CO129-404 - Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1913 [10-12] — Page 213

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was informed that if the site were to be offered for sale for commercial purposes it would not be put up for less than one dollar per square foot and that it would be expected to realize

a higher price.

4.

Nothing more has been heard on the subject until the letter from the Admiralty enclosed in your Despatch, but a considerable amount of correspondence has passed with regard to other possible sites, the terms in each case being much the

same. I enclose a letter which I wrote by direction of Sir F. H. May in August last.

5.

In my opinion it would be very undesirable,

having regard to the public interests involved, to agree to the proposal put forward by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.

The first application to be allowed to store coal on this land was made on the 31st. August, 1900, and the Naval Authorities were

offered either an Annual lease at a rental of $4,200 a year, or,

if desired a monthly tenancy at a rent of $350 a month, and subject to a month's notice on either side. The Naval Authorities prefer- -red the latter form of tenancy and the arrangement has continued

ever since.

6.

It is clear from the original application that the intention was to make a purely temporary use of the site, and as a very large coal depot has since been erected by the Admiralty on the other side of Canton Road the time would appear to have arrived in the ordinary course for terminating the tenancy. From the point of view of the Colonial Government any Crown Land in Kowloon should be alienated on the most advantageous terms, as the demand for land is very great and there is so little Crown Land available that it was with some difficulty that a site was found a few months ago for the erection of quarters for subordinate

officers.

7.

The proposal made by the Lords Commissioners

of the Admiralty is that this Government should grant them free

of premium a considerable area of land, which

is