CO129-478 - Public Offices & Others - 1922 — Page 217

Hong Kong 8/311 (Q.M.G.1.)

Sir,

214

Lopendix A,

Hong Kong and Kowloon,

August, 1922.

With reference to your letter No. C.R. 9650 dated. 18th May, 1922, I am commended by the Ary Council to infom you that the proposed noves of troops to new locations and surrender of certain lands and properties now occupied by the troops, as soon as satisfactory new accommodation has been prepared, is approved in principle according to the Schedules A. and B. annexed, and subject to an agreement being arrived at with the Colonial Government as to the conditions of transfer.

2. Before going into detail, it is desirable to state and to bring to the notice of the Colonial Goverment that the Army Council attach particular importance to the principle laid down by Colonial Office Circular Despatch of 30th December 1894 in paragraph 3, that these Colonial Military lends constitute a permanent defence fund of the Colony to meet not only immediate needs but, also, those which may arise in the future.

3. The proposal that the procedure be generally governed by Colonial Office Circular Despatches of the 9th June 1890 and 30th December, 1894 is agreed to.

4. As a special record there is no objection to the proposal to open a special account for this particular scheme, it being understood that the existing Military Lands Account will be credited with the balance due and this special account be closed within a reasonable period, say, 12 months, of the transfer of troops to their new locations,

5. Having regard to the monitude of the transaction, the Council is not prepared to accept the proposal in your para,raph (2) and the valuation arrived at locally. It is considered that it would prove ore satisfactory in the long run to both parties that an independent and competent surveyor be employed by agreement between the Hore and Colonial Governments, and a further can..unication on this subject will be made to you, It is not considered that the delay arising from such a valuation is of material consequence, since its completion need not delay the preparation of new scenes, or the works when approved,

6. In view of the circumstance that the dispossession of the military from their present noldingo is due to considerations of comercial needs of the Colony, the Amy Council cannot aduit the limitation expressed in your paragraph 4 by the words

up to the full amount of the credit standing to the War Department in the Surrender Account". It would appear in this case that the cost of reprovision of military needs will be less tuan tnis credit, but were this not the case, the Amy Council would feel justified in claining that the whole costs should je borne by the Colonial Goverment.

The General Officer Commanding,

The Forces in China,

Hong Long

2

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