16849
92
No. 15.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS
WAR OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received June 30, 1899.)
[Answered July 5 by letter transmitting copy of No. 16.]
War Office, London, S.W., 29th June, 1899.
SIR.
I AM directed by the Secretary of State for War to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th instant, 14191/99,* transmitting a copy of Straits Settlements Ordinance, No. 6 of 1899, dealing with the military contribution of that Colony.
As regards paragraph 5, Lord Lansdowne is not quite clear as to the exact meaning to be attached to the words "and all other military charges whatsoever in line 6. To prevent any possible misconception, he would suggest an addition to this paragraph to the effect that the Colony is liable to provide, free of charge, any available colonial military land required for sites for military works.
It is presumed that, in view of the recent decision to base the contribution on the net receipts arising from the Penang telephone system, paragraph 3 of the Ordinance will require some modification, in which case the alteration suggested above could be embodied, if considered desirable.
23
from time to time. The Ordinance No. 6 of 1899 was only carried by the official majority.
If the amendment meets with their Lordships' concurrence, Mr. Chamberlain will instruct the Governor of the Straits Settlements that no new undertaking is to be deemed of a similar character to railways or telephones without previous reference to the Secretary of State, who will then submit the proposal to their Lordships and to the Secretary of State for War.
I am to take this opportunity of acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 27th June, and to request you to inform their Lordships that the phrase " and all other military charges whatsoever " was introduced into the Ordinance with the concurrence of the Secretary of State for War, who, it was understood, had previously obtained the assent of their Lordships. I am to enclose copy of corres- pondencet with the War Office upon this subject.
Mr. Chamberlain presumes that the letter of the 6th of June, 1898, to which you refer, was addressed to the War Office, as no such letter can be traced in this Department, and before considering whether the Ordinance should be amended in the manner suggested by their Lordships he would be glad to see a copy of that letter.
A copy of this letter has been forwarded to the War Office.
I am,
&c.,
C. P. LUCAS.
I am, &c.,
G. FLEETWOOD WILSON.
21810
No. 17.
16849
SIR.
No. 16.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
COLONIAL OFFICE to TREASURY
[Copy to War Office, July 5, 1899.] [Answered by No. 17.]
Downing Street, 5 July, 1899. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22nd ultimo,t in which you state that the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury accept the proposal of the Government of the Straits Settlements, that if a public telephone system is established in Penang, the receipts derived therefrom should, for the purpose of the Colonial military contribution, be taken at their net and not their gross amount.
I am now to submit for their Lordships' consideration the following draft of a proviso to be added to Section 3 of the Defence Contribution Ordinance of 1899. a copy of which was enclosed in the letter from this Department of the 14th of May June]*:
Provided that the charges for working expenses and maintenance of any railways, telephones, or other productive undertakings of a similar character which may hereafter be established, and for interest and sinking fund on any sums borrowed for the construction of such railways, telephones, or undertakings, shall be deducted from the gross receipts of such railways, telephones, or undertakings, respectively, and the percentage struck on the net receipts only, if any, in each case.'
This proviso is based on a similar provision in Section 2 of Mauritius Ordinance 33, of 1897, and Section 4 of Ceylon Ordinance, No. 2, of 1898, copies of which are enclosed for convenience of reference.
It appears to Mr. Chamberlain that the insertion of this proviso will, while meeting their Lordships' views, remove the inconvenience of having to introduce an amending Ordinance in each case of the establishment of a new productive under- taking. It is exceedingly undesirable to afford the Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council fresh opportunities of debating the military contribution question
• Transmitting copy of the 'enclosure in No. 9.
↑ No. 12.
SIR,
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
TREASURY to COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received August 18, 1899.)
[Answered by No. 18.]
Treasury Chambers, 17 August, 1899. WITH reference to Mr. Lucas's letter of the 5th ultimo (16849),‡ I am directed by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to request you to inform Mr. Secretary Chamberlain that they offer no objection to the draft proviso which it is proposed to add to Section 3 of the Defence Contribution Ordinance, 1899, of the Straits Settlements. My Lords have ascertained that the Secretary of State for War agrees to this course, regard being had to the instruction to be sent to the to of a similar character Governor that no new undertaking is to be deemed railways or telephones without previous reference to the Imperial Government.
With reference to the penultimate paragraph of the letter under reply, I am to transmit, as requested, a copy of the letter addressed on 6th June, 1898, to the War Office (not Colônial Office, as inadvertently stated in the Treasury letter of 27th June last*).
"
With reference to the War Office letter to you of 29th June last,§ I am to express the hope that Mr. Chamberlain may see his way to make the suggested addition to Section 5 of the Ordinance so as to impose on the Colony a statutory liability to provide, as is its duty, sites free of charge for military works.
I am, &c.,
SIR,
Enclosure in No. 17.
E. W. HAMILTON.
Treasury Chambers, 6th June, 1898.
THE Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have had before them your letter of the 24th ultimo, in which the Marquess of Lansdowne invites their opinion upon the expediency of negotiating with the Colony of the Straits Settle- ments with a view to raising the percentage of revenue paid as a militery contri- bution sufficiently to cover new works and lodging allowances.
• No. 14.
↑ 27895/98 and draft, and 28863 : not printed.
21653
No. 16.
§ No. 15.
B 4
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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