کی
?rent
from the fact that this would amount to an admission
that it is the duty of Colonial Governments to provide
land for military purposes free of charge for all the Services.
At 22 on the '37 file, the Air Ministry raised
several points in connection with the Hong Kong despatch
contentions
at 19 on that file. Their main conäations were:-
1. Since the cost of resumption of a site includes the
market value of the land, why should they pay Crown Land as well?
2. That the payment of 25 years consolidated Crown
rent is equivalent to the purchase of the land, involving
the right to dispose of the land to the best advantage
upon relinquishment.
The answer to the first of these two points,
as given in the present despatch, is that all and in
Hong Kong is leased from the Crown at the annual Crown
a
cash
Rent, ocassional premium (representing the market
value of the land) being charged on the acquisition of the lease
•
For this reason Hong Kong cannot accept the Air
Ministry's contention that payment of a consolidated
Crown rent is equivalent to the purchase of the land.
In fact, the only reason for introducing
into Air Ministry conditions the capitalisation of Crown
rent at 25 years purchase, was that it is an existing
for condition with transactions with the Military authorities.
The Hong Kong authorities are not particular about this
point, and would be quite prepared to substitute for it
the payment of annual Crown Rent in which case there
would naturally be no repayment of the proportion on
relinquishment.
a
3. The Air Ministry also questiondthe fairness
of the new Clause proposed in paragraph 9 of 19 on the
'37 file. Their point is well met in paragraph 5 of the
present