CO129-321 - Public Offices & Others - 1903 — Page 461

456

for

7198

92

Island was a Military Reserve, as it was so described

in the despatch from Sir William Robinson dated the 8th

March 1892 which was forwarded with the letter from your

Department of the 19th May 1892.

The Colonial Secretary does not, apparently,

admit that the whole island, or even the land surround-

ing the batteries is military reserve. He agrees, how-

ever, that, as no person is allowed to land on the

island without a permit, the land has only a nominal

value, and has expressed his readiness to recommend that

the land immediately required for the erection of the

barracks should be transferred to the War Department on

condition (1) that, if the island is ever abandoned by

this Department as no longer required for Defence

purposes, the land is to revert to the Colonial Govern-

ment free of any charge, and (2) that the War Department

will, in return, transfer to the Colony at the present

time an area of land which may form a reasonable exchange

and is no longer required for military use.

This proposal does not appear to Mr Brodrick

to be equitable or in accordance with the Colonial

Office Circulars of 1890 and 1894 with regard to Colonial

Military Land, or compatible with the claims of the War

Department in this particular case and he would suggest

that the question should be considered at a conference

between