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1894, which have been concurred in by the Joint Naval and Military Committee on Defence, and approved by the War Office and Admiralty.
14. Pages 29 and 30.—Active measures to be taken on receipt of "Prepare.” The references to the laying of submarine mines should be taken out of this part of the Scheme for the reasons given in paragraph 5 of these Remarks. The work to be done each day on the mine-fields after the order to lay them has been given, should be included in the Scheme, under the heading of "Submarine Mining," Part III (F.), (ii). In the detail of the work to be carried out on the second and third days, reference is made to the "Outer Mine Field" which no longer exists in the modified Scheme. In the work to be done on the 5th day, "Leading Marks" are referred to; the words "light-vessels and buoys" should be substituted for "leading marks," in accordance with the views recently expressed by the Admiralty.
15. Page 29, paragraph 2; Page 30, 2nd paragraph.-These paragraphs refer to the closing of the Eastern Passage on the first five days of mobilization.
Attention is called to paragraph 4 of the Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee dated the 20th April, 1894, on the Report of the Local Joint Naval and Military Committee of November 1893. It was there stated, that when it becomes necessary to provide the boom to close the Eastern Passage, the duty would, in accordance with the decision of the Joint Naval and Military Committee on Defence, be entirely for the naval authorities. Under these circumstances, reference to the closing of the passage should be omitted from the part of the Scheme dealing with the action to be taken on first mobilization. A note to the effect that the work will be carried out by the naval authorities, when they consider it necessary, should be added in Part II (D), where the naval raid referred to in paragraph 4 of the present Remarks is dealt with, and a further reference might be made to it when dealing with the Regulation of Traffic in Part V.
The Committee further desire to call the attention of the Admiralty to the desirability of this matter being specially considered and reported on by the Naval Commander-in-chief, with a view to the action agreed upon between him and the General Officer Commanding, being definitely laid down in the next revision of the Defence Scheme.
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16. Page 29, paragraph 3, and 3rd paragraph from the bottom. It should be made clear that the so-called "steam-boat patrols" and the four "guard-boats referred to in these paragraphs, are intended solely for police purposes on the mine fields, and not in any way for their defence against attack, or for giving warning of the approach of a hostile craft. This subject was fully dealt with in paragraph 7 of the Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee, 27th May, 1893, and in paragraphs 9 and 10 of their Remarks, dated the 20th April, 1894, which also definitely laid down that no friendly boats should be allowed to act outside the defences at night, the examination vessels alone excepted.
17. Page 33, foot-note t.-The signallers and telegraph and telephone operators that are to be furnished by the different units should be detailed under the "Action to be taken by the A.A.G.'s Branch (A)" in place of the general reference to them in the foot-note. No account of the civilian operators referred to in this note and in paragraph 6, p. 78, as to be hired departmentally, has been taken in the list of auxiliaries to be drawn from the civil population at the top of p. 31. As recommended by the Committee in paragraph 9 of their Remarks of the 30th June, 1894, civilian operators should be employed as much as possible.
18. Page 34, last_paragraph.-Reference is made to a uniform mounted infantry equipment which has been demanded from England for the small cavalry force which it is proposed to raise on mobilization, utilizing the Kentville Yeomanry troop as a nucleus. Further references to deficient equipment are made on p. 88, paragraphs III, (1) and (2).
It would be more convenient if special matters requiring action in England were brought forward in the G.O.C.'s covering letter. The Colonial Defence
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