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There was no intention on the part of the Colonial Defence Committee to suggest that the Governor should in the smallest degree be superseded by the General Officer Commanding. Such a suggestion would have been entirely outside their province. The Civil power must be supreme, the Governor,on his part, giving the fullest support to the General Officer Commanding, who is his professional adviser and executive officer in all matters relating to the defence of his Colony.
As regards the question of martial law, the exercise of any exceptional power by the military authorities in cases of emergency can only be under the authority of the Governor. This is in effect stated in the Scheme, e.g., at para. 14, p. 53, which runs thus: "Martial law will be proclaimed as con- sidered necessary by his Excellency the Governor," and in the face of this clause the Governor would seem to have misapprehended somewhat the true meaning of the Local Committee, but, considering the well-affected disposition of the population of Ceylon and the little likelihood of the occur- rence of civil anarchy in the island, unnecessary prominence is no doubt given in the Scheme to the possibility of having to proclaim martial law. observed in the Governor's letter at p 2, the forcible requisitioning of transport and supplies is not necessarily contingent on the proclamation of martial law; any special powers necessary for carrying out such minor extraordinary measures can be provided for, as before explained, in a simple way, by an Order in Council. Such a clause as at para. 15, p. 53, para. 5, p. 55, &c., is therefore misleading, and should be altered accordingly.
As
The Governor's definition of the circumstances which would justify the proclamation of martial law as given at p. 2 in his letter of the 9th June is accurate, and requires no amplification.
2. Additions to existing Means of Defence, p. 6.—(1.) If there is a good high site for a permanent signal station on the neighbouring coast, it would be preferable to adopt it instead of the Great Basses light, and so avoid infringing the approved general principle that nothing should be done that would rob lighthouses of their neutral character, or draw on them an enemy's fire.
If it can possibly be avoided no risk in this respect should be incurred, as it is to be remembered that we ourselves would of a certainty be the chief sufferers from any interference with the ordinary aids to navigation.
Page 6.-(2.) The naval member of the Local Committee is perfectly sound in his view as to the inexpediency of providing a stationary defence ship at Colombo, and such a proposal cannot be entertained. The Colonial Defence Committee have lately dealt with the case in their Remarks on the Report of the Local Joint Naval and Military Committee, and in addition to the grounds for objection therein given they desire to remark that it has been found by experience that, where the fixed defences of a port have been completed, floating defences, far from adding to the strength of a place, as a rule, distinctly weaken it by interfering with and limiting the arcs of fire of the shore guns. At places, such, for instance, as Port Phillip, Melbourne, where there is a sufficiently spacious area of navigable water behind the fixed defences to permit local defence vessels to manoeuvre, their employment does not interfere with the efficient working of the guns in the batteries, and may be to a certain degree justifiable; but these conditions do not apply at Colombo, and even where they do exist it is generally difficult to obtain from floating defences an effect commensurate with the outlay entailed by them.
Page 6.-(3 and 5.) The questions of the removal of the petroleum store and the provision of submarine mines and electric defence lights at Colombo have been dealt with by the Colonial Defence Committee in their Remarks on the Report of the Joint Naval and Military Committee.
Page 6.-(4.) The provision of a strong tug at Colombo for towing sailing-ships in and out of harbour is entirely a local commercial question. It may be observed that sailing-ships are almost certain to be laid up during war with a Maritime Power.
Page 6.-(6 and 7.) From p. 10 it appears that a serious attack on Colombo is little probable during the south-west monsoon but more probable during the north-east monsoon, and that at Trincomalie the conditions are reversed. This suggests the possibility of economical employment of the Ceylon garrison by throwing its strength to either port according to the time
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