PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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Reference :-
TLC.O.8
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
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Government, which supplies the troops with provisions. The question raised as to this Department should no doubt be considered in the proposed inquiry, in connection with that of the future management of Military Commissariat business in Ceylon, and in the meantime his Grace assumes no reduction on this head.
14. The head of “Royal Engineers" amounts to 5,4731., of which 2,2081. is voted by Parliament, and 3,2651. borne by the Colony. Here the question of the amount of expenditure really necessary depends on the nature of the provision otherwise made for the repair and construction of military works and buildings, which services are executed according to the present practice by the Royal Engineers out of sums provided (with a certain exception in the present year) by the Legislative Council. At present it appears that engineer officers whose pay and allowances amount to about 4,000l. a-year, are engaged in superintending an expen- diture on works and buildings amounting to about 12,000, or 13,000l. a-year, which certainly appears a large proportion for the establishment of officers to bear to the work done; leading his Grace to the conclusion that there is at present a superfluity of engineer officers beyond what will be reasonable when the Colony assumes the entire charge. Economy will also be promoted, his Grace feels assured, by putting an end to the existing indefensible system according to which the money of one Govern- ment is spent by the officers of another over whom the former has no effectual control. Either the Colonial Government ought to undertake the work, employing the Colonial Public Works Establishment, and defraying the expenditure whatever it may be, or it ought to make fixed payments, annual or special (according as repairs or new constructions might be concerned) the War Department undertaking to do the work for the sums paid, and employing its own officers and establishment.
15. Another important consideration is as to the present state and situation of the barracks and hospitals, and other buildings, the accounts of which have recently been far from satisfactory. His Grace thinks it not impossible that it may be found at once conducive to the health and efficiency of the troops, and to that which is identified with their health and efficiency-economy in the military administration-to construct in some cases entirely new buildings. The cost of such construction, like every other necessary military charge, ought to fall, his Grace considers, on the Colony, if deferred to a suitable period, so as not to press unduly on the colonial finances.
16. The proposed inquiry ought to embrace, in his Grace's opinion, all these several points of the subject of military works and buildings, the measures and outlay which may be necessary for putting the buildings into permanently good condition; the sum at which it might be reasonable to estimate annual repairs; the comparative advantages of employing the civil or military agency for repairs and constructions; and moreover, his Grace would add, the means which might be adopted by way of survey or otherwise, in the event of the latter agency being preferred, to satisfy the Colony that the service paid for is duly executed. Pending this investigation, his Grace considers that the best plan will be for the colony to have nothing to do either with the execution of military works and buildings or with the question of the proper sums to be appropriated, whether for repairs or construction. Lord de Grey is aware that this subject of appropriations for military works and buildings is a matter of standing controversy between the Colonial Government and military authorities in Ceylon. His Grace has therefore included among the services to be commuted by the fixed payment of 100,000l. a year, not only the pay and allowances of the Royal Engineer Officers, but the entire expenditure on account of military works and buildings, whether for construction or repairs, except the salaries of the auxiliary colonial establishment of artificers and others, which for the present, as the despatch explains, will continue to be paid by the Colonial Government, in common with the salaries of other persons similarly situated, as his Grace is not prepared without further inquiry to transfer such persons absolutely to the War Department, although they will remain under the orders of the Ceylon Military authorities.
17. The rule to be ultimately established should no doubt be that,
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while a proper annual sum is permanently secured by local Ordinance to cover annual repairs, or minor outlay on works and buildings (to be paid or not, as may be determined, to the War Department), the question of constructing new buildings or fortifications should be matter of special application from time to time to the Legislative Council. It is accordingly explained in the despatch that the Legislative Council must be prepared hereafter for special demands for new constructions, in addition to the annual appropriations which the despatch calls for, although it is not intended that any such special demands shall be made till the year 1867, when the Colony, by the completion of the railway, will be in a better position to meet them.
18. The total estimate in the Tabular Statement for Staff, including Engineers (but without Governor's aide-de-camp), and for military works and buildings, is 42,8751. or 35,9117., after deducting new constructions, which amount in the estimate to 6,9641. His Grace anticipates from the proposed inquiry, on the grounds above stated, a total reduction of from 10,000l. to 15,000l. a-year, or he may say of 12,5001. a-year, on the joint services thus estimated at 35,9111., consisting of Staff, Engineers, and repairs of works and buildings.
19. The total estimate for the Ceylon Rifle Regiment is 47,100, of which 36,6851, is voted by Parliament and 10,4157. "borne by the Colony. The very expensive character of this regiment, as compared with Native troops of the Indian Service, is well known, and his Grace anticipates that a great change in the organisation of the regiment, if not the substi- tution of an entirely new one, will be found necessary. The pay of the Ceylon private soldier-in the Ceylon Rifle Regiment and Gun Lascar Corps alike is almost precisely double the ordinary pay of the Indian Infantry and Lascars, the Ceylon annual pay being Ïßl. 148. 7d., and the Indian 81. 88. The rates of pay and allowances for European officers of the same rank are, on the whole, not very different in India (at garrison stations) and in Ceylon, but the number of officers is much greater in the case of the Ceylon regiment than in that of any Native Indian regi- ment either now existing or, if his Grace is not misinformed, that ever has existed. The Ceylon Regiment, according to his Grace's information, contains not far from double the greatest proportion of European officers ever considered necessary in India for Native Infantry while the regular or regimental system was preferred there, and it contains fully four times the proportion of European officers at present fixed, his Grace under- stands, as the general establishment for the Indian Native Infantry, upon the irregular or Staff system; the principle of the first-mentioned or regular system being, as Lord de Grey is aware, to furnish European officers to companies, as well as European field officers and staff to the regiment, while the irregular system furnishes a European commanding officer and staff only, leaving the command of companies to Native officers. His Grace leaves the question of the greater fitness of this or that system for Ceylon to be considered more fully in the proposed inquiry; but assuming for the present a decision to adhere to the regimental, though more expensive system, his Grace conceives that in the case of troops recruited in India it would be generally admitted that an establishment of 24 European officers, such as that given in the margin*, would be * a very efficient complement for a local service corps, not exceeding 1,000 in rank and file, provided due regulations were adopted to limit absence of officers on Civil and Staff employment. Practically, as Lord de Grey is aware, the Ceylon Regiment is nothing more than a local service corps, though nominally available for general service. It appears from Major- General O'Brien's Report of the 1st December, 1862, that one-sixth only of the officers of companies in the Ceylon Rifle Regiment were absent from duty at that time; but adopting the Major-General's view that the absence of one-third of such officers ought to be allowed for that
is to say, that there ought to be three such officers on the establish- ment in order to secure the presence of two for duty-Lord de Grey will perceive that the number proposed in the margin of fifteen Captains and Lieutenants would give an officer of due experience always present to command each of the ten companies assumed by his Grace, while the three
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1 Lieut. Col. 1 Major. 6 Captaina.
9 Lieutenants. 8 Enrigns.
¡ Adjutant.
1 Quartermaster
& Paymaster.
1 Surgeon.
1 Assistant ditto.
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