CAB11-57-1 — Page 248

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ox.

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.

Printed for the use of the Colonial Office.

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SECRET.

No. 373 R.

HONG KONG.

155

C.O. No. 34936/04.

Defence Scheme revised to September 1904.

Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee.

THE Colonial Office have referred to the Colonial Defence Committee a despatch of the Governor of Hong Kong, dated the 5th September, 1904, forwarding the Hong Kong Defence Scheme revised to September, 1904.

The despatch is printed, with its enclosures, as Appendix I to the present Remarks.

2. The present revision of the Defence Scheme, as the Governor points out, has been drawn up with great care and completeness by the General Officer Commanding and Local Defence Committee. It differs from previous revisions in adopting an organization in four sections, and, for that reason and on account of the systematic working out of the details on one general basis, it appears to be the most satisfactory scheme for the defence of Hong Kong that has yet been produced.

Covering Despatch of Governor.

3. Paragraph 4. Strength of Garrison.-The Colonial Defence Committee propose to deal with the question of the strength of the garrison of Hong Kong in a separate Memorandum.

The development of the Volunteer movement on the initiative of the present Governor was discussed in the Committee's recent Remarks No. 364 R on the 1904 Volunteer Report.

As regards the question of the utilization of the Volunteers in time of war (cf. also page 35, paragraph S, and page 97 (vii), of the Defence Scheme), the Committee entirely concur with the Governor that it would be undesirable to withdraw a large proportion of the Volunteers from their civil occupations for a considerable period. If arrangements were made for recalling all the Volunteers to their posts on an alarm signal being made, it might be possible, after the first day or two, to release an even higher proportion of their numbers than 50 per cent. The period during which an attack would be impending or in progress could not be long, and as no business could then be carried on, all the Volunteers would be available.

4. Paragraph 5. War signal stations. The Governor's Confidential despatch of the 4th August, 1904, was with reference to a submission by the Commander-in-Chief on the China Station to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty proposing that all wireless telegraphy work at Hong Kong should be carried out by the Navy, installations being established at the Peak and at Cape D'Aguilar. The main advantage to the

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