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Page 42 of Document is the Property of Her Britannic Majesty's Govermagat4p of 290
Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. May 5, 1897.
SECRET.
No. 159 R.
C.O. Nos. 15552, 18018, 8533, and 1297. .
NEW SOUTH WALES.
Defence Scheme revised to September, 1896.
Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee.
IN their Remarks (No. 131 R), dated the 31st January, 1896, the Colonial Defence Committee dealt with certain corrigenda to the New South Wales Defence Scheme of September, 1891. These corrigenda were practi- cally confined to verbal alterations made in accordance with the recommenda- tions of the Colonial Defence Committee contained in paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 6, and 13 of their Remarks, dated the 28th February, 1895, and did not touch the larger questions referred to in paragraphs 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 of those Remarks. The Committee understood that these questions were discussed in a Minute, dated the 26th July, 1895, by the Military Commandant, which was not then before them.
A copy of this Minute has since been referred to the Committee, and is printed as Appendix (A) to these Remarks.
The Defence Scheme completed to March 1896 has also been sent to the Committee, accompanied by a Minute of the Military Commandant, dated the 5th March, 1896, which is printed as Appendix (B).
A further Minute of the Commandant, dated the 10th July, 1896, inviting the attention of the Joint Naval and Military Committee on Defence to certain alterations that have been made in the Scheme in accordance with Report No. XIX of that Committee, has also been referred by the Colonial Office to the Colonial Defence Committee, and is printed as Appendix (C).
Recently another revision of the Defence Scheme to the 30th September, 1896, has been received, differing from the previous revision only in certain minor points, and in the inclusion of sections dealing with the duties of the examination anchorage party, &c., and with the system of signals at Port Jackson.
The Colonial Defence Committee propose to deal with the above three Minutes in the following Remarks, and also to consider the last revised Defence Scheme by the light of the experience gained, since the Scheme of 1894 was before them, at the many other defended places of the Empire, especially in the important subject of artillery command. The Remarks will be conveniently grouped under the headings given to the Chapters of the Defence Scheme.
Chapter I-Strategic Considerations.
2. Page 1.-Since the Defence Scheme was considered in February, 1895 Japan has shown her capacity to send an expeditionary force of 60,000 men
over sea.
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