577
8
that the War Office are in doubt whether they would be justified in detaching a transport to take the men to Basra.
A serious difficulty is the supply of officers for the troops. The War Office will only accept Europeans. About one-third of the European officials of military age have already been taken, and the new drafts are depleting the civil service to an extent beyond which it is difficult to go. Hardly any suitable men are left among the unofficial community, and the War Office is reluctant to assign men from this country.
There are about 300,000 males of military age in the British West Indies, and Both accordingly 10,000 enlisted men represent 3 per cent. without counting the West India Regiment. For coloured officials the proportion is apparently 9 per cent. these figures will be increased by about one-half by the further recruiting in progress. It may be added (1) that a contingent of the Bermuda Volunteer Artillery, which is now at the front, contains coloured men; (2) that there are local police, constabulary, and volunteers engaged in local defence duties; (3) that the Admiralty contemplate employing both white and coloured West Indians locally in connection with the submarine menace.
II.-LABOUR.
No coloured labour has yet been obtained from the West Indies. It would have the advantages of being English-speaking and thoroughly patriotic. In October last enquiries were made on behalf of the War Office as to the possibility of raising labour The replies showed that battalions for the construction of light railways in France. several thousand men could probably be obtained, but that the supply would largely depend on the wages offered, and that recruiting for the British West Indies Regiment might be endangered. The men are, of course, not well adapted to the winter climate of France, and it would be undesirable to embark them until the spring.
The replies were communicated to the War Office on the 18th October with some suggestions, but the proposal has been left in abeyance. The governing fact is that coloured men cannot be paid more than white soldiers without prejudice to discipline, and that for labour abroad the West Indian can command more than army pay.
There are perhaps 40,000 British subjects of military age in Panamá and other parts of foreign America, some of whom might be made available.
9
considerable number of their officials at the disposal of the Naval and Military authorities, as will be seen from the following figures:-
East Africa Protectorate
Uganda
Nyasaland
Somaliland Zanzibar
Total for East Africa
260 90
43
5
5
403
In addition to the above, the whole of the staff of the Uganda Railway and the Uganda Railway Marine has been placed at the disposal of the Military authorities, the Railway being under military administration.
There is no record of the numbers of subordinate civil officers (ie., mainly officers not engaged from home) who have been serving in the ranks of local units.
This statement covers officers seconded both for service under the War Office at home and in the local operations. Roughly, it may be taken that forty per cent. of the whole staffs bave been spared.
For West Africa the numbers are :—
Nigeria..
Gold Cuant
Sierra Leone
Gambia..
Total..
265 or 19 per cent. of total European staff.
144
22 17
"
87
18
"
7
20 19
"
458
In order to leave no stone unturned, despatches are now being sent to the Governors of the West African Colonies asking whether the European staff can be safely reduced still further. It is improbable that more than a very small number will, in any case, be available, but if more officials can be released it seems clear that they should be utilised as officers for the new native levies which are being raised. The War Office are reluctant to spare more officers for this purpose, and the local official, with his knowledge of the native and of tropical conditions, would be far more usefully employed with native troops in the tropics than with white troops in Europe.
For the Eastern Colonies the numbers of Government officials whose services have been placed at the disposal of the Naval and Military authorities are as follows:-* 96 or 26 per cent. of total European staff of military age.
Ceylon
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TLC885/25
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
Memorandum regarding the Government Officials in the Colonies whose Services have been placed at the Disposal of the Naval and Military Authorities.
THE Departments of the East and West African Governments are by no means overstaffed, even in peace time, and since the beginning of the War there has been a steady wastage from death or invaliding which has not been made good. Apart from the question of climate, the majority of the posts entail a large amount of arduous travelling, and they are therefore only suitable for men in the prime of health and vigour. They caunot be filled by invalided or wounded men, and we have refrained from taking men of military age, with the result that vacancies have, for the most part, remained unfilled. The staff cannot be depleted beyond a certain point without grave danger to the stability of our administration. Order and peace among savage tribes only recently subjected to our rule are maintained with a minimum of armed force by the prestige and experience of officers who know their people, and if there is a shortage among these officers there will inevitably be unrest, and probably rebellion and intertribal fighting. It would then be necessary to send troops from elsewhere to restore order, and any advantage which might be derived from the employment of the white officials on military service would be much more than counterbalanced by the ill-effects produced by their removal. The Governor-General of Nigeria has given us an emphatic warning on this point.
Moreover, it is to be remembered that the Governments of Nigeria, the Gold Coast, the East Africa Protectorate, and Nyasaland are providing from their already depleted staffs most of the officials required for the administration of the territory occupied by the British in the Cameroons, Togoland, and German East Africa.
But, in spite of all this, the Governments of East and West Africa have placed a
Hong Kong
Straite Settlements
Federated Malay States
Other Malay States Mauritius
63 28
11
19
14 11
146 84
ភា
"1
7 20
"
B 8
13
"
• It will be noted that these percentages are calculated on the total staff of military age, while in
the case of East and West Africa they are calculated on the total staff, irrespective of age.
It is probable that some 60 more officials may be spared from Ceylon, Hong Kong, and Mauritius, and permission has, in fact, already been given to some 20 or 30 officers to return home for military service, but no more can be spared from the other Possessions if efficient administration is to be maintained.
It will be borne in mind that the European staffs are very small in comparison with the native populations, and the withdrawal of adequate supervision would certainly lead to grave irregularities amongst the native staffs, if not to unrest amongst the population.
In the West Indian Colonies, the Governors have reported that as many officials have been allowed to undertake military service as can be spared consistently with the maintenance of efficient administration.
The number of Europeans thus released is 92 and the total European staff of military age is 253, or thirty-six per cent. These figures include St. Helena and the Falkland Islands, but exclude Barbados, the Leeward Islands, and Jamaica, for which Colonies statistics are not available, though it is known that the Governments have encouraged Europeans to enlist as far as possible, and are paying an allowance to all such from Colonial funds to make up their Army pay to the amount of their full,
11 pay in the Colony.
As regards Government employees other than European, those who have joined the Army from the same Colonies number 147, being rather less than ten per cent. of those of military age.
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