570
2
*
Hong Kong pays a higher percentage of its revenue in
military contribution and spends proportionately more
on defence than any other territory in the Colonial
Empire; that the Hong Kong garrison is partly a "China"
garrison; and that the military authorities are helped
here in many other ways besides the contribution, particularly
by being allowed to occupy for barracks and other purposes
large areas of most valuable land in the centre of the
city of Victoria.
I declined to put forward these arguments, both
because I am not convinced that the present amount of the
contribution is inequitable and because I am sure it would
destroy any chance of getting a settlement if we started
on that note. You will, however, be familiar with these
considerations, which have been put forward often enough
before, and it may be desirable to bear them in mind if,
in the course of discussion, the War Office should seek
to justify a larger sum than that which I have proposed.
yes meaty
(... Arthest