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The subordinate Civil Servants in the Police and Sanitary Departments whose services could be made available in time of war are now under consideration. It does not seem to me to be necessary that there should be volunteers, but arrangements would be made for them to attend at periods of practical mobilisation so that they could the more easily perform the duties required of them.
I cannot but concur with the G.O.C. that the increase in the defence measures to be carried out by the Royal Engineers should be met by a corresponding increase in the strength of the Corps at the station and I hope that his proposal to add 30 men to the establishment of N.C.O.'s and men of the Submarine Mining Company's may be adopted at an early date.
For reasons similar to those given by Major General Maltby with regard to the Engineer Volunteers, it is not proper to rely on any particular class or branch of Volunteers as laid down in the Defence Scheme being available for the purposes of that Scheme. I am taking various steps (which I shall report to you when they have reached a later stage) to increase the training of the Volunteers in the Colony and in this I am receiving support.
There are many in the community, but it must be borne in mind that Volunteers are drawn either from Government Establishments where work would be increased rather than diminished in war, or from private firms and companies whose business would suffer if a large proportion of their British Employees were withdrawn for a considerable period. This would conflict with the leading principle to be kept in view in the Defence Scheme, viz:- the maintenance of trade throughout war. I propose therefore that when the Scheme for "Hongkong" is next revised, it should assume that only half the then strength of the Volunteers is available at any time. I trust that by then the strength will be largely increased.
5. I have dealt with the question of War Signals in my confidential dispatch of the 4th August last.
I may here mention with reference to paragraph 12 of the Colonial Defence Committee's Remarks No. 340R that the use made of lighthouses (Gap Rock & Waglan) for signalling ships when a Defence Scheme is in operation will be the same as that made of them in ordinary peace time. It could scarcely be construed into an abuse of the lighthouses' neutrality.
6. In paragraph 6 of his letter, the G.O.C. gives his reasons for departing from the Examination made by the Major General Commanding, as recommended in paragraph 25 of the Colonial Defence Committee's Remarks No. 340R.
7. On the question raised in paragraph 7 of Major General Maltby's letter as to the advisability of the immediate closing of the Western Entrance to the Harbour of Hong Kong to ocean-going trade in time of war, I thought it wise to ascertain confidentially the opinion of the leading British Shipping Agents of the Colony. I annex a copy of a letter on the subject to Mr. E.M.Underwood, Chairman of the Committee of the Local Chamber of Commerce and Agent of the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company at Hongkong. It certainly does not support the view of the Local Defence Committee that the blocking of the Western Entrance of the Harbour in time of war would in any way impede or hamper trade. I do not therefore propose that any alteration should be made in the provision in the Scheme that mine fields should not be laid down until the consent of the Naval Commander-in-Chief or Senior Naval Officer has been obtained, nor do I propose that the arrangements for regulating traffic should include a prohibition to ocean-going steamers to use the Eastern Entrance.
7. I annex a copy of a letter on the subject for our information.
With regard to the 4th paragraph of the communication and the 4th paragraph of the Colonial Defence Committee's Remarks No. 347R dealing with the provision of a refuge for women and children in the event of war, it is likely that...