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4. Page 1, paragraph 7.-The General Officer Commanding is dissatisfied with the present condition of the defences of the Lyemun Pass, and urges that the guns allotted under the approved scheme of rearmament should be sent out at once, so that in case of emergency temporary emplacements might be provided for them. He does not anticipate any difficulty in mounting these guns once he is in possession of them.
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The Colonial Defence Committee attach great importance to the early completiong Kong of the approved armament for Hong Kong, but they are not prepared to recommend that new guns which come forward for issue should be diverted from stations where the permanent emplacements are ready to receive them in order to be delivered at Hong Kong for use in temporary redoubts in case of emergency. They strongly recommend, however, that the War Office should insure the punctual delivery of guns at Hong Kong for each work as it approaches completion.
5. Page 2, paragraph S.-The General Officer Commanding states that the arrangements for protecting the entrances to docks are not so satisfactory as he could wish. The Kowloon Dock Company possess a strong net, but have no floats for it yet, though the designs are completed and the floats could be constructed in three weeks. There is no protection for Aberdeen Dock, but it is stated that the caisson can he submerged.
The Colonial Defence Committee understand that the protection of entrances to docks has recently been under the consideration of the War Office, and they recommend that two copies of the "Notes on the Passive Defence of Dock Gates against Attack," which have been drawn up for the assistance of Dock Companies at home in designing obstructions, should be forwarded by the War Office to the General Officer Commanding at Hong Kong.
They would further point out that, in order to render passive defence of this kind effective, it will be necessary to supplement it in each case with active defence in the form of a small armed guard sufficient to prevent the removal of the obstruction.
6. Page 2, paragraph 9.—The Colonial Defence Committee concur in the proposal of the General Officer Commanding to move the head-quarters of No. I Section from Stonecutters Central to Stonecutters West.
7. Page 2, paragraph 10.-The new arrangement by which the smaller class of ships will, in time of war, anchor between Devil's Peak and Kowloon Rock appears to be a good one. It should be recorded in the section of Chapter VI of the Defence Scheme describing the duties of the Harbour-master.
S. Page 2, paragraph 11.-Only the consolidated return of ordnance stores has been printed in Chapter III of the Scheme, but it appears on consideration of this list that it would also be convenient next year to show in Chapter IV the ordnance stores required in each section. This will only involve some fifty entries in each case, and will render the instructions of the Section Commander more complete.
9. Page 2, paragraph 13.-The Colonial Defence Committee understand that the arrangements for the regulation of traffic into defended ports in time of war are under the consideration of the War Office, and that the model Schedule referred to is about to be superseded by revised instructions, which will be communicated in due course to the General Officer Commanding at Hong Kong,
Defence Scheme.
CHAPTER I.—Introductory Remarks and Strategic Considerations.
10. Page 9.-In view of the advance which China has made in her armaments, as evidenced by the present operations round Peking, the possibility of an attack by that Power might be given greater prominence than is now done in the discussion of he strategic conditions of Hong Kong. The general subject of attack from the main- land might also receive further attention throughout the Scheme.
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