bose
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Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. November 27, 1895.
SECRET.
[No 122R]
HONG KONG,
II.B.
3
23
HONG KONG.
No. 15598.
Report of Local Joint Naval and Military Committee of July 1895.
Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee.
IN this Report, the Local Committee have very carefully gone over the remarks of the Colonial Defence and Joint Naval and Military Committees on their former recommendations, and they give at length their reasons for adhering to some and amending others of these proposals.
The Colonial Defence Committee consider that the recommendations of the Local Committee as they now stand should be adopted, except as regards the electric lights proposed for Belcher's and Stonecutter's. Before anything further is decided as to the provision of the additional lights suggested from the station, it is recommended that careful experiments should be made with two lights at Belcher's and two at Stonecutter's, one at each place being a search-beam.
2. The Local Committee point out that the only matter with regard to the examination of vessels that has been left uncertain is whether the wages of the staff and the cost of the hire of launches is to be paid by the War Department or the Colony.
The Colonial Defence Committee consider that these charges, which will be incurred mainly for the protection of shipping in the harbour, should be paid by the Colony.
3. The Local Committee require information as to the possible effect of a torpedo exploding against a net roughly 70 feet in front of a rigid caisson. The Colonial Defence Committee are informed that the caisson would not be seriously injured under these conditions, and consider that the provision of nets as proposed would be a reasonable measure of defence against attacks of this nature.
4. The revision of the Report of the Local Joint Naval and Military Committee having been completed, the Colonial Defence Committee recommend that their proposals should be embodied in the next revision of the Defence Scheme by the Local Defence Committee, and that that Committee should in future deal with any question arising out of them.
(Signed)
November 25, 1895.
[692]
M. NATHAN, Secretary,
Colonial Defence Committee.
PRINTED AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE BY T. HARRISON.-27/11/95.
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