who had expressed dissatisfaction with the terms of
service and doubts about conditions prevailing in
Hong Kong. In June last, however, Civil Government
having then been restored the Governor reconsidered
this view and recommended the adoption of the policy
originally decided on in 1945, namely that an Indian
Contingent should be retained composed of 300 men
only instead of the pre-war number of 779. The
Governor further recommended that the Indian Contingent
should be used only for riot squads, fixed guards and
frontier posts.
With this reduction in the strength
of the contingent and the change in their duties,
involving their employment in three or more separate
units, it will obviously be impracticable to recruit
both Mohammedans and Sikhs with the consequent need
for the provision of separate quarters, cooking and
religious facilities, etc. It is accordingly proposed
to discharge the whole of the Indian Contingent on
abolition terms and to confine recruitment for the
New Force, to Mohammedans as far as possible, including
of course those Mohammedans in the existing Contingent
who are suitable and willing to carry on.
The Governor proposes to arrange for a European
Assistant Superintendent who speaks Punjab to go to
India but considers that there is no point in his
going until he is in a position to offer definite
terms to the men and arrange for the early return of those
required. We are in correspondence with the Treasury
about salaries and allowances.
In the meantime we
should like to know that the India Office sees no
objection to the above arrangements.
Yours sincerely,
(Signed) Alice Ruston
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