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where the offices at Wardia and St. Lucians are not shown as manned by soldiers, and the inference therefore is that they are manned by Maltese civilians.

A comparison of the Telegraph Map facing p. 32 of the Scheme with the "Estimate" alluded to above shows that the two do not agree. In the latter offices are shown as open and permanently manned at Wardia and St. Lucians, whereas on the Map no office is shown as existing at Wardia, and the office at St. Lucians is shown as closed.

Similarly in the Map in the Scheme an office is shown as open at Fort San Leonardo, but no personnel is allotted to it in the Estimate.

In the Defence Scheme (see Table (D), p. 31, and Map facing p. 5) a signal station is to be established at Wardia on mobilization, but if a telegragh office exists here, the necessity for signallers is not apparent.

On the other hand, it is considered that the telegraph wire should be extended from Delimara and Ta Sile to San Leonardo.

Allowance is made in the Estimate for the employment and payment of two clerks (one head and one assistant) at Rabatto, and the same number at Chambray in Gozo, but it is presumed that the personnel would be withdrawn from these offices to Malta on mobilization. Information on this head should be given in the Defence Scheme.

6. The following extension of the existing telegraph or telephone system would, it is suggested, be advantageous:--

(1.) From Zeitun village to Zurrico Creek, so as to place the Officer Com- manding the eastern land section, whose head-quarters are at Zeitun, in com- munication with the officer in charge of the infantry picquet at Zurrico Creek. The Scheme provides for visual signalling between these points, but a landing would most probably be attempted just before dawn, and signalling arrangements by night are uncertain. Any attempt to land must be nipped in the bud. The Torre San Guilio within 100 yards or so of the creek belongs to Government, and would, no doubt, serve as a suitable telegraph office.

(2.) From Verdala Palace at Boschetto to some good look-out station on the south-west coast. The highest ground in the island is apparently near Dingli village, and according to the Scheme Ta Ghemuna Hill is a suitable look-out station. Whichever is the better should be selected so that the approach of hostile ships to this part of the coast which may be expected to take place about dawn may be at once telegraphed, and the picquets at Zurrico, Fomm-er-Rih or Miggiar be strengthened in time.

(3.) Frota Fort Bengemma to the hill to the south-west, known as Con- cezione Ta Calumia, or, if necessary, to the cliff above Fomm-er-Rih Bay.

In a former Defence Scheme mention was made of a work which it was pro- posed to place on the Concezione Hill, to help to close the gap of 2 miles between the end of the works of the north-west front at Bengemma and the coast-line the present Scheme is silent on this subject. The hill would have to be occupied and held in time of war, whether a work were constructed here or not, and as both Miggiar and Fomm-er-Rih are stated in the Scheme to be possible landing-places, and as, in the event of a successful landing being accom- plished at either place, the very speedy reinforcement of the line at Concezione would be necessary to prevent the whole western front being turned, it would seem that no further arguments are required in support of the present proposal to extend the line to this point, unless it be to remark that the lateral com- munications along the rear of the north-west front are singularly defective, and that reinforcements could not therefore be expected to move with much rapidity to any threatened point in the line.

The Colonial Defence Committee recommend that these extensions should be carried out so as to provide a coast communication system on the south side of the island. There are at present three coast telephone stations, viz., Delimara, on eastern, Kaura, on northern, and Gneyna (Miggiar), on western sides of the island; but the southern coast-line, from Miggiar to Benghisa Point, 20 miles in extent, is not watched by a single post, though, in spite of its generally precipitous nature, there are several points where hostile parties might land, and cause very considerable trouble to the Defence.

7. Page 41, paragraph 2.-It is not understood whether the Admiral Superintendent of the Dockyard has been consulted as to whether the necessary ships could be procured.

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