Page
140
to the General Officer Commanding, a copy of which accompanied my despatch No. 162 of 5th October last, and if you are unable to come to an agreement with the General upon any point, I have to request you to refer the question to me, as the General Officer Commanding has been instructed to refor such points to the War Office, so that I may be in a position to come to an agreement with the Secretary of State for War upon such points of difference.-I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient, humble
servant.
RIPON.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
dence which should be attached to the servicest The list includes the hospital.
*
15. Of the amount to be found by the colony it must be remembered that about 1/6th, i.e., about £1,177 aunually, will be for payment in sterling for stores which will probably be neces sary to send out from England.
16. In regard to the mode of execution Mr. Secretary Campboll-Banuorman would suggest that the best course would be for the colony to provide funds for specific services to the amounts
Governor Sir W. Robinson, K.C.M,G., &c., &c., payable.
&0.
ESTIMATE FOR BARRACK WORKS FOR ACCOMMODAT. ING INCREASED GARRISON AND FOR SOME
OTHER URGENT SERVICES.
Service.
Esti- Esti- mate. mate. cedence.
Order of
pre.
Barracks for Hongkong
£
Regiment at Kowloon, ́exclusive of European
officers' quarters Hospital to replace ex-"
isting hospital ship Meanes
Hospital for Asiatics,
Kowloon
Barracks at Kowloon for
geants, sergeants and married men (36)
$
65,700 414,947 In hand.
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17.-The services to be either executed by the War Department on behalf of the colony, or by the colony to the satisfaction of the representa tive of the Secretary of State for War.
*
*
*
SECRETARY ÓF STATE TO THE GOVERNOR,
Downing Street, 30th December, 1894. Sir,-From correspondence which has taken place respecting colonial military lands and buildings that is to say, lands the fee simple of which is vested in the Crown represented by the Colonial Government but of which the War Department has a right of perpetual user for purposes of defence and the buildings on such landa, in certain colonies-since my predecessor's circular despatch of the 9th of June, 1890, it appears that the exact meaning of the proposals enclosed in the circular as to the mode of deal ing with such lands when no longer required 50,526 In hand. for military purposes has not been clearly
↑
5 for one half and 8 for the 2nd half.
37,200 234,947
1
2 officers, 134 men, Europeans
11,000
16,000 101,053-
69,174
2
Barracks for Royal Ar-
tillery at Lyemoon
Purchase of Lazaretto...
3,150
8,850 .55,895
19,895
3
Com- pleted. Com- pleted.
Barracks for Royal Ar-
tillery at Stonecutters'
8,000
Island
Quarters for increased
number of warrant officers (3)
2,300
14,526
Quarters for increased
number of staff-ser-
21,600 136,421-
Quarters for Quarter-
master, Infantry
1,500
Increase of Royal Engi
1,500
9,474
9,474 10
9
neers sergeants' mess,
Sergeants' mess and re-
creation
room, Vic.
2,000
toria Barracks
Bathing pond...
1,700
12,631
2,500 15,789 12
10,737
11
13
Alterations to F block,
Queen's Road bar-
200
racks, for Chinese sub. marine miners
* -1,203 ·
6
450
Partly 2,842 com-
pleted.
10,000
63.158
7
Gymnasium for Euro-
pean troops...
Alterations for library," school, &c., and to Royal Engineers' workshop......
Barracks for 1 Company
Asiatic Artillery and officers' quarters ..... Training the Albany
Nullah
2,400 15,158 14
196,050 1,238,210
Add 1/10th * contingencies 15,885 100,326
Total...
211,935 1,338,536
*Not increased on account of the hospital.
HITRACTS FROM A LETTER FROM THE WAR OFFICE TO THE TREASURY, HONGKONG 2/4690, dated 20th DECEMBER, 1894.
*
*
*
*
*
2.—The Medical Authorities at the station have recently made strong representations in the matter, contending that the time has now come when diseases can no longer be properly treated in such a structure, especially at sea, and in such a climate as that of Hongkong, where the temperature and other conditions are 20 variable.
3. It is also necessary that separate wards should be provided for the treatment of infeo. tious diseases, and for the itch, as well as for the reception of lunatics.
4. At present, cases of small-pox, scarlet fever, and diphtheria have to be treated as best they can, no official accommodation having been pro- vided for the isolation of patients suffering from these diseases.
5. The provision of a hospital on shore-to which special allusion is made in the 10th para- graph of the War Office letter before quoted- has therefore now become a service of pressing urgency, and Mr. Secretary Campbell-Bauner. man finds it necessary to add this to the list pre- viously put forward.
6. Mr. Campbell-Bannerman-having regard to the subsequent correspondence has had a fresh list prepared, showing the order of prese-
understood.
