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Colonies. The Colonial Defence Committee have always strongly advocated this assimilation, and consider that everything which would tend to insure uniformity of equipment, conditions of service, instruction and training, and service rates of pay should be encouraged to the utmost. Apart from the manifest advantage which would result from such uniformity in the possible case of troops of different Colonies being brigaded together, they believe that nothing perhaps would be more conducive than it to the ultimate accomplish- ment of a military federation of the Australian forces.
9. Page 7. Communications.—In their Remarks of August 1893 the Com- mittee dealt with the use of lighthouses for the collection and transmission of intelligence of a warlike character, and they are not prepared to recommend any modification of the general principles which have been laid down, viz. that lighthouses should not be invested with a belligerent character, and that no arrangement that would be recognizable by an enemy as giving them a definite part in the defence is permissible in connection with them.
It is important to Queensland that its lighthouses should retain their neutral character, as the destruction of them in retaliation would paralyse traffic on that difficult and dangerous coast. Moreover, it is very doubtful whether the information derived from lighthouses would be of as much value as that from a few well-placed signal stations. The neutrality of lighthouses is so important to England that the principle should be strictly adhered to as a matter of policy, and war signal stations created where they are strategically required.
10. On the subject of patrol-boats attention is invited to the Remarks of the Committee of August 1893. The term " examination steamer is that now generally adopted for the search-vessel employed in connection with the examination anchorage," and the term "patrol-boat" should be discarded. Its duty is to meet incoming vessels, ascertain their character, conduct them to the examination anchorage, and, finally, arrange for their being passed through the defences of the port. To arm these examining steamers is contrary to the principles formulated by the Joint Naval and Military Com- mittee, and accepted by the Secretary of State for War and the Lords Commis- sioners of the Admiralty. No armament which vessels on their footing could be expected to carry would be effective against any hostile vessel powerful enough to constitute a real menace to the security of the port, whilst in the case of friendly ships no armament of any kind would be necessary. To arm them would merely insure their destruction by an enemy without conferring any corresponding advantage in carrying out the duty allotted to them. Patrol- boats in the sense of boats detached to give the shore defences notice of the approach of hostile ships can be of no practical utility unless under most exceptional local conditions. The short priority of notice over observation from land that they could give after ascertaining the character of a vessel is not of sufficient value to justify their employment. Subject to the above remarks, the Regulations for harbour traffic in Chapter VI may be considered satis- factory.
11. The strength on paper of the Queensland forces, rank and file, including Volunteers, but exclusive of police and rifle clubs, is given at 2,967 against 4,098 in 1892, and owing to this reduction the reserve of small-arms is so far increased. If, however, the reserve of small-arm ammunition be still based on the number of rifles, it is too small according to the scale of 500 rounds per rifle, recommended by the Colonial Defence Committee in their Remarks of August 1893.
Table X, 3, at p. 19, discloses a serious deficiency of ammunition, espe- cially for field-guns and machine-guns. The number of rounds per gun of these natures maintained at Imperial Stations abroad is 200 and 10,000 respectively.
12. It is again not apparent from the Scheme whether the Brisbane Mobile Field Force is furnished with artillery ammunition wagons, small-arm ammunition carts, or regimental transport. On this point attention is invited to paragraph 14 of the Colonial Defence Committee's Remarks of August 1893.
13. On p. 10 it is stated that on mobilization no less than eleven magazines would have to be emptied, and their contents removed to a place of safety. It is suggested for consideration by the Colonial authorities whether
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