CO129-577-3 Proposed transfer of military barracks to alternative site 30-1-1939 - 14-12-1939 — Page 46

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5.

3.

At the moment consideration is being given

to the exact boundaries of the areas which should be

taken over and the question of the site of the alternative

accommodation to be provided. Provisionally it is proposed to take over approximately the area indicated on the accompanying plan, but it is still doubtful whether

certain buildings, including Flagstaff House, the General

Officer Commanding's residence, will be surrendered.

There is every prospect that a suitable site which the

Military Authorities have in view may be made available

without expensive resumptions or site formation and this

possibility is being further investigated. The Military

have no objection to temporarily splitting up the

battalion, which would enable the reprovisioning to

proceed by easy stages and conduce to the more rapid and

economical development of the vacated portions of the

present barracks site.

6.

From the financial aspect it would be the

Colonial Government's part of the bargain to meet the cost,

subject to agreed maxima, of any necessary resumptions at

the new site and of the new buildings, site formation,

access roads, etc., all of which works would be carried

out by the Military Authorities themselves and not by the

Colonial Government. It is estimated that the cost of the

scheme to the Colonial Government would in round figures

be $5,000,000, against which an equivalent sum might be

realised by the sale of the land surrendered, though

recovery would be very gradual and might be spread over a

considerable number of years. It could not be guaranteed

that the transaction would show any substantial profit to

the Colonial Government or even that on balance a loss.

might not appear in terms of money; there is, however, sufficient probability that the scheme would,over a period

of years, show a return to Government of income from land