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Part III-Action by Staff and Departments.

12. Page 23 (A).—It would be convenient if, under the heading “Orders to the General Officer Commanding Royal Artillery," the Artillery Manning Tables and Chain of Command were inserted.

13. Page 23 (B), paragraph 2.-It is proposed here that the C.R.E. Central Section shall" assume direction of the Quarantine Harbour, and the examination anchorage therein to be established," and on p. 69 it is stated that under the orders of the Central Section Commander he is to have control of this harbour.

The Local Joint Naval and Military Committee at Malta, in their Report of December, 1893, proposed that the general control of the Quarantine Harbour should be in the hands of the Customs' Department under military supervision, and the Colonial Defence Committee concurred in this arrange- ment.

It is suggested that the duties of the C.R.E. Central Section in this matter should be defined.

14. Pages 23 and 24.-Under the heading "Orders to the Officer Com- manding Royal Engineers," it is laid down in paragraph 2 that the officer detailed as C.R.E. Central Section will "under the orders of the G.O.C. Central Section, assume control of any submarine mining operations,” and in paragraph 9 that the Fortress Commanding Royal Engineer" will, subject to the orders of the G.O.C. Central Section, cause all steps to be taken to lay out the mine-fields with the least delay, but no mines will be actually laid down without orders from the Fortress Commander." Under the heading "Orders to the Division Officer of Submarine Mining," it is stated in paragraph 3 that " on the receipt of an order from the Fortress Commander to lay the mine-field

work will be at once commenced." Again, on p. 69, under the heading "Orders to the Officer Commanding Central Section," paragraph 6 states "All submarine mining operations for the defence of the two harbours will be carried out under your orders, but the mines will not actually be laid until an order to that effect is given by the Fortress Commander."

These orders do not make very clear the procedure to be adopted with regard to the submarine mining defences, which should be as follows:- On mobilization the Division Officer of Submarine Mining will pass directly under the orders of the Central Section Commander for all matters relating to defence. He will be under the Central Section Engineer for matters of discipline and interior economy only. He will receive his orders to lay alteration made mines from the Section Commander, who will be instructed by the Fortress by Alf. in reply

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Commander. The Fortress Commander will also instruct the Section Com- manders concerned with regard to the transfer of personnel, should it be decided to lay mines in such positions as St. George's, St. Julian's, Marsa Scala, or Marsa Scirocco Bays. The duties of the Fortress Commanding Royal Engineer with regard to submarine-mining, as well as to all other Engineer services in the Fortress, are to advise the Fortress Commander, and to communicate his orders to Section Commanders. His position is analogous to that of the Staff Engineer of a Division acting independently in the field, as laid down in paragraph 4 of the Regulations for Engineer Services.

15. Page 25.-In the Distribution Table (A), five R.E. officers are told off to the Central Section. From the tables on p. 24, four of these appear to be for submarine-mining, but none of them are entered against the Brennan Torpedo Installations, though in paragraph 4, p. 25, reference is made "to the officer told off to each Brennan Installation." This discrepancy requires to be cleared up.

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