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Island, Townsville, were shown as a heading, as is done in the case of the rest of the armament, instead of being inserted in the columns of the Table.
The four 9-pr. R.M.L. guns for Thursday Island, as well as the two for Townsville, are rightly shown in this Garrison Artillery Table. They are movable armament, not horsed, and are manned by garrison artillery. They should therefore not be shown in the column for Field Artillery in Table (F) on p. 15. The two 9-prs. at Magazine Island are not so shown.
It is unnecessary to have a separate Fire Commander for Magazine Island. A Battery Commander in telephonic communication with the Fire Commander at Kissing Point should certainly suffice. While the armament available is only two 9-pr. R.M.L. and a machine-gun, a Gun Group Commander acting as Battery Commander would probably be enough.
In the absence of a detailed plan of Green Hill Battery, the necessity of making three groups of the three 6-inch guns there is not obvious. It would appear that Nos. 1 and 2, at any rate, could be combined into one group.
27. Page 21. (D). Action by Engineer Staff Officer.-The arrangements (i) for throwing up the works referred to under the heading "Modes of Meeting Various Attacks" (pp. 10 and 11 of the Scheme), (ii) for laying the submarine mines and working the electric lights, and (iii) for com- pleting electrical communications should be given under this heading in the manner recommended in paragraphs 13 to 16 of the Colonial Defence Committee's Memorandum No. 46, dated the 3rd May, 1893.
Chapters IV and V.
28. Pages 21 to 24.-Chapter IV should contain instructions to the Officers Commanding at Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, and Thursday Island, and also with regard to the Offensive-Defensive Force of the Colony. Under Brisbane there should also be instructions for the officer in charge of the Moreton Bay Naval Defences, the Lytton Defences, and the Brisbane Field Force, and under Townsville instructions for the officers in charge of the Townsville Defences and Townsville Field Forces.
The orders for each corps on mobilization might then conveniently be made to form Chapter V of the Scheme, and Chapter VI would contain the Traffic Regulations now in Chapter V, and any action that it would be advisable for the Civil Government to take as regards police, fire brigades, &c., in time of war. The notes as to bombardment at present in Chapter V on p. 22 would more properly come under strategic conditions, and the Tables of guns, small-arms, and ammunition under the action to be taken by the officers responsible for their charge and issue.
29. Pages 21 and 22.-Regulations as to Harbour Traffic.-These Regu- lations assume that ships will know where they are to anchor in order to avoid being treated as enemies. It is now considered that such an assump- tion involves serious risk to friendly vessels that have not had an opportunity of making themselves acquainted with the War Regulations of the ports they may wish to enter, and that it is necessary to put the responsibility of identifying every arrival from seaward in the first instance on the examina- tion vessel, who should direct the stranger to bring to. Should the incoming ship, from ignorance or treachery, attempt to evade the examination vessel, the latter should signal to the batteries, and they, irrespective of the position the ship may have arrived at, would bring her to either by a signal, in the shape of a shot across her bows, or if this was ineffectual by firing at her. In the event of no signal being received from the examination vessel or in her temporary absence, any ship proceeding at speed towards the inner waters of a harbour may be presumed to be hostile and must be brought to by the batteries, and as soon as she reaches the inner limit of the examination anchorage-conveniently termed the examination line-she must be treated as an enemy. The examination line should be drawn from a battery to
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