HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
of land within reasonable distance of these large military areas. Sir John Oakley, accompanied by Colonel Davy and myself, visited a very large number of these sites in person.
AN EXPLANATION OF THE VALUES
In order to understand the exact posi- tion with regard to these values it is necessary to explain the agreement which is to be come to between this Govern- ment and the War Department. A special account is to be opened, to the credit side of which, is to be put the sum of £114,000, representing military contributions overpaid by the Colony in respect of the two years 1917-18 and 1918-19. There will be further put to that credit side the value of military lands which will be sold to the military for the purpose of reprovisioning. That value will not be great, because the lands are situated some distance from the centre of the Colony. On the debit side will be set this sum of approximately $17.000,000, representing the purchase price of these military lands. That price, of course, includes the full value for any land which may be used for a public purpose. For example, there is a proposal that a new City Hall may be built on Murray Parade Ground.
The Public Works Department will proceed as soon as may be to reprovision the garrison by forming sites and putting up any buildings that the Military Author ities require. The first situation which they will begin to deal with is Gun Club Hill, which is already military lands. There will be no payment there in respect of the land. It has been argued by some that by putting the British battalion in that position we shall simply be repeating the mistakes of the past. I do not think that can be the case. We have 100 foot roads, Nathan Road and Chatham Road, along the Western and Eastern sides of Gun Club Hill, and another 100 foot road, Gascoigne Road, runs along the Northern boundary. We can, if we wish, widen the road along the Southern boundary. In any event the Military Authorities would not wish to go further afield, and the British garrison have as much title as anybody else to the amenities of existence here. The second site which is under consideration -and I think will probably be chosen- is the ridge beyond the Standard Oil holding at Laichikok, which goes to the
crown of the road down to the torpedo pier belonging to the Navy. I think hon. members know it: there is a small house at its Southern extremity. The proposal is that we should level that hill, fill in the valley and construct a large Cantonment. These works will neces- sarily take a long time. It has been suggested that the Gun Club Hill barracks may be completed in three years and the contonment in five years. I think, personally, this is too optimistic a view. In any event we have to put out our money for these new works over a period of years, which may be five and will not probably in any event be more than ten. We cannot get any large areas of land from the military authorities until the Garrison has been reprovisioned. When the British bat- talion goes to Gun Club Hill we hope to get the greater part of the land on this side. Therefore it will be appar- ent that interest on our money plays a most important part in this matter. Our money is going out for a definite period and we can only recover it by use of these military lands at some in- definite future period.
These values of Sir John Oakley are for the lands in
lands in bulk. The Town Planning Committee in its most intensive lay-outs puts aside 45 per cent. of the In the gross area for road purposes. to roads is 42 per cent, not including Praya East Reclamation the area given the present Praya East road and not including the roads which will be made by private parties across the lots. There- fore, in reckoning the amount of money you are going to get back from these military lands you have to contemplate them very largely decreased in size. addition, you have to form these roads, provide drainage, water, and light-all matters of considerable expenditure.
In
The proposition now is-What is the value of these military lands under these conditions, namely, that we pre- pare for the next ten years to pay out up to $17,000,000, and after a period of three years we begin to receive these military lands, reduce them very largely. anything up to 45 per cent. in size, by road-making, spend a considerable sum in laying them out, and then sell them for what they will fetch. I will put some figures before hon. members in this
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.