CO129-502-4 Acquisition of Kai Tak for an aerodrome- provision of funds 11-1-1927 - 12-5-1927 — Page 77

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.

Printed for the Committee of Imperial Defence. April 1927.

77

SECRET.

COMMITTEE OF IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

Copy No. 4

Extract from the Minutes of the 225th Meeting, held on April 6, 1927.

(1.)-HONG KONG-ACQUISITION OF KAI TAK SITE FOR AN

AERODROME.

(C.I.D. Paper No. 294-C.)

(Previous Reference: C.I.D. Minutes of 218th Meeting, Minute 4 (A).)

THE COMMITTEE had under consideration a Memorandum by the Colonial Office (C.I.D. Paper No. 294-C) on the subject of the acquisition of the Kai Tak site at Hong Kong for an aerodrome.

THE PRIME MINISTER, referring to paragraph 10 of the Colonial Office memorandum, suggested that the Committee's discussion should be confined to sub- paragraphs (a) and (b), since (c), dealing with the provision of the necessary funds, was more a matter for the Cabinet.

SIR SAMUEL HOARE reviewed the previous history of this question, and mentioned that the Oversea Defence Committee, the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Committee of Imperial Defence had approved in principle of the construction of an aerodrome at Hong Kong before the present crisis in China arose.

This crisis had greatly emphasised the need for an aerodrome, and the Kai Tak reclamation site was the only available one in the Colony. The Foreign Office had originally raised. objections to the immediate construction of an aerodrome owing to the Washington Agreement, but in January of this year had approved of negotiations for the acquisition of the site being proceeded with. The aerodrome was required for co-operation work of the Army and Navy, for the defence of Hong Kong, and for future civil and commercial use. It seemed more than probable that Hong Kong might before very long become a large civil air centre. Leaving the question of finance on one side, he hoped that the Committee would approve of the negotiations for the acquisition of the land being proceeded with in accordance with the scheme mentioned in sub-paragraph 10 (b) (ii) of the Colonial Office memorandum.

MR. AMERY pointed out that, according to the Governor's new scheme just recommended by Sir Samuel Hoare, it was estimated that at least 500,000 dollars of the estimated cost would be recovered by the sales of outlying portions of land. There was one other very important point. Since sending his estimate, the Governor had received a proposal from a Dutch Company at Macao for carrying out certain dredging operations in the harbour which would shorten the total time required to complete the aerodrome from 3 to 14 years, but which would involve an approximate increase of £75,300 in expenditure. It was therefore necessary to decide immediately whether a saving of 2 years would be of sufficient value to justify this extra expenditure. Half of the dredging operations would be of direct value to Hong Kong harbour, whilst half would not. It therefore seemed reasonable that the Colony should pay half the cost.

MR. CHURCHILL asked why permanent acquisition of the aerodrome was necessary at the present time.

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