1904-1919
HONG KONG, 1905.
21
The period for the annual camp of instruction was extended from 10 days to 16; it was held in October, 1905, and was very well attended.
The Hong Kong Volunteer Reserve Association numbered 213 members at the close of the year, an increase of 113 members, as compared with 1904.
Members of this Association, who must be over 35 years of age, are required to make themselves proficient in rifle shooting, and undertake to enrol themselves under the Volunteer Ordinance in the event of hostilities.
The expenditure on the Volunteers, which is entirely borne by the Colony, was $58,311.12.
XII—GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.
The war between Russia and Japan continued during the first half of the year to affect disadvantageously the trade of the Colony and to be productive of incidents involving important questions of law. The position of one of the belligerent fleets from the middle of April to the middle of May within three days' steam of Hong Kong necessitated stringent measures being taken to prevent any use of the port not in accordance with British neutrality laws, and in several instances the severe penalties involved by the despatch of any ship with reasonable cause to believe that the same would be employed on the naval service of a foreign State at war with a friendly State had to be brought to the special notice of shipping agents. The departure northwards of that fleet relieved anxiety in this matter, but was followed by the capture, on the grounds of carrying contraband of war, of two British ships—the Oldhamia in the Bashee Channel on May 18th, and the St. Kilda a few hours out of Hong Kong on June 4th. The latter capture was the last incident of the naval operations which directly affected Hong Kong, though it was not till nearly three months later that the armistice protocol was signed, on September 1st. The opportunity was taken of the first visit to the port after the conclusion of peace of a Russian war vessel—the Almaz—to embark on her on November 30th for repatriation the two officers and 53 men of the former Russian torpedo boat destroyer Burni, who had arrived in the Colony from Wei-Hai-Wei on the 22nd August, 1904. Two officers and eight men, who had formed part of the same crew, had previously been sent to Europe on grounds of ill-health.
The lessening of Imperial expenditure in the Colony resulting from the withdrawal of all the battleships from the British fleet on the China Station and a reduction in the number of cruisers has necessarily been disadvantageous to its trade.
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45
1904-1919
HONG KONG, 1905.
21
The period for the annual camp of instruction was extended from 10 days to 16; it was held in October, 1905, and was very well attended.
The Hong Kong Volunteer Reserve Association numbered 213 members at the close of the year, an increase of 113 mem- bers, as compared with 1904.
Members of this Association, who must be over 35 years of age, are required to make themselves proficient in rifle shooting, and undertake to enrol themselves under the Volun- teer Ordinance in the event of hostilities.
The expenditure on the Volunteers, which is entirely borne by the Colony, was $58,311.12.
XII-GENERAL OBSERVATIONS..
The war between Russia and Japan continued during the first half of the year to affect disadvantageously the trade. of the Colony and to be productive of incidents involving im- portant questions of law. The position of one of the belligerent fleets from the middle of April to the middle of May within three days' steam of Hong Kong necessitated stringent measures being taken to prevent any use of the port not in accordance with British neutrality laws, and in several instances the severe penalties involved by the despatch of any ship with reasonable cause to believe that the same would be employed on the naval service of a foreign State at war with a friendly State had to be brought to the special notice of shipping agents. The departure northwards of that fleet relieved anxiety in this matter, but was followed by the capture, on the grounds of carrying contraband of war, of two British ships-the Oldhamia in the Bashee Channel on May 18th, and the St. Kilda a few hours out of Hong Kong on June 4th. The latter capture was the last incident of the naval operations which directly affected Hong Kong, though it was not till nearly three months later that the armistice protocol was signed, on September 1st. The opportunity was taken of the first visit to the port after the conclusion of peace of a Russian war vessel-the Almaz- to embark on her on November 30th for repatriation the two
· officers and 53 men of the former Russian torpedo boat destroyer Burni, who had arrived in the Colony from Wei- Hai-Wei on the 22nd August, 1904. Two officers and eight men, who had formed part of the same crew, had previously been sent to Europe on grounds of ill-health.
*
The lessening of Imperial expenditure in the Colony resulting from the withdrawal of the all the battleships from the British fleet on the China Station and a reduction in the number of -cruisers has necessarily been disadvantageous to its trade.
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45
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