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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.] /
Printed for the use of the Colonial Office.
CONFIDENTIAL.
No. 397 R.
HONG KONG.
Report on Volunteers for 1904-5.
175
C.O. No. 28714/05.
Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee.
THE Colonial Office have referred to the Colonial Defence Committee a despatch from the Governor of Hong Kong dated the 7th July, 1905, transmitting a minute of the General Officer Commanding the Troops, South China, forwarding the Report on the Hong Kong Volunteer Corps for the year ending 31st March, 1905.
The despatch is printed with extracts from its enclosures as an Appendix to these Remarks.
2. On the 31st March, 1905, the total strength of the Hong Kong Volunteer Corps was 269 as compared with 230, 274, 318, 366, and 311 at the corresponding periods of the five preceding years. This was an increase of 39 over the total at the time of the previous Report, of which increase 29 was due to the newly-formed mounted branch. Thus the increase in the formerly existing companies was 10. Now that the unpopular heavy garrison artillery work has been discontinued and the engineer company have their own drill hall, it may be hoped that future reports will show a steady increase in the numbers of these branches.
The reports of the Inspector of Royal Garrison Artillery and of the General Officer Commanding on the Hong Kong Volunteers are favourable, and show that the force takes an intelligent interest in its work and a serious view of its responsibility as a factor in the defence of the Colony.
3. The Committee observe with much satisfaction the extent to which the British civil population have responded to the efforts of the Governor in the formation of the Volunteer Reserve Association and of the Military Telephonist Organization.
Volunteer Organization.
4. The Governor in paragraph 5 of his despatch, while agreeing in principle with the recommendations in paragraph 5 of the Committee's Remarks No. 364 R on the Report on Volunteers, April 1904, states that he does not propose to make any changes in the system of training and administration at the present time.
The Governor appears to have been led to this conclusion by the opinions of the officers of the corps, which are embodied in a minute of the Acting Commandant, printed as Enclosure 2 to the Appendix.
From a perusal of this minute it appears to the Committee that their intentions have been somewhat misunderstood. They did not contemplate, as seems to have been assumed, that the several volunteer units should in peace be attached to and habitually drill and train with their corresponding arms of the regular forces; but that the two forces should be brought into association, and that the regular officers in
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