October 3, 1904. |
1898-9, 181; 1899-1900, 311. I am able from, my recollection of the reports of the other Volunteers and Militia in the British colonies to say that the state of the Hongkong Volunteers compared, as judged from these reports, very favourably with the state of the other 80,000 Militia and Volunteers forming the forces of the other colonies of the Empire. (Applause). I was a little disappointed when I arrived here to learn that the numbers had gone down to a little over 200, and also that there was a tendency on the part of the young men in Hongkong to abandon Volunteering for other amusements; and I had to consider what steps should be taken to revive interest in the corps and increase its numbers and efficiency. My experience during the five years of dealing with repor's from the colonial troops of the Empire makes me believe that the best way for increasing the corps at Hongkong was to have its various com- ponent parts under conditions which would take advantage of the special circumstances of the various classes of the population. (Applause.) 'I his was a system that I followed in the Volunteers on the Gold Coast with some success. There I found that at the various coast stations there were only a few Volunteers, not enough to make a company by themselves, and disinclined to join the African corps. So I instituted a machine gun section in each of the principal corps. At Accra, the gapital, the machine gan section
mainly composed of officials under the command of an official. At Cape Coast Castle, the commercial centre, the Volunteers were mainly
in men
the business houses, and their commanding officer was the head of one of these honses: while at Axim the
company representing the machine-gun department was made
in up of men mai ly engaged mining. and officials, and the commanding officer was an official. The various dr.lls and parades fitted in with the normal work of the different detachments, and on the whole these detach- ments took firm root; and I was informed by the Brigadier-General who inspected them that they were a valuable addition to the defence of the Colony. Here, after carefully considering the matter, I put in hand three schemes. The first of these was to reorganise the existing Volunteers on the basis of detachments comprising men of the same depar ment or the
same
Was
firm with a view to these men always working together in their drills and service and of combining with other detachments or reliev- ing other detachments in time of war, each detachment being told off to its definite position in the scheme of events. I believe there are some difficulties in carrying out that scheme but I think it has been on the whole favourably reviewed, and that there has been some increase in the Volunteers since it was put out. The second project was the formation of the men who owned ponies, and who were in the habit of riding about the island, into a mounted troop. I was told that I could probably get 20 men to enrol themselves in such a troop. As a matter of fact the troop which is now being enrolled consists of 25 members The (applause) under Lieut. W. J. Grasson. third project was that of a Volunteer reserve, to get hold of the men who no longer felt them- selves disposed to go through the drudgery of ordinary drill or who had gone through that drudgery already. I was told that I should probably get about 100 members.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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England now come, and the large class who have | (Applause). In determining to remodel the not yet recognised the obligation of preparing conditions His Excellency had added consider- themselves for personal service for the defence ably to the numbers of those who would send of their country. In the colonies this recogni. in their names should occasion unhappily arise. tion of the obligation to prepare for personal A good many of them were over 50 years of age more widespread and were not available under the original con- service has always been than at home, and especially is that the ditions. The colony owed His Excellency
there is only a debt of gratitude for having awakened the case in colonies where small proportion of British residents living people to the necessity of making themselves in the midst of a large number of fellow perfect in the use of a weapon of defence as well as of offence, and he was sure His Excellency's subjects of an alien race. Personally I have long been of opinion that in such colonies it is appeal would be responded to. We were not the duty of every man to prepare himself able, thank God! at this moment to say that that he may be available to assist iu there was any pressing necessity for the enrolment of the members of this community, but the defence of the colony, of his interests, and, should occasion arise, of the there was the possibility that at any moment women and children who live around him.
we might be in this part of the world brought to As regards Hongkong. (Applause.)
consider how best and most efficiently we might say that [
On behalf of the meeting see no immediate protect ourselves. glad to
he thanked His Excellency for having prospect of the hour of need coming upon us.
matter before their notice. but in these days wars arise at short notice and brought this their course is often largely affected by the (Applause).
Again, events oc- initiatory action in them. | curring outside this colony and over which the colony has no control may produce unrest which might culminate in serious internal disturbance. who have taken these steps to Those
for personal service prepare themselves in such eventnalities would, I believe, have no reason to reproach themselves if such disaster. events produced even only a temporary It seems to me that personal service is a white man's burden and that we dare not stoop to less. Every form of service is a burden, but I do not think you will sympathise with those who under the call of freedom cloak their weak- ness. The burden imposed by the conditions of the Reserve Association is light one, and I trust that all those in this room who are eligible will, if they have not already done so. take upon themselves this evening this burden. I do not base my appeal to you on the recreation which is likely to be derived from rifle shooting, although I hope it will prove a recreation, and I will do everything in I do not, either. my power to make it one. base my appeal on the pleasure it will give me of seeing a scheme which I have made my own a success. I only ask you to join this associa- tion for one reason. and that is the best of reasons →→ because it is the right thing to do. (Applause.)
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HIS EXCELLENCY asked if any of those present desired to make any suggestions.
