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of Imperial officers in the local naval forces. They do not consider that the occasional inspection of the Victorian naval vessels and forces by officers of the Australian Squadron, which has been suggested, can satisfactorily take the place of the continuous supervision by Imperial officers which has given good results in the past.
5. The Report of the Military Commandant shows the establishment of the military forces to be approximately the same as last year--4,969 against 4,977 of all ranks-while the actual strength is slightly higher-4,968 against 4,958. The altera- tions in establishment may be summarized as follows:-
Increase. Decrease.
Decrease of one officer of Permanent Head-quarters' Staff Appointment of Adjutant to Cadet Force ..
Addition of one officer of Militia Head-quarters' Staff
Abolition of Victoria Horse Artillery
Creation of Queenscliff section of S.M.M. Company.
Increase in Victorian Engineers Field Company
Totals
Net decrease
1
1
46
12
25
39
47
6. The two last items of this summary are very satisfactory, but looking to the requirements of the submarine mine defence and electric lights of the station, the Committee would have preferred to see the total increase in engineers devoted entirely to those services, and they strongly recommend that a further increase in the strength of the Submarine Mining Company should take precedence of the proposal put forward by the Commandant that the Field Company should be increased to at least 100. In connection with this subject they suggest that the Government of Victoria should consider whether the number of engine-drivers and electricians now available in the Submarine Mining Company is sufficient to provide two reliefs for running the electric lights night after night from dusk to daylight.
7. The disappearance of the Horse Artillery Battery from the establishment of the Victorian Forces will involve reconsideration of the allotment of Victorian Artillery to the Federal Force when the Scheme for Australian Federal Defence is next discussed. According to the Scheme of February 1896, Victoria was to furnish one Horse Artillery Battery to the Mounted Brigade, and one Field Artillery Battery to the Infantry Division of that force.
8. The strength and establishment of the Victorian Military Forces given in Table (B) on p. 9 of the Military Commandant's Report does not apparently include the Militia Reserve. Of this force it is stated that there were practically none for the garrison artillery, and only sixty-two for the infantry, of whom sixteen were ineffective. Forty-six men will go a very small way towards bringing the peace establishment of 4,969 up to the war strength of 10,179 laid down in the last revision of the Victoria Defence Scheme. The matter is one of considerable difficulty, but now that it is evidently being seriously taken in hand by the military authorities and the Govern- ment of Victoria, a solution will no doubt be found. The subject was last dealt with by the Colonial Defence Committee in reference to Victoria in their Memorandum No. 96 M, dated the 16th February, 1897. They there suggested that, failing the formation of a reserve of men who have passed through the ranks of the partially-paid forces, an attempt might be made, as proposed in New South Wales, to enrol reservists from members of civilian Rifle Clubs, who would undergo a small amount of military training. Something of this nature appears now to have been tried in Victoria, where "a scheme was adopted to permit men of the Rifle Clubs, under certain conditions, to go into camp during Easter at Queenscliff." It was not very successful, partly, it is stated, owing to the cost of uniform, which every member attending camp had to provide at his own expense, and partly, it is understood, owing to the regulations on the subject not being thoroughly appreciated at the time of the holding of the camp. Possibly in future years better results may be obtained, and in any event, the ex- periment seems worthy of further trial. It would seem for consideration whether the encouragement that would be given to men to become reservists of this class by providing them with uniform would not be worth the expenditure involved, and
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