283
for the release of the Military Reserves at Kowloon from reservation owing to the reason for their reservation having ceased to exist, and they conceived that it would be to the public benefit of all classes of the Community including the Naval and Military Forces of His Majesty that at any rate the lower lying ground in the Reserves should remain unbuilt upon and be devoted to the formation of a Park in the enjoyment of which the whole Colony could unite.
By common consent it was considered that in the circumstances no more fitting memorial of the Coronation of Their lost Gracious Majesties could be found than by dedicating such a Park to the Public in the King's name.
7.
Those are the facts. And now after an amicable agreement has been arrived at by way of exchanges which, I venture to think, if submitted to the opinion of any competent judge who has a knowledge of the areas involved and of the value of land in this Colony, would be pronounced as more than eminently fair because erring on the side of liberality on the part of the Colonial Government, you wish me to destroy the balance of the exchanges by debiting the Colonial Government with the large sum of over half a million dollars and handing over in addition the whole island of Stonecutters except the site for the Gaol to the War Department.
Moreover, the calculation by which you arrive at the sum of $493,177 is open to the strongest objection. You have assumed that the area occupied by the old Ranges is 46.50 acres but as a matter of fact nearly the whole of the Reserve is monopolised by them as it would be quite impossible to apply any portion of the large valley or basin in which they
283
for the release of the Military Reserves at Kowloon from
reservation owing to the reason for their reservation having
ceased to exist, and they conceived that it would be to the
public benefit of all classes of the Community including the
Naval and Military Forces of His Majesty that at any rate the
lower lying ground in the Reserves should remain unbuilt upon
and be devoted to the formation of a Park in the enjoyment of
which the whole Colony could unite.
By common consent it was considered that
in the circumstances no more fitting memorial of the Coronation
of Their lost Gracious Majesties could be found than by dedi-
cating such a Park to the Public in the King's name.
7.
Those are the facts. And now after an
amicable agreement has been arrived at by way of exchanges
which, I venture to think, if submitted to the opinion of any
competent judge who has a knowledge of the areas involved and
of the value of land in this Colony, would be pronounced as
more than eminently fair because erring on the side of liberali-
ty on the part of the Colonial Government, you wish me to des-
troy the balance of the exchanges by debiting the Colonial
Government with the large sum of over half a million dollars
and handing over in addition the whole island of Stonecutters
except the site for the Gaol to the War Department.
Moreover, the calculation by which you
arrive at the sum of $493,177 is open to the strongest objection.
You have assumed that the area occupied by the old Ranges is
46.50 acres but as a matter of fact nearly the whole of the
Reserve is monopolised by them as it would be quite impossible
to apply any portion of the large valley or basin in which
they
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.