CAB11-57-12 — Page 14

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CHAPTER I.

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8

The British and Indians are armed with M.E. carbines and sword-bayonets, and also have revolvers; the Chinese have swords only. In case of war with a Power other than China, 50 Europeans and 100 Indian Police could be spared to give assistance in the defence, and 100 Chinese to patrol and obtain information. If China were hostile, the Chinese could not be counted on, and the European and Indian Police could not be spared from their civil duties.

31. The Fire Brigade is under the superintendence of the officers of the Civil Police, and consists of

{

]

(

Assistant

Engineers. Engineers.

Drivers. Foremen. Stokers. Firemen. Coxswain.

Total.

1

British

Chinese

Total

1

1

11

1*

1

8+

22+

35

39

1

47

:

57

86

* An engineer in private practice.

Eight of these are station coolies.

† Also police constables.

For the purpose of fire prevention and control the City of Victoria is divided into three districts-Western, Central, and Eastern-the limits of which are fixed at the Harbour Office and Murray Barracks. On the occasion of a fire the locality is notified by three tolls of the bell for the Western, two for the Central, and one for the Eastern district.

The headquarters of the Brigade are at No. 5 Station, in Queen's Road, Central, and most of the stores and engines are kept there. A certain number of European and Chinese firemen also sleep there, and the Assistant Engineer, who is responsible for the upkeep of the engines and appliances, is permanently located at this station. The other. and subsidiary stations are at the Police Stations at West Point, Wanchai, Yaumati, Sai-ki-wan, and Aberdeen.

There are also numerous places in different parts of the town where fire despatch- boxes are kept. There are barrows supplied with 300 feet of hose and all necessary appliances for at once making use of street hydrants. They were specially designed for dealing with fires on high levels.

In addition to the despatch-boxes the Brigade possesses four land steam engines and one floating engine. It also possesses some manual engines, which are kept in the various out-villages.

The Brigade is so organized and distributed as to form an excellent nucleus for expansion in time of war, by means of civilian volunteers, to any extent that may be required, under the supervision of the Superintendent.

The naval and military establishments and barracks are, in addition, well supplied with their separate fire engines, &c., which could be utilized in their immediate neighbourhood.

General Outline of Defence.

32. The general plan of defence is as follows:-

(i.) To trust to the batteries, submarine mines, and Brennan torpedo to prevent the entrance of ships into the harbour at either end, and to repel by the same means, aided by infantry and guns of the movable armament, the landing of a force in the neighbour- hood of the batteries.

(ii.) To hold the central ridge and gaps, and to prevent an enemy who has landed on the south shore from climbing the steep slopes leading to the central dominant position.

(iii.) To guard against and repel an attack from the mainland by holding with infantry detachments and guns of the movable armament, the passes over the hills running across the Kowloon Peninsula.

33. The extent to which these measures for the defence of Hong Kong are to be brought into operation will depend on the local necessities of the occasion, but it has been laid down as a principle that during the more or less gradual transition from a

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