CO129-478 - Public Offices & Others - 1922 — Page 245

242

Memorandum B

SECRET.

Hong Kong. Proposed surrender of certain Military

Lands in Victoria and Kowloon.

From

To

The General Officer Commanding the Forces in China,

The Secretary, War Office, London, S,W,1,

Headquarter, Hong Kong.

18th May, 1922,

sir,

osures:- ation

dule. of

oria

bment.

of field

of

rood.

36 of

ers of

hial Govt 8.4.22.

4.5.22.

With reference to War Office letter Hong Kong 8/311 (M.0.1.3.) dated 25th January, 1922, I have the honour to report that, after considerable local discussion, the Colonial Government has formulated the following proposals in their letters of the 28th April and 4th May 1922, and of which I enclose copies. In the above letters the following are the nain proposals,

(1)

-

The procedure generally to be governed by Colonial Office Circular Despatches of 9th June 1890 and 30th December, 1894.

(2)

The amount to be credited to the War Department in respect of land handed over to Colonial Government to be calculated in accordance with the schedule forwarded herewith. The price of the land to include any buildinga standing on it. The prices shown on the schedule to be final, and not to be affected by any subsequent sale by the Colonial Government.

(3)

The

A special Surrender Account to be opened in which all these transactions would be recorded, existing Military Lands Account to be held in suspense, so far as this particular schene is concerned, until the latter is finally wound up, when the balance due to or by the War Department would be entered in the former.

(4)

Funds for the provision of lands and buildings in replacement of those surrendered, or for additional build- ings, if required, to be provided by the Colonial Government up to the full amount of the credit standing to the War Department in the surrender Account. The work to be carried out by the Colonial Government to War Department require- nents, and the War Department to be debited in the surrender Account with the actual cost which includes a reasonable percentage for overhead charges.

(6)

The sum of 114317-18-9 due from the Treasury to the Colonial Goverment on account of overpayment of Military Contribution to be the first entry in the

Surrender Account to the debit of the War Department.

(5)

The Pinewood area to be handed over at once to the Colonial Government at the same price as was charged to the War Department; when this property was acquired in 1905, viz. 11,059 cents per square foot,

II.