CAB9-1_PT1 — Page 167

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Printed for the use of the Colonial Office, August 1893.

CONFIDENTIAL.

66-R

ST. HELENA.

ST. HELENA,

No. 8.

Scheme of Defence revised to September 1892.

Remarks by Colonial Defence Committee.

THE Colonial Defence Committee have had before them the Report of the Local Committee purporting to be the Scheme of Defence of St. Helena as revised to the 30th September, 1892.

1. The Colonial Defence Committee are unable to regard this as an adequate or definite Defence Scheme. It mainly consists of a series of suggested alterations in the former Report of the Local Committee, and of a letter by Lieutenant-Colonel MacLean also containing recommendations and suggestions based on data some of which are rejected by the Local Committee.

The object of a Defence Scheme is clearly set forth in Colonial Defence Committee's Memorandum No. 19 of the 1st November, 1886, and is further dwelt upon in their Memorandum No. 46, entitled "General Remarks as to Schemes of Defence and the form in which they should be drawn up," which is now in course of circulation to all Colonies and coaling-stations. They desire here briefly to re-emphasize those principles.

The object of a Defence Scheme is that a well-matured plan should exist in peace-time in readiness, as far as practicable, to be set in motion without delay on the receipt of the order to mobilize the defences. The most probable attack, or attacks, to which the station is liable should be first considered, and the general plan upon which the station is to be defended should be definitely determined. The detailed action consequent upon the adoption of this plan should then be worked out and laid down. The ideal to be aimed at is that each individual to be intrusted with authority when the time comes should have in his possession during peace full information as to the nature of the task to be imposed upon him, and as to the details of the action to be taken by him on the outbreak of war; so that should it happen-to take an extreme case that an officer previously unacquainted with the circumstances of the command were called upon to take up special duties, he shall find ready to his hand sufficient detailed information to enable him to proceed to their per- formance.

2. Judged by this standard, the Scheme in its present condition falls short of what is required. Before an officer could comprehend the circum- stances of the situation, he would have to refer to the Scheme of 1888, and then before he could thoroughly understand this latter, to the previous Scheme of 1887 and the Colonial Defence Committee's remarks thereon, instead of finding the latest outcome of all previous deliberations ready to his hand in a collective and clear form in the last revision of the Scheme. At each annual revision the Local Committee should submit the Scheme complete as a whole, with any requisite alterations actually embodied in it, and not content themselves with furnishing a mere list of alterations or categorical answers to previous Colonial Defence Committee's remarks.

3. Again, the Report contains a number of suggestions and recommenda- tions which should not be mixed up with the action to be taken in case of emergency. These, however excellent in themselves, should be kept entirely

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