COPY.
Enclosure No.3.
33
The Commissioners regret that in their report they
made no mention of Government House. They do so now and add
that Mr. Scott Harston before his departure expressed himself as approving of the principle that the present Government
House should be sold and the proceeds applied to build an
up-to-date residence, capable of meeting the demands made
upon it.
2.
Government House lacks in the opinion of the
Commissioners the facilities that the Governor of a Colony of Hong Kong's importance should have at his disposal for the reception of guests on public occasions and for the accommoda-
tion of official guests. Nor is it possible to rebuild on a
larger scale or to add an extension owing to the limited area of the grounds which are now enclosed on all sides.
3.
The Commissioners are not in a position to comment
on the building but they would not be surprised to hear that it
will be necessary to rebuild in the near future and that the
annual expenditure averaged over the last 5 years in maintaining
and reconditioning the fabric is uneconomic. When rebuilding
takes place the Commissioners advise that a new site be chosen, as with present day motor traffic facilities it is no longer
necessary to sacrifice all other amenities for a central
position.
4. Sale of the present site will no doubt provoke
criticism on aesthetic grounds, and the Commissioners agree that
if the Colony's finances permitted, Government House grounds
might well be added to the Botanical Gardens, though otherwise
this portion of the city is adequately supplied with open spaces.
But the Government's building programme in the immediate future
is already formidable. A new Post Office for Kowloon and the
development of the Beaconsfield Arcade property cannot be
postponed much further. The new Gaol and the new Government Civil Hospital are overdue. The latter can be financed by
short term loans which could be redeemed in a large measure by
disposal