CO129-475 - Governor Sir Stubbs & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1922 [5-7] — Page 278

:

Copy.

Enclosure 1.

1471/1919.

Sir,

233

Government House,

Hongkong, 28th April, 1922.

With reference to Lieutenant-Gener÷1 Kirkpatrick's letter "o.C.R.9650 of the 12th December, I have the honour to state that the Director of Public Ho and the Assistant Colonial Secretary have reported to me the mutatence of certain informal discussions which, sa Your Excellency is sware, have recently been taking plas between them and Colonel Devy on the Military Lande

question.

ls Excellency

2.

}

It is desirable to defire in the first instance the gener·1 procedure to be adopted, and I concur that the transactions which are now in contemplation should}| be governed by the Colonial Office Circular despatches of the 9th June, 1890, and the 30th December, 1894; the reference most immediately in point being that contained in paragraph 6 of the letter despatch, which reads as follows:-

"Whenever the Colony desires to retain any lands "which the Wilitary Authorities give np, such lands, "instead of being offered for sale, would be valued, "and the market value of their fee simple at date of "surrender would be entered in the Special Account to "debit of the Colonial Government, together with the fair selling value at that date of any buildings which "might be upon the land. In the event of the surrender

"of any buildings now existing which in the past were

erected

The General Offider Commanding the Troops,

China Command.