CO129-481 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1923 [8-12] — Page 201

MINUTES

MINUTES NOT TO BE WRITTEN ON THIS SIDE.

CONFIDENTIAL.

REC

47044

RE 24 SEP 23)

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

196

HONGKONG. 21st August, 1923.

بجده

40776

Jou 12742

My Lord Duke,

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt

of Your Grace's telegram of the 15th August regarding the

Military Lends question.

2.

The proposals as to reprovisioning which the War Office now puts forward are quite acceptable, if, as

I understand, it is now proposed that the Colony should

guarantee the total cost of reprovisioning for the present garrison and that the excess, if any, in the value of the

property surrendered over such total cost of present

reprovisioning is to be set aside in the Military Lands Account for the provision of further accommodation here- after.

As pointed out in the fourth paragraph of

my confidential despatch of the 2nd February, the value of

the property to be surrendered is, in the opinion of those competent to judge, much more than sufficient to meet the cost of present reprovisioning, and the Colony has always been willing to take the risk that this estimate may be unduly optimistic. What the Colony is not prepared to accept is an indefinite responsibility for new undertakings such as aerial transport and the housing of a second British battalion, and it was understood from the previous

correspondence

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE, K.G.,

&c..

&c.,

i