20
21
184
I-Value of War Department property to be Sold.
Estimate in Mr. Knox's letter.
Sir L. Nichol- son's rough guess.
Sir,
£
North Barracks, including West Married
Quarters and Provost Prison
Commissariat Buildings and Head-quarter
Offices..
East Married Quarters :---
Front portion
£
65,975
140,000
15,517
11,700
Back portion
19,500
Spring Gardens
13,587
Valuing dollar at 38. 3d.
126,229
They learn, however, that Mr. Secretary Stanhope is taking steps for obtaining another valuation from local experts.
It will be observed that the question of the cost of the new barracks is left over in this draft, and on this subject a further letter will shortly be
40248
of 30th November last, addressed to you in reply to your letter, No.
164
CONTRIBUTION.
No. 14.
Colonial Office to War Office.
Downing Street,
7th January, 1890. With reference to the letter* from this department of the 17th October last, I am directed by Lord Knutsford to request you to lay before Mr. Secre- tary Stanhope the enclosed draft of a despatcht which his Lordship proposes, after obtaining the concurrence of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, to address to the Governor of Hong Kong on the question of the Military Contribution of that Colony, together with copies of correspondence with the Treasury on the subject, as noted in the margin.t
40248
183
* No. 8.
Treasury, 5th Decem-
Lord Knutsford would be much obliged if Mr. Stanhope would cause any ber, 1889. details in this draft relating to matters in the knowledge of the War Office to Colonial
Office, 7th be verified.
January, 1890.
ROBERT G. W. HERBERT.
II-Cost of Accommodation to be provided, exclusive of Sites,
Estimate in.
Sir L. Nichol-
Mr. Knox's
son's rough
letter.
guess.
† Enclosure 1 in No. 14, returned to Colonial Office with No. 16.
A..
£
£
In replacement of→→→→
North Barracks, &c.
26,874
50,000
Commissariat Buildings, &c.
14,300
East Married Quarters
4,713
Spring Gardens
4,738
50,600
B
Additional Accommodation for increase of
garrison
212,000
262,000
No trustworthy estimate can yet be given of the cost of additional accommodation, but estimates for parts of the scheme may be expected in a few months,
Pending the arrival of the fresh valuation, and of the further estimates of cost, my Lords suspend their approval of the scheme.
They are glad to learn that the Colony will be called upon to provide the new sites required, out of Crown lands, so far as possible. When purchases are inevitable, the cost should be treated as divisible between the Mother Country and the Colony in the same proportions as the net cost of erecting the buildings.
My Lords note that the estimates include the cost of all fixed barrack furniture.
R. E. WELBY.
Sir,
Enclosure 2 in No. 14.
Treasury to Colonial Office.
Treasury Chambers,
5th December, 1889.
I am directed by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to acquaint you, for the information of the Secretary of State, that they have considered Mr. Bramston's letter of the 17th October on the Military Contribution to be paid by the Colony of Hong Kong.
The Secretary of State demurs to my Lords' proposal, that the contribution of 40,0002. a-year should be fixed for two years. He refers to the letter from this Board, on the subject of Singapore, in which my Lords named three or four years as the period which the two Secretarios of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had fixed in conference, and in falfilment of this agreement, Lord Knutsford proposes to fix the said contribution for five years. The Secretary of State therefore departs from the agreement as much in one direction as my Lords departed from it in the other direction. It must, however, be recollected that, at the time when the letter of the 10th August respecting Singapore was written, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had not agreed with the Secretary of State to ask Her Majesty's advisers to refer the question of these contributions to a Cabinet Committee. It is obvious that the opinion of such a committee, if accepted by the Cabinet, would supersede an agreement made by the three ministers above named, and it would be desirable that duration should only be given to that agreement for such a period as would be required in order to give full effect to the decision of the Cabinet.
My Lords, however, are anxious that there should not be any difference between the Secretary of State and this Board upon minor points, and they are ready to make the concession of naming three years, instead of two, as the period for which the contribution of 40,0007. will be binding.
2. It is true that my Lords were satisfied with the description of the Committee of 1861 given by the Colonial Office itself. It is probable, from reference to Hansard, that Sir F. Rogers based his description of the Committee upon the proposals put forward
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