matsheda have become very dry, and an outbreak of fire would be difficult to suppress and might easily involv the destruction of the whole of the sheds and their contents;
(0) In the rainy season, it is difficult to protect aircraft from damage by the ingress of water.
It is therefore evident that the provision of a less vulnerable type of accommodation is in the highest degree desirable in the interesta, not only of the efficiency of the Air Force in China, but also of economy 15 the need can be met without undue expense. The proposal of the Governor affords an opportunity of obtaining the requisite hangar space at a cost appreciably lower than would be entailed by separate provision for Air Force purposes, and the Council are consequently desirous of adopting it.
The scheme consists of the erection of a shed similar to the A. type normally provided at Air Force stations, but modified in certain respects so as to reduce to a minimum the risk of damage to typhoons. The expense would be divided equally between Colo-ial and Imperial funds, and the space in the shed would likewise be allocated in equal proportions to civil and Air Force purposes, the present nees of both being adequately met by this arrangement. The shed would be built on the site intended for the eventual construction of an Air Poroe station, and in the event of the building being at soNG future time required wholly by the Air Force the Colonial Government would evacuate the half theretofore allocate civil aviation, either on payment of a sum based on on equivalent accommodation being provided by the Ir Government on another site and handed over free of