2
There would thus be—
£
16,000
40,000
50,000
3.
No. 3.
War Office to Treasury.
238
or a total of 106,000
available for the erection of the barrack and hospital for an Asiatic Infantry regiment, and for other necessary provision for the increased garrison.
As, however, only £16,000 of this amount is available at the present moment, Mr. Stanhope proposes to undertake work to that amount only to commence with.
The rest of the buildings will be taken in hand as the contribution from the Colony, or the assets from the sale of War Department lands, shall have been received,
T. No. 5906
Sir,
92 Hong Kong 2
4496
H. ST. JOHN BRODRICK,
No. 2.
Treasury to War Office.
Treasury Chambers,
14th April, 1892.
4473
The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have had before them your letter* of the 4th instant, Hong Kong 2 respecting the expenditure on providing barrack accommodation for a native Indian regiment at Hong Kong, and direct me to say that, in the present uncertainty as to the funds that will be available for this service, they agree with Mr. Secretary Stanhope that it will be expedient to restrict the work, for the present, to what can be paid for out of the sum of £16,000, stated to be at his disposal, for the purpose, out of the Imperial Defence Loan.
I am however to ask how this sum of £16,000 comes to be available. their letter of the 15th February, 1890, my Lords sanctioned the commencement of the following works, which it was supposed would absorb the whole of the sum allotted out of the Loan to Hong Kong, viz. :—
£
10,000
30,000
40,000
Barrack for half battalion at Lymoon Seventy married quarters in Victoria
As explained in Treasury letter† of the 12th October, 1889, my Lords consider it an essential part of any scheme for the provision of barrack and hospital accommodation at Hong Kong, that one-half (or whatever other proportion may be ultimately fixed) of the net cost, after applying proceeds of sales, should be defrayed by the Colony, and that new sites required should be provided by the Colony out of Crown lands so far as possible. But in urging the Colonial Office to press such an arrangement upon the Colony, it is scarcely necessary to point out the desirability of giving a trustworthy estimate of the amount of charge which it will entail on Colonial funds. The Colony cannot be expected willingly to commit itself to an indefinite liability, over the growth of which it can exercise no control.
G. L. RYDER.
* No. 1.
↑ No. 7 of Correspondence relating to the Military Contribution payable by Hong Kong and to the War Department Lands at that Station."
Sir,
War Office,
27th July, 1893.
5906
respecting 92
With reference to your letter* of the 14th April, 1892, expenditure in connection with the provision of barrack accommodation at Hong Kong, I am directed by the Secretary of State for War to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, that the building of the married quarters, to which reference is made, was postponed in favour of the housing of the Hong Kong Regiment and the erection of a barrack on Stonecutters Island, which were considered more important services.
With regard to the concluding paragraph of your letter, now under reply, I am to forward an estimate of the cost of the barrack scheme which has been carried out in part, and which it is proposed to complete in order to accommodate the increased garrison, and to make some other provisions which are urgently required for the health and training of the troops.
This estimate amounts to 1,003,263 dollars, or £158,850, reckoning the dollar at 3s. 2d. To this estimate 10 per cent must be added for contingencies, which increases the amount to 1,103,589 dollars, or £174,735.
In order to arrive at an estimate at all, it was necessary to prepare a definite scheme, but it is obvious that further consideration, or changing circumstances, may render it desirable to make many modifications, or even substantial alterations, in this scheme. Such changes, however, would not necessarily imply increased cost.
The estimate has been prepared on the basis of 3s. 2d. to the dollar, and will necessarily be affected to an extent that cannot be foreseen, by the fluctuations that may take place in the course of years in the value of silver, the cost of materials, and the rates of wages.
These are factors that cannot be brought into such an estimate, which, however, is sufficient to show that, as to the scheme at present contemplated, the charge which would be thrown on the Colony by the arrangement under which they should provide half the cost of building barrack accommodation in the future, is not likely to exceed 551,794 dollars, or £87,367, which sum would be required to be provided during the course of the next eight years, as far as can be foreseen, in approximately equal annual instalments.
The Imperial moiety of 551,794 dollars, or £87,367, would be provided to the extent of about £35,000 under the Imperial Defence Loan, "Barracks at Coaling Stations," viz. :-
£
30,000 already scheduled to Hong Kong.
5,000 possible transfers from other coaling stations.
35,000 = 221,052 dollars.
The balance, about 330,742 dollars, or £52,387, it is proposed to provide on the annual estimates, as soon as the expenditure under the Imperial Defence Loan comes to an end.
In order to prepare a definite scheme it was necessary to consider carefully the whole question of barrack accommodation at Hong Kong, and to take into account all that would be required to improve and complete it up to the scale of modern requirements.
This naturally resulted in an estimate considerably larger than that now submitted, embracing as it did the provision of a hospital on shore for the garrison, exclusive of the Indian regiment, in place of the hospital ship
• No. 2.
Hong Kong 2
4568
2
There would thus be--
£
16,000
40,000
50.000
3.