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Mr. W. DANBY ventured to ask His Ex- cellency if Mr. Hewett would give them : some information as to how the Sh ng hai Volunteers were run. There they had practically a Volunteer Reserve, and he was sur - Hongkong would not want to be second to Shanghai in that respect. As an old resident and a very old Volunteer officer in Hongkong he felt ashamed at the number, of the corps here. In a colony like this there should be 500 efficients. (Applause.) Many of the men who were in that room called themselves loyal British subjects, and yet they did not belong to the Volunteers. Some of them when approached said it was not good enough; others told him candidly they were ashamed of the Volunteers.
Mr. E. A. HEWETT said he had been 12 years in Shanghai and was two years ex officio The rea- commandant of the Volunteer corps. son why the corps there was larer than in Hongkong was that they had to look to themselves for their Own heals and the women and children in time of trouble and in the event of riot. Out of a population of 8.000 they had nearly 1.200 Volunteers during the summer of 19 0. The Hongkong corps should at least equal that of Shanghai, for here they had advantages for becoming efficient volunteers which did not exist in Shanghai. What they wanted was that all men who could stand on their feet should come forward and learn to shoot, so that when their services were called upon they would be of some use. You could not become a marksman in two or three weeks. He hoped His Excellency's appeal would be responded to în a freer and more generous spirit than it had been hitherto. (Applause.)
No sugestions being offered at this stage, The CHIEF JUSTICE addressed the meeting. He said the figures quoted by His Excellency- figures. he understood, compiled by His Ex- cellency when secretary to the Imperial Defence Committee-proved that the martial spirit which from all time had actuated our ancestors burned
Hon. GERSHOM STEWART remarked that the as brightly among their descendants in Hongkong to-day as it had ever done in any part of the greatest difficulty in getting men to join was Empire. (Applause.) 311 Volunteers out of the their antagonism to drill. He thought they would get in a good many men if it was clearly comparatively small number of Europeans in this Colony was no small proportion of the popula. understood that they would shoot and only enrol themselves as an availabl. Vo unteer tion and compared favourably with Volunteer.
When asking people ing in other parts of the dominions. We of the company in time of war. British race were said to be of a commercial to join it was surprising to find how many
continue so; but spirit. and long might we
were over 50, yet many of these would be ex- we were also a warlike people, and the occa-tremely disagreeable people for an enemy to sion had never yet arisen when the need had tackle. It was a wise thing to extend the age limit. The example of those 66 ladies who had been demonstrated that the people had not flocked to the standard. It was not lack given in their names would, he hoped, inspire the men to join the Association. It was a movement of the martial spirit in this Colony which made As a matter
the Volunteers small in numbers; for the public good. (Applause.) of fact, by the 15th September, the date men. it was because it had not hitherto been borne tioned in the original notification, only 32 in upon the people as a whole that there was members had enrolled. There was a fourth
any necessity of undergoing what to most project, not entirely unconnected with the people was the irksome discipline necessary other, and that was to form a first-aid class to be perfected and made for ladies who would subsequently go through soldier. At the time of the unrest in nursing classes and then register their names the North in 1900 there was no lack of readiness for service in the naval and military hospitals to come forward and be enrolled; and should in time of war. Sixty-six ladies put their occasion unhappily arise he was sure that other names to it. (Applause.) A few words now men would be found to come forward for the on the general question of Volunteering, protection of this Colony. His Excellency had and especially on Colonial Volunteering. At removed a great difficulty from the way of most home the ever-increasing burden of Imperial of the senior residents of the Colony. Most of defence, which now absorbs 60 per cent. of the them were not prepared to go in as active revenue derived from heavy taxation, the failure members of the Volunteer Corps and to go into of various schemes of army reorganisation to camps of instruction and undergo discipline, provide in the public opinion for the public partly owing to disinclination, partly owing to good in the matter of defence, and again the lack of time. His Excellency had become as it failure to attract men to the army by various were the Deus ex machina, and had provided the -new-inducements, have directed the minds of means by which all of them who were still thinking man to the necessity of making more physically capable might perfect themselves in available the class from which the Volunteers in what seemed to be the thing, marksmanship.
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HIS EXCELLENCY-There was much that I agreed with in Sir Henry Berkeley's speech, but I noticed it contained the old fallacy that all that was required was men to come forward in the hour of need. It has been often, too often, shown that men who become soldiers at the
moment
not 88 useful, not last a quarter 19 useful, 88 men who have rate some previous had
This opinion has already been ex- training. pressed by Mr. Hewett. There is much also that I agreed with in the remarks that fall · from Mr. Danby, for he put them possibly a little more directly than I should have been able to do. (Applause.) With regard to Mr. Hewett's remark about volunteering · being more real in Shanghai than it is in Hongkong because we have here our Garrison, I would say we want to tie that garrison down as little as possible to operations in or near the town, so that it may act to the best general defance of the Colony. With regard to Mr. Gershom Stewart's
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