LOCAL FORCES

granted in respect of every instructional parade. For full days training and for attendance at Camp officers and members are paid at the appropriate rate for regular officers and men of equivalent rank. The Force is financed from funds voted annually by the Legislative Council.

Most of the officers of the Force are found from amongst the members, but a few regular officers and N.C.Os are attached for the purpose of training.

The Force provides an excellent illustration of men and women of different races, both volunteers and conscripts, working together in all three Services in the common interests of the Colony.

Other Auxiliary Defence Services

In addition to the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force, the Special Constabulary and the Police Reserve (mentioned elsewhere in this Report) a number of other services have been raised and organized to assist in the defence of the Colony in an emergency. Legally, these are all parts of one service, the Essential Services Corps, which is raised and maintained under the Essential Services Corps Ordinance. In practice, how- ever, the Essential Services Corps is split into four autonomous Units; the Units of the Essential Services Corps proper, the Auxiliary Fire Service, the Auxiliary Medical Service and the Civil Aid Services.

The Essential Services Corps

The Essential Services Corps proper consists of a number of units, each responsible for maintaining an essential service such as the supply of electricity, gas,

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