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but neither the chiefs of Stuff nor the Defence Committee have hitherto had the advantage of considering this problem in the light of a detailed survey by the Service and civil authorities in Hong Kong, and we

hope you will agree that it would be premature to tackle the question of establishing a local gendarmerie designed to take the place of the garrison until this new survey has been fully examined.

South East Asia pefence Committee will no doubt Boon be giving their comments on the Hong Kong committee's Report. When these are received, they, together with the Report, will presumably come before

the Chiefs of stuff, and in the circumstances we should propose that the question of the gendarmerie should stand over until the Chiefs of stuff have considered them.

The two other und rather leas important factors which ought, we think, to be given some consideration before any detailed scheme for a gendarmerie is prepared concern man-power and finance.

We do not Bee that there would be any great saving in British man- power if the gendarmerie mere, like the Palestine

Police, to contain a high proportion of Europeans, as these Europeans would probably be selected from serving soldiers or young men about to be called up for the forces: und, on finance, Hong Kong is grant-aided and the Treasury would have to be consulted in regard to the cost of the gendarmerie. They may take the line that since the cost of raising the gendarmerie would in effect fall on the British taxpayer, they would have to

bo satisfied that it was quite impossible for troops to be retained in Hong Kong, at any rute so long as the Colony is grant-aided.

If we are to go ahead now with the preparation of

a detailed scheme for a gendarmerie, we should, us a first step, consult the governor, who is of course very fully occupied at the moment. But I hope that in view of

the

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CO 537/1260

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

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the reasons

matter shou present.