CO129-515-13 Provision of combined naval- military and air hospital at Hong Kong- minutes of the Joint... 26-3-1929 - 17-5-1929 — Page 7

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Stubbs Road, which is well situated, drained and terraced,

but is limited in area and would not accommodate a combined

services hospital. He stated that the naval sick rate on the

China Station was calculated on a permanent establishment of

8,000, medically based on Hong Kong. The obvious thing to do

was to make use of the comparatively modern military hospital

if possible, but the present naval strength appeared to make

this impossible.

Sir Matthew Fell stated that the normal accommodation

of the Military Hospital was 150 beds, but with our present

garrison provision had to be made for 188 beds. An estimate of the future strength of the military garrison was 1,600 British

Officers and men. These numbers, on past sick rates, would

require 100 beds leaving a surplus of 50 beds which could be used

for naval sick. This was obviously insufficient.

Expansion of the present military hospital by building

had been reported to be impracticable on account of the large

expenditure which would be involved in the evacuation and

demolition of surrounding property and in the building of

retaining walls, etc.

He was of opinion that amalgamation would entail

scrapping the present Hospital and going to a new site and for

this reason it did not appear to be economical. In 1922 the

Colonial Government had submitted a proposal to acquire the

present military hospital site in exchange for a new military

hospital on the mainland which it was proposed to utilize for

both Europeans and Asiatics. That scheme had however been in

abeyance on account of the local political and financial

situation.

Sir Vincent Baddeley stated that he understood that

it was not now considered safe to make any further commitments

on the mainland and that the policy was to keep all forces on

the Hong Kong island.

Both/