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manoj DrogTO
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3. contention of the Army Council in paragraph 5 of its draft letter, that the obligation of the Colony as regards reprovisioning shall, if necessary, exceed the value of the lends and buildings to be surrendered. This proposal le in direct contradiction to the ruling of His Majesty'a Government in the Circular despatches, and, if the principle were accepted, the Colony would have to undertake an unlimited liability to provide whatever the Army Council
might demand.
It is impossible therefore to accept the
4.
Reprovisioning, as I understand the term, connotes the placing of the troops in a position in no way less advantageous than their present position as regards, primarily, strategic needs, and also housing, communications water, light, recreation, and general amenities. It is obvious to anyone having even an elementary knowledge of the local situation that the value of the properties to be surrendered is much more then ample for reprovisioning in this sense; but, when the Army Council foreshadows aerial transportation and accommodation for a second British battalion, it is clearly time for the Colony to invoke the assistance of His Majesty's Government in securing the due observance of the rulings which have been laid down for the War Office and the Colony alike in the Circular despatches and in the Defence Contribution Ordinance.
5.
The Army Council bases its demand for unlimited reprovisioning upon the circumstance that the dispossession of the Military from their present holdings is due to considerations of commercial needs of the Colony. The Council apparently ignores the fact that, in the opinion of all those who are qualified to speak on the subject, it is very much in the interests of Military efficiency that the troops should be moved to the proposed new positions. It is laid down in the Circular despatch
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