CAB11-57-1 — Page 96

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

Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. October 31, 1899.

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SECRET.

No. 195 M.

HONG KONG.

Report on Volunteers, April, 1899.

C.O. No. 23740 a.

Memorandum by the Colonial Defence Committee.

THE Colonial Office have referred to the Colonial Defence Committee the Reports of the General Officer Commanding, and of the Commandant on the Hong Kong Volunteer Corps for the season 1898-99.

The Reports are printed as an Appendix to this Memorandum.

2. During the year ending April, 1899, there was a further slight increase in the strength of the Hong Kong Volunteer Corps, which was, in April, 1899, 181 of all ranks, as against 176, 159, and 125, in 1898, 1897, and 1896. An establishment of 238 all ranks for staff, field battery and machine-gun companies has now been laid down in the new draft Regulations for the corps, and although the numbers proposed do not exactly correspond with those recommended by the Colonial Defence Com- mittee in their previous Memoranda, it may be assumed that they have been carefully worked out with the advice of the General Officer Commanding in as close accordance with Imperial war establishments as the local circumstances admit. It is very desirable that every endeavour should now be made to give effect to the new estab- lishment.

The new Regulations provide for the raising of a small engineer company, its establishment being additional to that already mentioned of 238 all ranks. The Committee think it desirable that the units required to man the existing armament of the corps should be placed on an assured basis before new units are raised.

3. The gun practice was for the first time in the season 1898-99 carried out entirely with the guns to be manned in war, and the shooting is reported as good.

It is to be regretted that the members of the corps did not avail themselves more fully of the facilities which the General Officer Commanding afforded them of acting in conjunction with the regular troops at times convenient to the volunteers. The Colonial Defence Committee have always attached much importance to such training.

4. The questions of the re-armament of the field battery and of the conversion of the twelve 45-inch machine guns to 303-inch calibre were dealt with by the Colonial Defence Committee in their recent Memorandum, No. 193 M, dated the 8th September, 1899. The Committee note with satisfaction that the provision of new carbines of

•303-inch calibre, which they strongly advocated in their Memorandum, No. 156 M, dated the 15th November, 1898, has now been sanctioned.

[834]

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