CAB11-57-1 — Page 192

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6. If a sufficient number of volunteers would become garrison artillery, I should be prepared to recommend his Excellency the G.O.C. (1) to assign to them certain works, such as Victoria Battery, with its fine 9.2-inch B.L. gun, to be manned exclusively by the corps; (2) to hand over certain guns, of the latest patterns, belonging to the movable armament, which guns, if lock-up sheds were provided, could be placed at convenient centres for drill, such as I understand would be the Kowloon Docks or Messrs. Butterfield and Swire's.

The machine gun companies could be increased, as the fortress armament includes a large number, which could be assigned to them.

7. It would, of course, be necessary, if the corps is to form part of the artillery garrison, that the C.R.A. should be authorized to give advice in the regulations of the drills, and be given opportunities of judging efficiency. But it would be clearly understood that in peace time the corps would not be in any way under his control.

If these conditions should be accepted, I anticipate no difficulty in getting an allowance of ammunition for practice.

8. The best form of corps for local defence that I have met is that of the Cape Garrison Artillery, which was formed some time before the war. The members engage to drill at their assigned posts on a certain number of Saturday afternoons in the year, and to mobilize for 2 or 3 days. A gunner, who performs his drills and is efficient, receives at the time of Christmas holidays a bonus of 51., and N.C.O's. more, in proportion to their ranks.

9. Cape Town, for the defence of which and Simon's Bay the corps exists, has not, I believe, half the interests to defend, half the risk of attack, or half the wealth to meet the expense, that Hong Kong has.

(Signed)

R. F. JOHNSON, Lieutenant-Colonel,

Commanding R.G.A., China.

March 31,

1902.

(No. 4.)

O.C.S.M. to C.R.E.

Page 192

Sir,

Wellington Barracks, February 12, 1902. I BEG to report that, in accordance with instructions, I met Major Chapman, (Acting) Com- mandant, Hong Kong Volunteers, and Lieutenant Mitchell, Commanding "E" Company, yester- day, 11th February, and discussed the following points :

1. Waste in "E" Company since Formation.

K

Lists had been prepared by Commandant, Hong Kong Volunteers, showing the members who had left each unit of the corps, and it appeared from this that the waste on "E" Com- pany, though considerable, was not in excess of the waste in other branches.

Difficulty is, however, found in all units in obtaining men, due to various causes not special to "E" Company, such as the want of suitable headquarters, &c.

2. Number of Drills required for Efficiency.

From the Regulations for the Hong Kong Volunteer Corps it appears that in "E" Company a recruit is required to do 14 company and squad drills, &c., and 16 technical drills-30 in all; and a trained man has to do 8 company, &c., and 10 technical. These numbers seem unneces- sarily severe, especially for the trained men. The estimated number of attendances required for efficiency, as stated by my predecessor, were 6 for electricians and 2 for engine drivers, assuming a satisfactory standard had been attained as a recruit. Also the numbers of infantry drills-14 and 8- are higher than the similar drills of the field battery and machine gun companies, who only do 10 as recruits and 6 as trained men. Certainly, the engineer company does not require a higher standard of infantry training than the machine gun companies, and I recommend the number of these drills be at least reduced to the same figure, or even lower, say 8 and 4.

The figures for "E" Company would then stand--

Recruits

Trained men

:

Squad and Company Drills, &c.

Technical Drills.

Total.

I

1

(

I

C

t

0

b

tl

b

16

24

al

W

10

It was pointed out by Lieutenant Mitchell that many men attended for more than this number, so that the total efficiency would not be lowered, but the reduction might meet the case of a few men who, owing to the nature of their employment, could not in some years give more time.

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