is the new position of the Gendarmerie. In the past this force has been under the direct control of the Governor-General in his military capacity; in future, however, though His Excellency will continue the direction of the Gendarmerie, he will act in a civil rather than a military capacity and military control (that is the control of the Commander-in-Chief) will only extend to such matters as the Gendarmes may attend to in their capacity as Military Police.
As
6:3
have pointed out, however, since the Governor-General is (and seems likely to remain for some time to come) a military officer, the position is not materially altered and the duties of the Gendarmerie in this Island are carried out to such a large extent in the savage and uncivilised mountain districts that the military control (in fact if not in name ) is bound
to be maintained.
In suggesting that these reforms are unlikely to prove very real, I have not intended to impute any lack of good faith to the Formosan Government. The authorities are perfectly sincere in their belief that the administration is successful and well adapted to the needs of the Japanese Empire and incidentally to Formosa the first consideration inevitably taking precedence of the latter in their minds. They consider that the mechanical operation of the official machinery has extended to Formosa reforms which have had their origin in entirely different conditions elsewhere, but which are here unnecessary and they believe that their duty consists in carrying out the latter of these instructions. Only the searching light of public criticism could convince them that real reforms are necessary. I have on several occasions in despatches
addressed/
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