CO129-333 - Governor Nathan - 1906 [1-4] — Page 31

OOP X

Nos.

Sir,

4352

R 10 FEL 06

Government House,

Hongkong, 3rd. January, 1906.

29

I have given very careful consideration

to Your Excellency's letter No. A/3875/8 of the 22nd. December,

1905, on the subject of the proposed 100 foot road at North

Point and have now the bonour to ask for a reconsideration of

the position taken up by Your Excellency in this matter.

2.

I would point out in the first instance that

the views expressed in the letter that the Military Lands AC-

-count in this Colony originated under Colonel Lewis's "Memoran-

-dum on the band Question at Hongkong", dated the 15th. Febru-

-ery, 1905, ignores the long previous correspondence with re-

-gard to the adjustment of this account and the Circulars of the

Secretary of State for the Colonies of the Sth. June, 1890, and

of the 30th. December, 1894, which according to the Memorandur

itself should govern the surrender by the War Department of

lands in exclusive Military occupation. Both circulars treat

the account to be xeot between the War Department and the

Colonial Government as of a running nature and I ar satisfied

that Colonsi Lewis had no intention that it should be finally

closed in the manner suggested by Your Excellency.

It is true that the Circulars to which

3.

i refer deal with land no longer required for Military purooses

and in the sense that the land at North Point under discussion

forms part of an existing work of defence it may be said to be

still required for Military purposes and so not to come under

the terms of the Circulars. On the other hand I understand

that

his Excellency

The General Officer Commanding.