386
X
Colonel Darling's suggestion that that despatch
at variance with the contention that lands acquired
by the military from the Colonial Government are
only in perpetual user, and on relinquishment must
}
be dealt with in accordance with the circulars of
1890 and 1894.
ia
(x No.II in
Enclosure 1.)
We have never argued that land bought from
Imperial funds is "Colonial Military Land" in the
sense of the Circulars. I take it that if the War
Department buys land and pays up the capitalised
Crown Kent it has got something as near freehold as
the position in Hong Kong will allow. All that
happens is that when the War Office sell the land
to a private purchaser Crown rent as against the purchaser would revive."
Any land bought under the despatch of 1900
is accordingly not military land within the meaning
of the Circulars, Col. Darlin's put his appears.
The practical question which appears to
emerge from these despatches is whether it is better
to insist that the War Office should buy any land it wants,either for clearance areas or building pur- poses,
or whether Hong Kong can content itself with following the spirit of the Lewis Memorandum for the future. Personally I am strongly in favour of the former course, which is what Sir F.H. May wants. Ve know from bitter experience that it is as difficult
as it
to get the War Department to surrender land is to get them to be reasonable in questions of
military
f. His is buhays
必
obsen to doubt int
is a minor som i
the
JK..
affecting not argument
military contribution.
So long as they can get what
Crown land they want by a book entry and a nominal rent
they are
(a) unlikely to be cautious in demanding
(b) likely to restrict from development much
land of no real military use.
If they have to pay for what they take at
-
a fair valuation they won't be so ready as indeed the correspondence enclosed shows
?
to take it.
Send a copy of this despatch (there is a duplicate) to the War Office saying that on reconsideration of the matter Mr. Harcourt considers that the ruling laid down in Mr. Chamberlain's despatch (which was concurred in by the Treasury and War Office) should be followed; that accordingly any land required by the military authorities must be bought, and add that that part of Sir F. Lugard's despatch which concerns building sites on existing reserves is still concurred in by the Secretary of State.
breve red
M.
JR 24/9/13.
compen myself quite unath to understand Sii H. May's major premins,
from
1900 in
Must
be
th. Chamberlain's desp. of 24 but
Kat
land wanted the Wo.
paid for intright pussumally,
is making a
На
Leference
fother whout
in cash. (4.
on hight of
3 Sept 1912).
"Pinewood Battery
Yet
unhan he
book entries,
to purchase
his letter
the original may triations
for the site of the thoun't Dain Batting
the
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