CO129-302 - Public Offices - 1900 — Page 98

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In any further communica tion on this subject, plaasc quote

N.

aud address letter to-

The Secretary,

Admiralty, Whitehall,

London, S.W.

Sir,

4V091

801

AG 24 DEC 00

Admiralty,

22nd December, 1900.

93

The Under

The attention of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty has been drawn to the following incident in connection with the employment of certain Non-Commissioned Officers and men of the Royal Marines in the Hong Kong

Police Force.

Corporal Arthur Noble, Royal Marine Light Infantry, was engaged by the Crown Agents for the Colonies for a

and period of service in the Hong Kong Police, was given a 2nd Class passage to Hong Kong at the expense of the Colony, at the beginning of this year. He seems to have been discharged from that Force for misconduct in October last. The Colonial Authorities requested the Commodore at Hong Kong to receive him on board H.M.S."Tamar", as other- wise he would have been thrown upon the streets of Hong Kong without employment, and they did not propose to pro- vide him with a passage to England.

The Commodore complied with this request, but as the man was without uniform, arms, or accoutrements, he was not available for duty. Orders have therefore been given for him to be sent home by the first opportunity of ship

of war.

In their Lordships' opinion, it is highly undesirable that men of the Royal Marines, whose services are dispens- ed with by the Colonial Government, should be sent to H.M. Ships on the Station, and they consider that the Colonial Government should in all cases be responsible for their return to Head Quarters in England when discharged.

I am accordingly to request you to bring the matter

Secretary of State,

LE Colonial Office.

to