3
We know that the Admiralty attach
considerable importance to the constitution
of Royal Naval Volunteer Defence Forces in
maritime Colonies (see No.1 on 30793/34 General),
and that they will regard it as a most unfortunate
precedent if Hong Kong should be allowed not to
enact the second Ordinance see paragraph 2 of
No.21 on 21421/3/34 W.A. where they objected
strongly to a similar proposal by the Governor
of the Gambia. In that case a compromise
which seems likely to be satisfactory to both
parties has been reached, the arrangement being
that the second Ordinance shall be enacted in
that Colony on the understanding that the
Government will retain in times of war vessels
and men considered to be essential.
We may therefore expect the Admiralty
to press strongly for the enactment of the
second Ordinance in Hong Kong. Our line
throughout seems to have been that we favour the
constitution of Royal Naval Volunteer Defence
Forces in Colonies, but the correspondence in
the case of the Gambia shows that there is
nothing in the nature of a general agreement with
the Admiralty which need prevent us from
supporting a Colonial Government in its opposition
to the extension of its defence responsibilities
if we regard the reasons for that opposition as
convincing.
To my mind the 0.A.G. has here made out
a good case, and in sending a copy of his despatch
to the Admiralty for observations I would not
offer, as we did in the case of the Gambia (No.15
on 21421/3/34), to press the O.A.G. to reconsider
his