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(iii.) Signalling and Telegraphy.

The Commanding Royal Engineer is responsible for the immediate completion of the telephonic system, in accordance with the diagram opposite, the work being carried out under the direction of the Divisional Officer for Telegraphs, assisted by a staff of one Company Sergeant-Major, Supernumerary Staff, four Sapper linemen from the Fortress Company, and two civilian Chinese permanently employed; clerks and messengers being supplied as below detailed.

The peace stations are in Belchers Lower, Stonecutters West, Whitfield Barracks Kowloon, Lyemun Barracks, the Mount Austin Barracks, and the Exchange in the Head-quarter Office. On the order for mobilization additional offices are to be opened in North Point, Kowloon West and Kowloon Dock Batteries, and at the Sanitarium, Mount Gough, Mountain Lodge, and Wong-nei-Cheong Gap, the lines being perma- nently erected to these points.

The Telephone Offices for R.A. Chain of Command are all opened, the lines for these telephones are permanently erected, and the instruments are stored in the various forts in the R.A. Stores. They can be connected up at short notice by the R.A. operators, are inspected at intervals by the R.E. linesmen to ensure their being always ready for use, and are frequently used by the R.A. at drill.

For telephones not in permanent buildings, temporary shelters are supplied. Table E (iii) shows the distribution of the R.E. Staff during the first day while mobilization arrangements are being completed, and Table E (iv) shows the distri- bution of all parties, including clerks and messengers, after all telephones have been connected up. The telephones are worked by infantry clerks. A few R.E. are kept trained in the use of the Vibrator and Morse Code to employ this system in case of a partial breakdown of the telephones. These clerks report on mobilization at the Telegraph School, Wellington Barracks, and are then defailed to the various offices. The local telephone offices at Belchers, Lyemun, and Stonecutters, are manned under arrangements made by the O.C.R.A., who also provides messengers for these offices.

Messengers are permanently detailed for the Head-quarter Telephone Exchange and Whitfield Barracks Telephone Office, and on mobilization additional coolie mes- sengers are also provided, two for each of the offices at Stonecutters West, Kowloon Dock, Belchers, and Lyemun, and one for Head-quarters and Kowloon West. There is a contract with A. Fuckeera to supply English-speaking coolies at 40 cents per man each day, and they are to be accommodated in tents at all the places named, except at Head-quarters. No messengers is provided for North Point or Wong-nei-Cheong Gap, none being required.

The Submarine Mining Telephones are kept permanently fixed, except those for the stations of the O.C.S.M. at each place, no permanent stations having as yet been provided.

The diagram shows the military telephones only, but in addition to this the Colonial Government maintains a very efficient system of telephones, with the exchange in the Central Police Station, all police stations and Government buildings throughout the island being in communication therewith.

The military telephone system is in connection with this system, and the most distant stations can be brought into direct communication with the Head-quarter Offices or any military station.

In addition to the above, the Telephone Company has a very efficient system throughout the island, and all the Colonial and Naval Public Offices, as well as almost all commercial firms and many private houses, are in communication therewith.

On the outbreak of hostilities the military lines would be immediately placed in connection with the Telephone Company's system, when the service would probably be as complete and efficient as it could be made.

A signalman R.N. will be sent to Cape d'Aguilar Lighthouse, and two launches will patrol off Stanley Head and off Deep Water Bay, so as to prevent any flotilla entering unobserved Tytam, Deep Water, Stanley, or Aberdeen Bays, and a rocket signal would warn police and outposts.

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