CO129-283 - Acting Governor Major Gen Black - 1898 [5-6] — Page 309

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no doubt, I think, that, but for this request, the site would

have ere now been sold and would have been yielding a hand-

some Crown Rent,

7. I now pass to the proposal of His Excellen-

cy the Major-General Commanding that the value of the site, if

it be handed over to the War Dept.,should be credited to the

Colony in the land account with the Imperial Government.

8. This proposal is, I suppose, based on the

Circular Despatch of the Marquis of Ripon dated 30th. December

1894. After having carefully considered that despatch, I am un-

able to see anything in it which governs the conditions upon

which the Colonial Government is to cede land to the War De-

partment when such land is not required in connection with

defensive purposes.

9. If this despatch, of which a copy is append--

ed to this minute, is attentively perused, it will be seen that

it provides for a book account of the value of lands exchanged

between the Colonial Government and the War Department being

kept, only when the lands surrendered by the Military Authori-

I ties or desired by the Military Authorities are either lands

formerly set apart for defensive purposes or lands required

for the defensive purposes of the Colony respectively.

10. This conclusion is, I submit, borne out by

the terms of the 11th.clause of the despatch which states

that "the foregoing proposal relates solely to the terms on

"which Colonial Military Lands in the hands of the War Depart-

ment should be surrendered to a Colonial Government. It does

der a 370

not