6
In consideration of the practical admission of the claim of the Colony to the building values of this land, the areas required at the present time to complete the War Department holdings round the Forts and Barracks should be handed over free of cost. These areas are those shown on the plan forwarded to the War Office with letter dated 4th November, 1903, with the addition of a strip of land of an acre in extent by the landing place. The total arca involved is 12 acres 1 rood 274 poles of which the Battery and P. F. cells occupy 4 acres !! rood 13 poles; thus leaving 8 acres 1 rood 134 poles to be handed over. of land to be lensed is 130 acres and the rent therefore $130.
The area
(5.) Kowloon Poak Reserve, (Ngau Tau Kok), No. in Table 32. This opeus, upon a
large scale, the question of the War Department renting land not required for its exclusive use, to be called Military Reserve Land. cally this area should be treated as such, any land which may be required for Logi- Barracks being purchased,
Referring to the plan No. 8 which accompanied G. O. C.'s letter to the I. G. F. dated 17th June, 1903, any land required by the War Departinent which on the areas coloured red as building sites would be paid for as such at the price may fall given in the Table prepared by the Colonial Secretary, dated 4th April, 1903. Any other land required would be paid for at the rate of $50 per acre as given in the same Table. The lease of the remainder of the area to be a Military Reserve should provide on behalf of the War Department that no buildings should be constructed without the concurrence of the Military Authorities, and no additional cultivation should be permitted; that already in use being marked on a map for
reference.
It should also provide, on behalf of the Colonial Government, that no use should be made of the area of 200 acres comprising a reservoir site and catchiaent area immediately below the Sai Kung Road, near the point where it crosses the water parting between the valleys draining to east and west, which would inter- fere with the eventual use of this area for the
purposes indicated.
it is agreed that it would be sufficient if the patches of cultivation marked green on the map of 17th June, 1903, be resumed. Compensation to private owners for those patches to be paid by the Colony.
It will be necessary to make some agreement for ensuring the water supply to the proposed Barracks, similar to that drawn up for the Barrack at Sywan.
The area of the land rented is 3,357 acres.
That required to be bought is about 2273 acres of which 51 acres 2 roods 20 poles is considered by the Colonial Authorities to rank as Building Land. areas require to be checked when the ground is marked out.
These
(6.) Kowloon Dock Battery, No. in Table, 27, and Kowloon East Battery Reserve, No. in Table, 34.
The Dock Battery and part of the Reserve was to have been purchased by the Kowloon Dock Company for an extension of their premises. The Dock Com. pany decided not to carry out this extension, but the arrangements for the sale of the land to the Colonial Government were not stopped. A price was agreed upon and embodied in the Colonial Secretary's Table of 4th April, 1993, namely, $81,360 for the Dock Battery and $172,345 for the part of the Reserve.
Proposals have been made for the Colonial Government to take over further portions of the Reserve with a view to cutting down the hill and utilizing the space at the foot.
It would be very desirable to settle at the present time the area and pric: of this portion, which might be recorded but not considered as payable until the land is actually taken over.
The proposal is shewn on a plan prepared in the Colonial Land Office dated 15th April, 1903, and forwarded to the War Department with General Officer Commanding's letter to L.G.F. 379/29/Z/14 of 17th June, 1903.
The area to be banded over to the Colony is 16 acres 2 roods 24 poles and the price at the same rate as the portion to be taken for the Dock Company is $254,453.
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The remainder of the Reserve amounting to 7 acres 2 roods 28 poles would then become entirely the property of the War Department.
The firing of the gun would not be interfered with as it is over 200 feet above the sea and the part of the hill sold will be cut down to a low level.
(7.) In addition to those already mentioned the following areas have been valued and will be paid for accordingly
*
By the War Department.
Practice Battery, Mount Davis, No. in Table, 1, Pinewood Battery, etc, No. in Table, 29,
Site below Bowen Road, No. in Table, 30, Devil's Peak, No. in Table, 31.
By the Colony.
Time Ball Station, No. in Table, 40,. Mount Cochrane, No. in Table, 39,
..$ 3,885
348,510
125,489
£1,500
..$ 43,005 115,518
The site of Elliot Battery, No. in Table, 28, is given free under an arrange- ment in 1897 by which the Colony were liable to provide the actual sites of Batteries built by them and armed by the Imperial Government.
We now come to various uniscellaneous cases which it is desirable to dispose of.
(8.) North Point Reserve, No. in Table, 48.
In 1890 a scheme was put forward to remove the Military Establishment from Hongkong to this site and the land was reserved for that purpose.
As the scheme fell through, the land is considered to have reverted to the Colony.
(9.) The Sanitarium Reserve, No. in Table, 57.
This was surveyed in 1878 with a view of putting a Rifle Range there. It has been treated as Reserve apparently from that time though with constant pro- tests from the Civil Government.
Its only use to the War Departinent is a negative one.
It must be kept in a sanitary condition in order to make the Sanitarium healthy. It is suggested that it be rented as a Military Reserve until the Civil Government are ready to deal with the sanitation of the site thoroughly.
(10.) In 1891 Colonel STORER put forward a large scheme of purchase of land and of setting apart Reserves-15 in number. They were recognised in a sort of way for a time and have lived on in a nebulous manner to the present day. A suitable time seems to have now arrived for disposing of them finally. They are enumerated in the Table, Nos. 40 to 63, and it seems nunecessary to say more about them here.
(11.) The remainder of the List of War Department Lan 1, Reserves and Let- tings may be considered as unquestioned though there is in many cases no record of how the War Department came into possession.
Documents should be prepared in each case shewing the present state of
affairs.
(12.) It might be advisable to dispose of the following properties if the Colony will purchase. In any case they form valuable assets for the War Department:---
Murray Battery, No, in Table. 8.
Spring Gardens, No. in Table, 15.
The Cantonment, Stanley, No. in Table, 19.
(13.) In case any roads are desired to be constructed outside a Military Reserve, as for example to the top of a Peak, the area of the roa I shoull be treated as a leased Military Reserve.
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