CO129-567-3 Request by Admiralty for additional land at the Naval Arsenal 18-1-1938 - 24-3-1939 — Page 33

32

3.

My Lords anticipate that Naval requirements

will necessitate taking over both the red and blue areas,

but They are not satisfied that payment ought to be made

for land required for defence purposes, having regard to

the general obligation of a colony to contribute, according

to its means, towards its own defence. This obligation

was recited in paragraph 11 of Colonial Office circular

dispatch of 30th December, 1894, and was especially

connected with the maintenance of its Colonial Military

lands a definition within which the Arsenal land appears

to fall.

4.

My Lords are not unmindful of the contribution

of $ 2,000,000 by the Colonial Government to induce the

Admiralty to move their Armament Department from the

Arsenal Yard and surrender that Yard, but the actual cost

of building the new Establishment was much in excess of that

payment and no part of the $ 2,000,000 can be regarded as

payment for land.

In the view of My Lords, now that Imperial

requirements necessitate the acquisition of additional land

at Hong Kong, the local Government could reasonably be

requested