CAB9-1_PT2 — Page 248

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If the arrangement proposed above is adopted, the volume will only be slightly increased in bulk, and the Fortress Commanders of Colombo and Trincomali and the Officers Commanding at Galle and Kandy will be able to ascertain all they want to know about their commands in regular sequence, instead of having to select para- graphs and Tables from each Chapter as is necessary under the present arrangement.

7. Page 2, paragraph 8.-The distribution of the troops at each of the defended places on first mobilization should certainly be given in the Scheme.

It is necessary that this distribution, which will be made as soon as hostilities are anticipated, when probably no special information as to an enemy's intentions will be available, should be decided on beforehand, so that the necessary departmental arrangements for the housing, supply, transport, and medical care of the troops may work smoothly as soon as they are at their allotted stations.

8. Page 2, paragraph 9.-Returns showing stores in hand are generally embodied in defence schemes, as it is found convenient to have this information in a form readily accessible when it is wanted in connection with the utilization of the available resources for putting the defence schemes into action.

9. Page 2, paragraph 10.-The Local Joint Naval and Military Committee of November 1893 recommended that the following additional signal stations should be established, in war, for the purpose of giving early intelligence of approaching vessels to Colombo and Trincomali:-

Negombo,

Mount Lavinia, Beruvala,

Galle,

Dondra Head,

Foul Point, Nilaveli,

}

for Colombo.

for Trincomali.

i

They also recommended "that the control of the Signal Stations at present established and to be established should be in the hands of the Officer Commanding troops, and that the stations should be worked by British signallers." The personnel contemplated for each station was apparently two Europeans and one native.

The Colonial Defence Committee in their Remarks dated the 20th April, 1894, concurred in these proposals.

In a Memorandum by the Local Defence Committee on the Colonial Defence Com- mittee's Remarks on the revision of the Defence Scheme to January 1894, which Memorandum was forwarded by the Governor in a despatch dated the 21st August, 1896, it was stated that "the only signal stations at present are at Colombo, Trinco- mali, and Galle. The Committee consider that a corps of signallers are necessary, and should be glad as to a decision as to from what source they are to be obtained.”

In their Memorandum covering the present revision of the Defence Scheme, the Local Committee wrote as follows:- "In the absence of any further instructions, it is proposed that no fresh signal stations be established on mobilization, in spite of the vital importance of early and reliable intelligence. It is recognized that these signal- men require special training, and it is therefore proposed to rely solely on the signal- men employed at stations established in peace time." It is not stated who these men are, and under whom they are employed, but it would appear from the Report of 1893 that they are natives in the employ of the Civil Government.

The Colonial Defence Committee suggest, for the consideration of the General Officer Commanding, the advisability of training in time of peace at existing signal stations, the number of British soldiers that would be required to work them, and the new ones to be established in war. It is not quite clear what this number would be. The general map of Ceylon which accompanied the present revision of the Defence Scheme, shows six, viz. :-

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Colombo. Galle. Hambantota

Batticaloa. Trincomali.

Kankesanturai.

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