CO129-305 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [5-7] — Page 156

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4. I have also come to the conclusion that the

only right which has accrued to the War Department in respect

of Military Reserve Land is a right, allowed by this Government,

to object to the erection of buildings detrimental to defence

schemes, and that a right of perpetual user of lands within a

Military Reserve has never appertained to the War Department.

5. In support of these conclusions, I would re-

fer you to pages 6,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 and 17, amongst

others, of the Joint Report (of which a copy was sent to you

in my despatch No.393 of the 28th. August,1900), and to the mi-

nutes of Mr. Pollock, Acting Attorney General, and Mr.Goodman,

Attorney General, to be found at pages 78 to 82 inclusive and

pages 97 to 100 inclusive of the said report.

6. Quite recently the General Officer Command-

ing has inferentially assented to release certain lands from

Military reservation, in that he has expressed his readiness

to exchange some such lands for other Colonial lands and to

yield up some such lands on certain conditions which he has

desired to impose.

7. For example, in return for land for barracks,

forts and a Military Reservation at Victoria Peak and Mount

High West, he has expressed himself as agreeable to exchange

certain Military Reserve lands at Kowloon, and in respect of

other land in Military Reserve at Kowloon and required for the

extension of the Hong-Kong and Whampoa Dock Company's premises,

he has expressed his readiness to recommend the War Office to

release