No. 3.
War Office to Treasury.
238
or a total of 106,000
available for the erection of the barrack and hospital for an Asiatic Infantry regiment, and for other necessary provision for the increased garrison.
As, however, only 16,0001. of this amount is available at the present moment, Mr. Stanhope proposes to undertake work to that amount only to commence with..
The rest of the buildings will be taken in hand as the contribution from the Colony, or the assets from the sale of War Department lands, shall have been received,
T. No. 5906
Sir,
92 Hong Kong 2
4496
H. ST. JOHN BRODRICK,
No. 2.
Treasury to War Office.
Treasury Chambers,
14th April, 1892.
4473
>
The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have had before them your letter* of the 4th instant, Hong Kong 2
respecting the expenditure on providing barrack accommodation for a native Indian regiment at Hong Kong, and direct me to say that, in the present uncertainty as to the funds that will be available for this service, they agree with Mr. Secretary Stanhope that it will be expedient to restrict the work, for the present, to what can be paid for out of the sum of 16,0001., stated to be at his disposal, for the purpose, out of the Imperial Defence Loan.
I am however to ask how this sum of 16,000l. comes to be available. their letter of the 15th February, 1890, my Lords sanctioned the commencement of the following works, which it was supposed would absorb the whole of the sum allotted out of the Loan to Hong Kong, viz. :—
In
£
10,000
30,000
40,000
Barrack for half battalion at Lymoon Seventy married quarters in Victoria
As explained in Treasury lettert of the 12th October, 1889, my Lords consider it an essential part of any scheme for the provision of barrack and hospital accommodation at Hong Kong, that one-half (or whatever other pro- portion may be ultimately fixed) of the net cost, after applying proceeds of sales, should be defrayed by the Colony, and that new sites required should be provided by the Colony out of Crown lands so far as possible. But in urging the Colonial Office to press such an arrangement upon the Colony, it is scarcely necessary to point out the desirability of giving a trustworthy estimate of the amount of charge which it will entail on Colonial funds. The Colony cannot be expected willingly to commit itself to an indefinite liability, over the growth of which it can exercise no control.
G. L. RYDER.
* No. 1.
↑ No. 7 of Correspondence relating to the Military Contribution payable by Hong Kong and to the War Department Lands at that Station."
Sir,
War Office,
27th July, 1893.
5906
respecting 92
With reference to your letter* of the 14th April, 1892, expenditure in connection with the provision of barrack accommodation at Hong Kong, I am directed by the Secretary of State for War to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, that the building of the married quarters, to which reference is made, was postponed in favour of the housing of the Hong Kong Regiment and the erection of a barrack on Stonecutters Island, which were considered more. important services.
With regard to the concluding paragraph of your letter, now under reply, I am to forward an estimate of the cost of the barrack scheme which has been carried out in part, and which it is proposed to complete in order to accommo- date the increased garrison, and to make some other provisions which are urgently required for the health and training of the troops.
This estimate amounts to 1,003,263 dollars, or 158,8501, reckoning the dollar at 3s. 2d. To this estimate 10 per cent must be added for contingencies, which increases the amount to 1,103,589 dollars, or 174,7351.
In order to arrive at an estimate at all, it was necessary to prepare a definite scheme, but it is obvious that further consideration, or changing cir- cumstances, may render it desirable to make many modifications, or even sub- stantial alterations, in this scheme. Such changes, however, would not necessarily imply increased cost.
The estimate has been prepared on the basis of 3s. 2d. to the dollar, and will necessarily be affected to an extent that cannot be foreseen, by the fluctua- tions that may take place in the course of years in the value of silver, the cost of materials, and the rates of wages.
These are factors that cannot be brought into such an estimate, which, however, is sufficient to show that, as to the scheme at present contemplated, the charge which would be thrown on the Colony by the arrangement under which they should provide half the cost of building, barrack accommodation in the future, is not likely to exceed 551,794 dollars, or 87,3674, which sum would be required to be provided during the course of the next eight years, as far as can be foreseen, in approximately equal annual instalments.
The Imperial moiety of 551,794 dollars, or 87,367, would be provided to the extent of about 35,0001. under the Imperial Defence Loan, "Barracks at Coaling Stations," viz. :-
£
30,000 already scheduled to Hong Kong.
5,000 possible transfers from other coaling stations.
35,000 = 221,052 dollars.
The balance, about 330,742 dollars, or 52,3877., it is proposed to provide on the annual estimates, as soon as the expenditure under the Imperial Defence Loan comes to an end.
In order to prepare a definite scheme it was necessary to consider carefully the whole question of barrack accommodation at Hong Kong, and to take into account all that would be required to improve and complete it up to the scale of modern requirements.
This naturally resulted in an estimate considerably larger than that now submitted, embracing as it did the provision of a hospital on shore for the garrison, exclusive of the Indian regiment, in place of the hospital ship
• No. 2.
Hong
Kong 2
4568
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