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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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C.O. 882
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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military station; and he suggested that the contribution should be applied to fortifying the place.
Shortly afterwards in February, 1884) the Governor Ibad, nt home a copy of a letter from the General Officer No, G. Commanding to the War Office advocating a guaranteed loan of £100,000 for the construction of permanent forti-
fications, and the General Officer Commanding said :—“ It No. 6 (Eni-
is moreover only fair to the Colony that the military closure).
"authorities should come to a definite decision as to what
.
++
lands they require for the erection of defensive works, &c.
At present several works of utility and advantage to the
Colony are held in abeyance pending a decision as to
defensive requirements; and l'am constantly compelled
to veto the erection of buildings on land embraced in the
** scheme of defence, while at the same time I am unable
"to give any assurance, or hope, that the scheme approaches
its realization."
.
The Governor supported the General Officer Command- ing's proposal and asked for an early decision as to the question of fortifications.
The Secretary of State informed the Governor in but.. February. 1884, that there were no grounds for hoping No 7. that the contribution could be accepted in satisfaction of the heavy charges which would probably be entailed by the construction of additional fortifications.
It may here be explained that in 1880 a Royal Commis- sion had been appointed to inquire into the defence of British possessions and commerce abroad. The Commission A. 132. reported in 1882 and the report, after being submitted to App. . the Inspector-General of Fortifications, was adopted and No. 1.
As regards Hong Carnarvon his recommendations were embodied.
Commis-
Third
Kong the Commission reported that the defences were in a sion, very unsatisfactory condition and that £370,000 should be spent on works and armament; the garrison should be Report, raised from 1,212 to 2,672 of all ranks; and the Colony para. 81. should pay for the construction of barracks, naval and Ibid., store establishments, ports and batteries, receiving in para. 84. return the sites then occupied in the town by the naval and military establishments, while the Imperial Govern- inent should supply armaments, submarine mines, and floating defences. The Colony was to be responsible for the maintenance of the works.
-
Ibid.,
para. KK.
The Inspector-Genel of Fortifications reported
Hong Kong is probably under existing circumstances the most liable to attack of all our important coaling App. C.
** stations.
A. 132,
No. 1 (Ea- "Its value to our Eastern trade is so great that it should closure). "be made secure against such enterprises as may reasonably "be anticipated—
" Works "Armaments
Total
£55,625
£37,500
£93,125."
This sum, however, was exclusive of naval defences, submarine mines, and defence against attack by land. These recommendations were adopted, but it was decided that the Home Government should pay for the armament, Ibid., No. 2. leaving the Colony to find the money for the works. The Hong Kong Colony was informed accordingly in September, 1884, it Printed Papers, being added that after the exhaustion of surplus balances, Second the money required to finish the works would have to be series, provided by loan, which, however, the Home Government No. 12.
Parly. L'aper
4226. No 1.
long long Printed
Papers.
Second
Series,
No. 1.
Thad..
No. 20,
A. 12.
Report.
Ind.,
para. 14.
Ibad
para. 17. Ibid., para. 23. Ibid., para. 23.
para, 31.
Ibid.,
para. 18.
A. 246.
No. 4.
Enclosure.
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would not guarantee. By November, 1884, the War Office had decided that an armament of a more formidable nature was necessary to resist foreign vessels of war, and the cost of the armament was therefore raised to £79,500.
The Council unanimously voted the £55,625 (31st December, 1884). But it was found in 1885 that the increased armament necessitated increased works, amount- ing to a total of £116,000 in place of £55,625, which was duly voted. The position in 1888 was therefore that the Colony paid £20,000 a year towards the expense of the garrison, which then consisted of 1,445 of all ranks (exclusive of volunteers), and had paid £116,000 towards the defence works.
(2) 1889-1893.
The Inter-Departmental Committee ou Military Con- tributions reported as to Hong Kong on the 27th of July, 1888. They stated that in accordance with the recom- mendations of the Colonial Defence Committee the future garrison of Hong Kong was to be 3,018 men of all ranks at an estimated annual cost of £280,000, exclusive of volunteers, who would probably cost another £3,000 & year. They recommended that the Colony should pay £40,000 a year for five years from the 1st January, 1889; that it should provide the necessary sites for new barracks, but should be given in exchange certain military sites which would be no longer necessary; and that it should pay one-third of the cost of erecting the new barracks after deducting the realised or estimated value of the sites surrendered by the War Department.
In making these recommendations the Committee took into account the fact that, whether the admission made in 1863, that the troops were maintained largely for Imperial purposes, was still applicable or not, the Colony could not afford to pay much more.
The Secretary of State concurred with the Committee. The Treasury, in a characteristically pompous letter of the Ibid. No.6, 28th September, 1889, would not agree to the Committee's Report; they proposed that the amount of the contri- bution should be referred to a committee of the Cabinet, that the cost of the submarine mining works (£9,000), which the Committee had recommended should be borne by Home funds, should be paid by the Colony; and that the balance of cost of the new barracks should be divided equally between the Imperial and Colonial Governments.
After some correspondence it was agreed that the contribution should be fixed at £40,000 for three years Enclosure. from 1st January, 1890; that the Colony should be warned that it would have to pay something towards the new barracks; and that it should simply be pointed out that strictly the Colony ought to repay the £9,000 for submarine defences. The despatch embodying this arrange- ment was sent on the 20th of January, 1890.
Ind.,
No. 18,
Ibid.,
The Council voted the £40,000 for 1890 unanimously, No. 24, but the unofficial members moved resolutions on which the Enclosure. Governor decided the official members might vote as they liked. The resolutions were carried unanimously and stated that
(1) the money was voted in the belief that the whole force of 8,018, of whom 2,525 were to be Europeans, would be in the Colony within the year and would be retained there; (9) no demand should be made for the increased
payment till the troops had actually arrived ;
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