CO129-317 - Governor Sir Blake - 1903 [4-6] — Page 274

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been in negotiation with the owner as to the terms on which it would permit him to make a reclamation in front of his lot. The premium asked by Government amounts to $105,600 and the Crown Rent to $3,030.30 for the area of reclamation shewn on the plan enclosed in your Despatch.

4.

If the negotiations are carried through

and the reclamation is made the owner of the property will

certainly require to make a pier or piers in front of the

reclamation in order to enable him to carry on his trade.

For the area of seabed covered by such pier or piers

this Goverment will obtain premium and also an Annual Crown

Rent.

If such means of access to the property were not

permitted, the Colonial Government would suffer pecuniarily

both directly and indirectly, for the value of the Lot 49 and

the reclamation in front of it would be much diminished.

What the Admiralty apparently propose to

5.

do is to berth their Coal Ships parallel with the sea-wall.

This necessitates keeping a great extent of frontage clear

on each side of the berth to enable the ships to come along-

side and leave the berth.

If the Admiralty own the necessary frontage to enable

this to be done there can be no possible objection. If not

they should adopt the universal practice in this port, where

every foot of space on land and water is of enormous and in-

creasing value, and project their Coal Jetty at right-angles

to the sea-wall.

6.

I embodied this view in my telegraphic

reply and I added that the Colonial Government would require

premium