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Fire Commander or Battery Commander by mere virtue of their rank, as the G.O.C. is not responsible in any way for their training in peace-time, and has no means of insuring that they are qualified for such important duties. The question is one of such importance to the fighting efficiency of the batteries, and at the same time of such a difficult nature, that the Colonial Defence Committee have thought it well to deal with it in a separate communication addressed to Her Majesty's Government.

7. With regard to the Engineer portion of the Scheme, the further details mentioned in paragraph 16 of the remarks of the Colonial Defence Committee of May 1893, as required to complete it, have not yet been added. It is not necessary to forward plans already approved by the Colonial Defence Committee, but the Annexes should give the necessary particulars for the whole of the works to be constructed, instead of only for a portion of them, as at present.

8. The Submarine Mining Defences and Harbour Traffic Regulations have been considered separately in connection with the Report of the Local Joint Naval and Military Committee. When the final joint decision of the Admiralty and War Office is received this portion of the Scheme should be modified accordingly.

9. With regard to signalling (p. 76), it should be ascertained whether the Civil Telephone Company could not supply the equipment and carry out the extensions required. Civilian operators should be employed as much as possible, so as to relieve soldiers from this duty. It is not clear whether the four additional field stations referred to at p. 76, and provided for in Annex (A), p. 78, are those mentioned on p. 77. If not, it should be stated where they are to be.

Each revision of the Scheme should be complete in itself, and references to former Schemes (e.g., p. 76) should be avoided.

The arrangements for flag signalling require further consideration. The Officer Commanding No. I Section is told of four points for flag signalling (p. 100), but there are neither signallers nor equipment in his command, as far as can be ascertained from the Scheme.

10. The medical portion of the Scheme would be more complete if the detailed arrangements for equipping additional beds were included. The names of civilian medical men, willing to serve on an emergency, should be registered, although their services would probably not be required until an attack was imminent. The stretcher-bearers required might be obtained by training the civilian servants, fatigue men, &c.

The arrangements for providing medical attendance for working parties (p. 56) should be explained.

11. In the Ordnance Store portion of the Scheme all issues to be made by the S.O.S.O. should be included. As nearly the whole of the Militia are to be encamped, some camp equipment must be issued to them, and they will also require additional ammunition.

The greater portion of the tools required for the field force can be furnished by the C.R.E. when the works are completed. Of the remainder, it should be ascertained what can be procured locally; the balance alone should then be demanded (see observation 4, p. 87).

Local harness should suffice for the carts supplied to the field force (p. 40).

12. In conclusion, it is to be remarked-

Some of the points alluded to in Memorandum No. 46 of the Colonial Defence Committee have not been fully considered. For example, the instructions to Officers Commanding should include all the details mentioned in paragraph 20 of that Memorandum, while, in accordance with paragraph 21, orders should be prepared for each corps (including the Militia), as has already been done in the case of the infantry battalion.

13. A certain number of discrepancies and omissions exist in the Scheme-not perhaps of any serious importance in themselves—but as many of these were present in the previous Scheme also, it is evident that sufficient care has not been taken in the revision. A few are given in the following remarks, but the list could be considerably extended.

14. Page 14. The R.E. in Section II do not agree in number with those shown in the Table, Quartering of Troops, and in the Table on p. 12.

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