CO129-313 - Governor Sir Blake - 1902 [10-12] — Page 410

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Sub-Inclosure No. 4 to Enclosure No. 1 in Confidential

Despatch of the 25th. November, 1903,

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Report by Major T. Baker Brown, R. 2. on "g" Company, Hongkong

Volunteer Corps.

Prop 0. 0. S. M.,

Ne

To 0. R. 8.

Sir,

לי

I'm E CRE

Wellington Barracks,

19th. February,1902.

I beg to report that in accordance with instructions

I met Major Chapman, (Acting) Commandant, Bangkang Volunteers and Lieutenant Mitobell Commanding "9" Company yesterday, 11th. February, and discussed the following points.

1. Waste in "3" Jompany since formation.

Liste had been prepared by Companlant, Hongkong Volunteers showing the members who had left each unit of the forps and it appeared from this that the waste on "I" Jompany though sansiler- able was not in excess of the waste in other branches.

Dificulty is however found in all units in obtaining men due to various causes not special to "3" Company, such as, the want of suitable healquarters s63.

3. Number of drills required for efficiency,

From the Regulations for the Hongkong Volunteer Corps, it appears that in "3" Company'a reoruis is required to do 14 Company and Squad Drills to, and 13 sechaical drills 30 in all; and a trained man has to do 3 Zompany ko., and 10 technical. These numbers 3890 unnecessarily severe especially for the traiael men. The estimat- el number of attenlapses required for efficiency as, statel by my pre- decessor were 3 for Alectricians and 3 for Zagine Brivers, assuming a satisfactory stanlari hal been attained as a reccuit, Also the numbers of Ťafantry Drills 14 and 9 are higher than the similar drills of the field Battery and Machine Sun Companies who only do 10 as re- oruits and 3 as trained mea. Certainly the Tagineer Company Joes not require a higher standard of Infantry training than the Machine Sun Companies and I recommend the number of these drills best least re- duced to the same figure or even lower say to 9 and 1.

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