Enclosure 3.
(B)
Goe
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have with regard to this Bill. therefore, earnestly hope, Bir,
of this Bill, I take it, is to make the may defence of this Colony more efficient and I, to see to it that cach individual, as far that if what I have said is a surprise to as possible, doce his fair share of duty you, if you cannot credit it, that you will in the Empire's behalf. The working make investigations. I am certain that regulacions under the Bill do not appear the Official members of the Council, who to me to be at all onerous, and no doubt are also privates in the Reserves, will if modifications are required they will be bear out what I say. If it is possibla considered, and considered fully, and if under finally found to be cessary will be eliminate everything that is not absolutely the re-organisation scheme to agreed to.
necessary to attain the desired degree of efficiency, and above all to eliminate that waste of our time, which I maintain bas existed in the past, I venture to predict, Sir, that, if at the end of this war the- Government want a permanent Defence Corps, they will get it voluntarily with out compulsion.
more
Bevera
Hox. Ma. S. H. DODWELL-Sir. the great objection which the Chamber of Commerce had to this Bill has been removed by the insertion of the clause limiting its duration, while the question of age-limit, which we thought too high, has been dealt with in the Regulations. I take it that the Government are satis
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I should Ged that in the interests of efficiency and like to deal shortly with the special points an equal division of the burden, the Bill raised by the honourable and learned is necessary, and I consequently do not member representing the Justices of the desire to put any unnecessary obstacles in Peace. The first point he referred to was the way of its enforcement for the dura the question of the age limit. He point tion of the war. There is, however, one ed out that the age in England ander the appeal which I desire to make to your Military Service Act is from 18 to 41, Excellency on behalf of the commercial and the suggested inference was that the community who are working with very age limit here was too high because it much depleted staffs. It is that what-
was 35. The objects of the two enactments ever form the re-organisation under the are entirely different. The object of the Bill Day take, it shall aim at the maxi English Military Service Act is to pro- mua efficiency with the minimum call vide an army for the Front-an army upon the time of the men, and
which will take the offensive against one especially with the minimum waste of of the most highly-trained armies the that time. Speaking from my experience world has ever seen and which will have as a private in the Reserves, it has always to undergo very strenuous and serued to my unmilitary mind that the fighting. The object of this Military degree of efficiency or inefficiency we have Service Bill is to provide an auxiliary attained has been reached. I will not say
force for use in the Colony and not for with the maximum amount of waste of offensive military operations at all. The time, but with a very serious waste of objects of the two measures, therefore, time. I have attended many a drill when are entirely dissimilar. Another reason, apparently, through miscarriage of of course, why the higher age limit is arrangements or lack of arrangements, taken, is that the material from which or something, we have spent most of our this force can be built up is, in Hong- time doing nothing. I have attended kong, very restricted, and it is desirable Field Days when the same state of affairs that all the material there is it may not has appeared to obtain. I endorse what be the best from a physical point of view the hun. member representing the may be tusde use of for that forme. Justices of the Prace Baid with The age limit in Singapore and the regard to masketry, Last year
Straits Settlements is also 53. I think left my office at 3.30 on several occasions the honourable member made rather too to spend the rest of the day at King's much point of the fact that the older Park Range firing ten rounds. On members of the community in Singapore one occasion I only fired seven rounds. are under a different organisation from Now, Sir. this apparently unnecessary the volunteers. I do not profess to know waste of time may be unavoidable, but exactly in what way it is proposed that most of the men do not think so. It the Civil Guard in Singapore shall be irritates them when they have arrears of used, but as far as I can gather it is work in the office to get level with, and merely a modified form of training which my personal opinion is that it is at the has been adopted for the older men who bottom of whatever misgivings the public are less physically fit. Under the Regula
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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
tions made in thie Bill the very same principle has been adopted. Men over 45 are to undergo a modified training less strenuous than the younger men, and the men over 50 years undergo a still lighter form of training. The principle of train. ing adopted here is essentially the same as in the Straits and of course the age in the Straits and the age proposed by this Bill are exactly the same. Theu.
WAB with
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to pass the annual Army Act all discipline ment would be forced to resign. As that would cease in the Army and the Govern has been the position all along with re- gard to the Volunteers and Reserves sinc war broke out I fail to see any reason- special legislation for safeguarding the that any case has been made out for any rights of Habeas Corpus, public meeting,
Sir, the next point that the hon. and criticien of the Government or the right learned member made
to petition for the redress of grievances. regard to the Army Act.
All of these rights have been exercised He looked forward with a certain amount of here from time to time and have been fear apparently to the application of exercised without question. As regards the Army Act to the local auxiliary the proposal that, in future, Regulations, forces for the indefinte period of the war, though made by the Governor-in-Coun and suggested that the procedure concil, should be laid on the table of the templated under the Volunteer Ordinance Legislative Council and not come into should be continued under the new Bill. force until approved by the Council, I That procedure is being continued. submit that is rather a cumbersome and By section 17 of the Volunteer Ordinance, slow method of legislating in matters 1893. it is provided that members of the which may very often be triding but Volunteer Force shall be subject to the which are very often of some urgency. Army Act whenever they are on actual With regard to the question of decora military service, and by section 12 of the tions, the decorations are awards given Ordinance it is provided that the members by H.M. the King. They are governed by of the force shall be deemed to be on Royal Warrants and this Legislaturo actual military service when they have would be going beyond its power if it been called out by proclamation. A pro presumed to interfere with the Regula- elanation under this section was issued tions under which these decorations are immediately after the outbreak of war.
given. The Warrants relating to the Long Wien. therefore, that proclamation was Service medal and the Colonial Service isaned the Volunteers came under the pro- medal were issued in 1899 and they con- visions of the Army Act and they have template that certain Regulations would been under it ever since. The Bill makes Le made under the Warrants arranging practically no change in the situation.
It is true that in England the Army Act the details and the conditions under is applied year by year and is not applied Even this power of taking regula- which the medale might be obtained. indefinitely for the duration of the war, tions is limited but that is simply the continuation of regulations cannot be made by the local in scope. The an old practice dating back for a great authorities. They must be submitted by many years and Parliament is merely H.E, the Governor to the Secretary of clinging to old forms. This adherence to State for the Colonies for che old forms is illustrated by a curious faet. The old Army (Annual) Acts began with for War. Even in matters of minor detail approval of the Secretary of State a recital of the illegality of maintaining a standing army in the United Kingdom ties, except that of recommendation, and no power is given to the local authori- in time of peace without the consent of it would follow that the local legislature Parliament, and even now in the midst
of this great war that old recital, which has no power to deal with these decora- relates to times of peace, is retained. tions given by the Crown. Your Excel- The old practice is also, I think, bfency may see fit to make recommenda- cause it is found that the annual renewal tions on the point, but I do not think it of the Army Act is a convenient time for would be proper for this Council to pre- making amendments in the main Army sume to deal with these matters under Act itself. It is also useful under the this Bill. With regard to the proposal system of Parliamentary Government al to amend Clause 11. I do not personally Home as a lever by which an unpopular see any objection to that amendment. It Government-a Government not
in makes the present meaning rather clearer
sympathy with the country-might be and does not alter it. I do not know, compelled to resign office. With a refusal Sir, that I need say very much on the
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