Page 113
•
1.
A
Camps.
Officers.
10
6 officers and 111 men of the Volunteer Medical Staff as being available to assist in the defence of the Peninsula. This strength was to be furnished from A and B com- panies, stationed at King William's Town and Cape Town respectively. The Scheme now put forward by the Commission provides 9 officers and 131 men from B and C companies, both stationed at Cape Town. This is a much more satisfactory provision, and, with that of companies in No. II (Port Elizabeth), No. III (East London), and No. V (Kimberley) Districts, and a small permanent detachment in connection with the Cape Mounted Riflemen in No. IV (Umtata) District, gives a sufficient total personnel of 357 of all ranks.
It is not quite clear why the Medical Staff Corps for the Peninsula is so unequally divided between the two companies, but there is presumably some local reason for this, and the matter is not important. It is also not clear why the strength of the company in No. III District should be double that in No. II and No. V.
The Colonial Defence Committee agree with the Commission that great advantage would be derived by members of the Cape Medical Staff Corps attending at the Military Hospital for the purpose of receiving instruction.
The Committee concur strongly in the recommendation of the Commission that Imperial non-commissioned officers should be appointed as instructors to the Cape Medical Staff Corps in each district, and in their suggestion that the necessary Ambulance Waggons and Field Equipment should be supplied by Government.
32. Page 25, paragraphs 143 and 144-The Committee concur in the recom- mendations that there should be a properly organized Ordnance Store Department—– which might be termed the Cape Ordnance Department to distinguish it from the Army Ordnance Department of the Imperial Service-that it should be a military establishment ranking as a portion of the permanent forces of the Colony, that there should be an Ordnance Depôt in each Military District, and that the organization proposed in Appendix K, p. 45 of the Report should be adopted.
33. Page 25, paragraph 145.—The Colonial Defence Committee recognizing the wide and varied experience which the Cape Colony has had in the matter of transport do not feel in a position to advise the Colony on the subject beyond pointing out that it is desirable that a Scheme for the provision of all necessary supply and transport arrangements in war should be carefully worked out in peace by the Staff of the Colonial forces. This Scheme should deal with the contingencies of a campaign such as the recent one in Bechuanaland, as well as mobilization for Imperial defence.
34. Page 26, paragraphs 148 to 150.-The Colonial Defence Committee have always attached the greatest importance to the combined training of troops in camps of exercise, and have constantly received reports of the beneficial results of such camps held in the Australian and other Colonies. They concur in the arrangements proposed by the Commission for holding two camps every year in the Peninsula, one at Easter, and one early in October, and one in the other districts at Easter, and also in the proposed assistance to voluntary camps. It is not quite clear whether the Commission in proposing that Easter Saturday should be proclaimed a public holiday intend that it should be kept as a bank holiday or only that the public offices should be closed. The Committee imagine that there might be some difficulty in the former course, but from evidence given by employers of labour it would appear that if all Government Offices are closed on this day for the expressed purpose of enabling Volunteers to be in camp private firms would also give them every facility for attending. The Committee would point out that it is probably intended, though not specifically mentioned by the Commission, that the camps within the Peninsula should when possible be held in conjunction with the Imperial Forces there, and they would suggest as a convenient and satisfactory way of giving effect to the recom- mendation contained in paragraph 54 of the Commission's Report that the annual camps in the Peninsula should be placed under the orders of the G.O.C., who could report for the information of the Colonial Government on the work done, and the efficiency of the troops attending camp.
35. Pages 26 and 27, paragraphs 151 to 155-The Colonial Defence Committee. concur in the proposals of the Commission "to offer a bonus to an officer on passing an examination in tactics similar to that passed by subalterns of the Imperial infantry,' and to register separately the names of gentlemen willing to take commissions in the Reserve Defence Force. They suggest that the Cape Government should consult the
Page 113
Page 113
69