2.-Her Majesty's Government have carefully reconsidered the question and have decided to adhere to the proposals adopted by their prede communicated to cessors and
the Colonial Governments in Lord Kuutsford's Circular despatch, and with the view of removing any misunderstanding they have thought it desirable to formulate their proposals in the following terms, viz.:-
The free surender to the colony of all Colonial military lands and buildings no longer required by Her Majesty's Govern ment on the engagement by the colony that, in the event of lands and buildings being required then or in the future for the defence of the colony, the colony shall pro- vide an equivalent for the lands and build. ings so surrendered, towards the satisfaction of the above-mentioned requirements, and to that intent the value of the land and buildings surrendered shall be ascertained and recorded, and any lands and buildings provided out of that value shall be held by Her Majesty's Government on the same tenure as those surrendered." 3-This proposal is based upon the assumption that the Colonial military lands in question constitute a permanent defence fund of the colony, the integrity of which ought to be pre- served, in kind or value, even though the original lands themselves may be diverted to civil purposes. Accordingly, whenever such lands which have been set apart for defensive purposes have, from change of circumstances, or from an altered scheme of defence, or from any other reason, ceased to answer the purposes for which they were set apart, and are in consequence sur- authorities, their rendered by the military value should be treated as forming a capital ap- plicable, either immediately or from time to time, so far as it will extend, to providing other lands or buildings which may be required in the colony for such purposes.
4-Effect would be given to the above pro- posal in the following manner;— If the Colonial Government should not desire to retain the lands and buildings to be surren- dered, they will be sold in the open market, and the proceeds paid into the Colonial Treasury, when the amount would be en- tered in a special account to the debit of the Colonial Government. In the event of any new lands or buildings being immediately required for the defensive purposes of the colony the amount of the above-mentioned proceeds, or a sufficient portion of them, would be paid out as required for the purchase of the new sites, and for the construction of the new buildings; the amounts so paid out being entered in the special account to the credit of the Colonial Government, Should the
|August 21, 1895.
new sites. instead of being purchased from private owners, be located on Crown lands in the possession of the Colonial Govern- ment the necessary lands would be given over to the military authorities, and credit taken in the special accounts for the market value of the fee simple of the crown lands so given over.
5. Should now lands or buildings not be immediately required for defensive purposes, the above-mentioned proceeds would stand in the special account to the debit of the Colonial Government to be paid out in the same way in the event of funds being ever required in the future for providing lands or buildings for de- fensive purposes.
lands which the military authorities give up, 6. Whenever the colony desires to retain any
snoh lands, instead of being offered for sale, would be valued, and the market value of their. fee simple at date of surrender would be entered in the special account to debit of the Colonial Government, together with the fair selling value at that date of any buildings which might be upon the land. In the event of the surrender of any buildings now existing which in the past were prected at colonial cost it would only be necessary to record the value of the site. The amounts so entered would be paid out as required for the provision of the lands or buildings for the defensive purposes of the colony, and the amounts, as in the case of sale, oredited to the Colonial Government, the like credit being given in the event of new sites being provided on Crown lands. Should no new lands or buildings would remain to the debit of the Colonial Govern- be immediately required the amounts entered
ment until such time, if ever, as lands or build-
ings should become necessary for defensive
purposes.
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7.Valuation of land or buildings, when required under the circumstances above-men- tioned, should be made by the Colonial and military authorities conjointly, or, in the event of their disagreeing, by an independent and competent surveyor, to be chosen by agreement between the Home and Colonial Govern. ments, whose report should be final. The cost of employing such surveyor would be borne by the Colonial Government, but should be placed to its credit in the special account.
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8.Any lands and buildings provided her after for defensive purposes under this arrange- ment, including land required for rifle ranges or other purposes conducing to the efficiency of the garrison, would be occupied by the military. upon a right of perpetual user only, the fee simple of the land remaining in the Crown re- presented by the Colonial Government. In the event of any such lands being at any time sur- rendered by the military authorities they would be dealt with in the manner above detailed.
9-Before any buildings are commenced the cost of which will be chargeable to the special account, the Governor will be informed of the nature and estimated cost of the proposed buildings in order that any observations that he may wish to offer upon them may be duly considered by Her Majesty's Government.
10.-It is not proposed to re-open any transac- tions already closed and lands which have already passed out of military occupation will remain the property of the colony, subject of course to any conditions which may have been attached to them at the time when they came into the pos- session of the Colonial Government.
11.-The foregoing proposal relates solely to the terms on which colonial military lands in the hands of the War Department should be sur rendered to a Colonial Government. It does not affect the obligation of a colony to provide other lands required within its borders for military purposes, whether under some special agreement, or under the general obligation that rests on every colony to contribute, according to its means, towards its own defence. Whatever the circumstances of a colony may be it is obviously within its means to maintain its colonial mili tary lands intact, in money or kind, for defen- sive purposes.
12.-1 request that you will lay this despatch before the Legislative Council and convey to them my earnest hope that the proposals of Her Majesty's Government will be accepted as a fair and equitable solution to the advantage alike of the mother country and of the colony of a ques- tion which has in some colonies been the sub-
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