3
5
492
T. No.
Sir,
16584
98
Hong Kong 2
4619
No. 2.
Treasury to War Office.
Treasury Chambers,
29th November, 1893, The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have had before them your letter of the 13th instant,* in which Mr. Secretary Campbell- Bannerman proposes to spend up to 30,000 dollars from the Imperial Defence Loan of 1888, in buying private land within the cantonment at Hong Kong, which would be utilized for some of the barrack works specified in Schedule B, annexed to your letter of 31st ultimo.t
As intimated, however, in their letter of 11th instant, my Lords cannot concur in any expenditure on the works in question, before an agreement has been arrived at with the Colony of Hong Kong as to the proportion of cost to be borne by Colonial funds.
Sir,
No. 4.
Treasury to War Office.
Treasury Chambers,
4th January, 1894.
T. No. 18818
93
4619
Hong
4628
I am directed by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Knox's letter of the 23rd ultimo, Hong Kong,2,* Kong 2 and to state that in deference to the strong and renewed representations of Mr. Secretary Campbell-Bannerman made therein, they authorize the acquisi- tion, for a sum not exceeding 30,000 dollars, of the land within the cantonment at Hong Kong, referred to in your letter of the 13th November,† which will be utilized for barrack works at that station, the expenditure to be charged to the Imperial Defence Loan, 1888.
R. E. WELBY.
R. E. WELBY.
Hong
Kong 2 4619
No. 3.
War Office to Treasury.
War Office,
Sir,
23rd December, 1893.
16109 With reference to your letters of the 11th and 29th ultimo,
16584
93 and
§ respecting the statements of barrack works completed, in progress, or proposed at Hong Kong, I am directed to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, that the Secretary of State for War regrets that it is not possible to follow the course taken for granted in your letter of the 11th ultimot under reply, as it is a matter of urgent importance that the housing of the increased garrison at Hong Kong should be proceeded with as quickly as possible.
Mr. Secretary Campbell-Bannerman is accordingly taking every step to ensure the early execution of the required works to the extent of the funds at his disposal for barrack purposes under the Imperial Defence Loan.
The purchase, for which authority was applied under date the 13th ultimo, Hong Kong 2
would facilitate provision of accommodation, which stands high 4608
*
in the order of urgency of those services, and would go far to secure, as pointed out in that letter, an object which has been considered for many years to be of great importance, viz., the acquisition by the Imperial Government of all property within the cantonment.
It is rare for the Government to meet with an owner willing and anxious to sell property which it is known that the Government wish to purchase, and, in the interests of economy and of the good of the service, Mr. Secretary Campbell-Bannerman must press their Lordships to be so good as to reconsider the matter and not to withhold their consent to the proposal put forward in the
Hong Kong 2 War Office letter of the 13th ultimo,
4608
R. H. KNOX.
§ No. 2.
↑ No. 6 of "Barracks" Correspondence [A 385].
* No. 1.
No. 7 of "Barracks" Correspondence [A 385],
1.
No. 5.
Colonial Office to War Office.
Sir,
Downing Street,
4th July, 1895.
Co. No. 10525
95
I am directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to request you to lay before he Marquis of Lansdowne the enclosed copy of a despatch from the Governur Kong 2- of Hong Kong, respecting the purchase by the military authorities of a piece of ground at Hong Kong, which is subject to a Crown rent.
Houg
4744
2. Mr. Chamberlain is of opinion that the rent should not be extinguished, as it is evident that the land in question is leasehold property only, and that the freehold is vested in the Crown, so that in the event of the military authorities selling the property at any time, the purchaser would be required to pay such rent to the Colonial Government,
3. He considers that the Governor in the last paragraph of his despatch has indicated the right course to be pursued in view of recent correspondence on the subject of Colonial military lands and buildings, and he proposes, with Lord Lansdowne's concurrence, to approve the suggestion.
Enclosure in No. 5.
JOHN BRAMSTON.
The Governor, Hong Kong, to Colonial Office.
Government House, Hong Kong, My Lord Marquis,
10th May, 1895. I have the honour to refer a question that has recently arisen between the military anthorities and the Colonial Government, respecting the payment of Crown rent to which certain property, viz., Juland Lot, 73 B, situated in Queen's Road East, is subjected. and to request your Lordship's decision on the matter.
On the 23rd May, 1894, the military authorities purchased of Mr. A. F. Smith, the property above mentioned, and they now claim that, inasmuch as it has passed into their hands, it should no longer be liable to the annual payment of Crown rent to the Colonial Government.
A precedent appears in support of this clair in the despatches referring to the purchase of Messrs. Gemmell's premises for naval and military purposes in 1852, and the general principle was laid down "that the military departments should have allotted to their purposes free of charge, all Government lands and premises in the Colonies
* No. 3.
+ No. 1.
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