CO129-443 - Governor Sir May - 1917 [7-9] — Page 463

-3-

452

Sub-

The only important variation from the position under the Volunteer Ordinances, 1893, is that members of the Hongkong Defence Corps will be liable to the penalty of death. section (2) of this section provides for the suspension, in case of emergency, of any regulations made by the Governor in Council.

Under section 7, persons who reach the age of fifty-five years while members of the Hongkong Defence Corps will be discharged upon reaching that age unless they elect to con- tinue subject to military service. If they so elect, they

will take the oath or declaration of allegiance and sign the enrolment form, and they will then remain members of the Corps until discharged or dismissed or exempted.

It will be seen that no person who has attained the age of fifty-five years will be made subject to military service against his will, but that if he once accepts such liability he will remain subject to it until he is discharged or dis- missed or exempted.

Section 8 gives the Governor in Council a wide power of

making regulations for the government and administration of

the Corps. The first set of regulations was made a schedule

to the Ordinance in order to give the members of the Legisla- tive Council the opportunity which they desired of discussing

those regulations, and the importance attached by the public

and by certain members of the Council to the question of re-

conciling the military and civil claims of the Colony in the

present depleted state of the European population led to the

acceptance of sub-section (3) on the proposal of the Hon. Mr.

Pollock.