CO129-484 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1924 [1-7] — Page 158

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respect. If they would waive any claim to payment in respect of the military land required for the widening of Garden Road and Queen's Road, the latter work incidentally

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will greatly improve the amenities of the Naval and the

remaining Military establishments in that Road and if

they would further offer to surrender as a gift from His Majesty's Goverment not to this Goverment but to the University certain lands forming part of the disused Elliot

and Fly Point Batteries, which are valued in Sir John Oakley's supplementery award at the sum of $76,580,00 end which would be very useful to the University as sites for workshops and quarters, the effect on public opinion would be enormous and, as I have already said, I do not believe

that they would lose a cent in actual cash.

7.

As regards the question of the meaning of

the phrase "the total cost of reprovisioning the present garrison" which is raised in the War Office letter of 14th November, 1923, of which a copy was enclosed in your

(/47/23 Confidential despatch of November 29th, I agree that the

phrase means "satisfactory accomodation for the units

whose accommodation is to be surrendered including all the

usual ancillary services" but the rest of the sentence

appears to me not to be quite ressonable. This Government

will guarantee that suitable hired accommodation for families is available. If it does not exist as private property, we will build houses but in such a case I submit that we should be paid rent for their occupation. The provision of free houses, instead of hired houses seems to me to be outside any possible meaning of the word

"reprovisioning".

8.

I take this opportunity of expressing on behalf of the Colony my appreciation of the labour and care which Sir John Oakley devoted to this important matter.

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