CO129-557-6 Tenure of lands held by War Department 16-1-1936 - 25-1-1937 — Page 48

3.

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regularising the position of the complete area that the

Colonial Government in 1929 approached the local Military

Authorities. It was suggested that the War Department should

surrender to the Colonial Government their titles to Plots

B and E, and to Block G, together with whatever estate and

interest they had in Plots A, C, D, and F, and that the

Colonial Government should then issue to the War Department

a freehold title to the Cantonment, within which these

leasehold lots would be included as a single War Department

lot. The intention was that the whole area should then be

regarded as ordinary Colonial Military Land held under proper

title.

40

These proposals received the approval of the

local Military Authorities, and, embodied in a draft Memorandum

of Transfer, were forwarded by them for the consideration of

the War Office in 1929.

5.

After due consideration the Army Council in 1933

caused the Colonial Government to be informed through the

Military Authorities, without, however, returning the draft

Memorandum, that they were not prepared to convert their leasehold properties (Plots A to F and Block G) to ordinary

Colonial Military Land without an express stipulation that

in the event of these areas being handed back to the Colonial

Government, the Colonial Government would pay for them in cash,

and not by means of a credit in Colonial Military Lands

Account.

This reservation was made in virtue of paragraph 5

of Colonial Military Lands Circular No.2 dated 9th June, 1890,

and the proposals set forth in the draft Memorandum were

evidently interpreted by the War Office as involving a sacrifice by them of their rights and titles in the leasehold

plots.

6.