Intro TAN
Enclosure
C.O.
21466
300
Rer 14 AUG 19
*Q
Honourable Colonial Secretary,
The letter of the Crown Agents of the 5th May last reveals a very serious state of affairs.
It is now nearly a year since I wrote and asked for 7 recruits and up to date I have only received 5 of them.
The European Force is at the present moment 15 short and there are 11 Europeans serving in the New Territory, so that I am 28 short of the strength as set down in the Estimates for the Colony minus the Extension.
Not only is it impossible to get trained recruits at home but recruiting in the Colony for the Water Police is at a standstill. I used to be able to get a good class of seamen and sometimes quarter masters off merchant vessels.
During the last 6 months I have got hardly any men that I could keep.
The last 5 men enlisted for the Water Police were dismissed for drunkenness before they had been 3 months in the Force.
The result is that I have not enough European Water Police to man the launches. The pinnace in the Mirs Bay, for instance, is short of a crew and can do very little Police Work and the one European available for that locality spends nearly all his time running backwards and forwards to Shatin with letters, food, and passengers.
Where European Police are to come from to take charge of the additional Stations to be built next year, it is impossible to say.
The difficulty in obtaining recruits is due to 4 causes:
(1) The small difference in the sterling value of the pay compared with the pay a Policeman can earn at home. The difference
Intro TAN
Enclosure
C.O.
21466
300
Rer 14 AUG 19
*Q
Honourable Colonial Secretary.
The letter of the Crown Agents of the 5th. May last
reveals a very serious state of affairs.
It is now a year nearly since I wrote and asked for
7 recruits and up to date I have only received 5 of them.
The European Porce is at the present moment 15 short
and there 11 Europeans serving in the New Territory, so that
are
I am 28 short of the strength as set down in the Estimates
for the Colony minus the Extension.
Not only is it impossible to get trained recruits
at home but recruiting in the Colony for the Water Police is
at a standstill. I used to be able to get a good class of sea-
men and sometimes quarter masters off merchant vessels.
During the last 6 months I have got hardly any men
that I could keep.
The last 5 men enlisted for the Water Police were
dismissed for drankenness before they had been 3 months in the
Force.
The result is that I have not enough European Water
Police to man the launches. The pinnace in the Mirs Bay for
instance is a crew short and can do very little Police Work
and the one European available for that locality spends nearly
all his time running backwards and forwards to Shatien with
letters, food, and passengers.
Where European Police are to come from to take charge
of the additional Stations to be built next year, it is impos-
sible to say.
The difficulty in obtaining recruits is due to 4
и
cases;-
(1) The small difference in the stirling value of the
pay compared with the pay a Policeman can earn at home. The
difference
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