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whether the system would not be given a better chance of success if an energetic officer were specially appointed for a time to the duty of working it.
A reserve formed as above from members of the Rifle Clubs who receive some training in military duties would, undoubtedly, be a useful addition to the strength of the Colony, but the Committee, reverting to their original proposal, would much prefer to see this looked upon as a second reserve, and that the first reserve should be formed of men who have passed through the ranks of the permanent and partially paid forces. The Committee have recently had the advantage of discussing this question with Commander Collins, Secretary of Defence to the Government of Victoria, and Colonel Gordon, Military Commandant of South Australia, They are aware that in both Colonies men can be enlisted for a period of service with the colours, and a period in the reserve, but, whereas, it is the intention in South Australia to compulsorily pass men of a certain service into the reserve, in Victoria they are always allowed to continue with the colours for the full period for which they are enrolled if they so desire. It is obvious that it is only by the former system that a reserve can automatically be built up, and that for a fixed expenditure a larger number of men can be kept up if a proportion receive, say, half the amount of pay for half the amount of duty.
*
In connection with this subject it should be noted that in Victoria a large number of the available Military Forces are Volunteers, from whom no reserve can be formed. The Colonial Defence Committee have always considered the Militia or "partially paid" system more applicable to the conditions of Australasia than the Volunteer or unpaid system, and they take this opportunity of stating that they greatly prefer a homogeneous force as recently created by the South Australian Act to any combination of Militia and Volunteers with conflicting claims on the support of the Colony.
Reverting, however, to the question of reserves, the Committee consider that it might be usefully put to a Conference of Commandants in Australia, who possess the intimate knowledge of the conditions of the Colonies which they themselves necessarily lack, and they suggest that the Government of Victoria should take the necessary action to this end. The basis on which the Commandants should be directed to frame their recommendations, is how the Colonies can provide from active forces and trained reserves, for the minimum expenditure and on a uniform system, the numbers of efficient men laid down in the Defence Schemes of the various Colonies as necessary for their defence.
9. Passing to the specific recommendations of the present Report which, in accordance with the wish expressed in parargaph 6 of the Remarks of the Colonial Defence Committee, dated 20th December, 1895, have now conveniently been collected together at the end of the Military Commandant's Report, it is observed that the first of these (a) advocates the early adoption of a new rifle by the Victorian forces. This subject was last dealt with by the Colonial Defence Committee in their Memorandum No. 101 M, dated 1st June, 1897. Since that date the Colonial Office have, as suggested by Sir George Turner at the Conference of Premiers held this year at the Colonial Office, submitted in a despatch dated 10th September, 1897, a scheme by which the War Office should furnish the Colony on favourable terms with rifles using the same ammunition as is used by the Imperial small arm. Further action in the matter now rests entirely with the Victorian Government,
10. The Commandant recommends (b) that the pay and effective allowance of the Militia be restored to at least the old rate. This is not a matter on which the Colonial Defence Committee can usefully advise. It is mainly a question of supply and demand, and they observe that the present scale appears to enable the establishment of the Militia to be well kept up with efficient men, and that the scale is not lower than in other Australian Colonies.
11. The Committee concur in the Commandant's recommendations (d), (ƒ), and (g) as to additional permanent staff required for the Militia, Volunteers, and Cadet battalion. In the Home army a colour sergeant and a sergeant of the permanent staff are considered necessary for each Company of Militia.
12. The Colonial Defence Committee consider that at least one additional officer should be appointed to the Victorian Permanent Engineers, in view of the extensive and important duties that corps is required to perform.
* Clause 23 of "The Defences Act, 1895," South Australia, and para. 2, Section 1, Part III, of the Regulations and Standing Orders, Victoria Military Forces, 1892.
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