CO129-282 - Acting Governor Major Gen Black - 1898 [3-4] — Page 72

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The Land Office and Crosby's Store cover an

area of 16,078 square feet which is valued at $160,780.

4. If both those areas are sold for the

prices named, which total $503,080 and the suns realized are

set off against the cost of the new buildings, the cost of

scheme A will be $66,920 and of Scheme B $26,920.

5. As however the Director of Public Works

has hinted that it would be desirable to keep a portion of

the Marine Plot on the Reclamation as an open space and as

the Secretary of State in paragraph 5 of his despatch No.

147 of 23rd. July, 1897, states "I should not in any case ap-

prove the proposal to set apart the premia on the sale of

the Reclamation sites as a special fund to meet the expendi

ture on the Govt. Buildings it is better not to reckon the

price procurable for this Marine Plot as available towards

defraying the cost of the erection of new Public Offices.

1

I may mention, however, that perhaps the remarks of the Secre-

tary of State were not intended to apply to the sale of a

site which had already been suggested as a suitable one on

which to erect Public Buildings but had reference to other

Scen reclamation sites only. Nor does it likely that those re-

marks were meant to refer to the proceeds of the sale of a

parcel of the old site now proposed to be utilised. And in

this connection, I have learned that the price of the Marine

Plot adverted to was not included in the sum of $510,000 es-

timat

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