CO129-557-6 Tenure of lands held by War Department 16-1-1936 - 25-1-1937 — Page 59

Copy.

C.R.C.C. No. 2784 (CE).

Sir,

Enclosure No. 4.

Army Headquarters,

China Command, Hong Kong,

17th September, 1929.

58

War Department Lot No.6, Victoria Cantonment.

I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter

No.1345/1929 of 29th August and regret the delay in answering

your previous enquiry which has been caused by the necessity

for searching all old records and documents in order to arrive

at some definite conclusion.

I am prepared to recommend to War Office acceptance

of the Colonial Government survey in this case.

With regard to the various leaseholds along Queen's

Road referred to as Plots A to F: I am of opinion that, except

in one or two minor cases where land has been given up for

road widening, the Northern Boundary of the Cantonment follows

the trace of the South Side of Queen's Road, for on the 9th

December 1889 the War Office in a letter to the Colonial Office

stated:-

"It is, in the opinion of Mr. Secretary Stanhope, much

"to be regretted that buildings for Chinese were ever

"allowed to be erected in that part of the town; the

"result of which has been that within the last few years

"the War Department has had to expend over £36,000 in

"acquiring sundry blocks of Chinese dwellings within the

"limits of the cantonment, which constituted a serious

"sanitary danger. "

Further, on all plans and records a note has been

made to the effect:-

The Land Officer,

Land Office,

Courts of Justice,

Hong Kong.

"Resume d