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ordering every one away should the town be fired upon might be further considered by the Administrator. The effect of bombardment would probably be trifling, unless the number of persons left in the town is insufficient for them to be able to rapidly extinguish fires. There are also the various duties detailed in the 10th para. of p. 135 for which the services of the civil popula- tion are required.

33. Page 135, 11th paragraph.-Attention is called to the Colonial Defence Committee's Memorandum No. 71 M. of the 20th July, 1896, with regard to the uniform necessary to secure belligerent rights.

34. Page 136. Notices. The policy of ordering persons suspected of disaffection to quit St. Lucia by a certain day seems of doubtful expediency. If any one has really to be ejected, he should be arrested and sent on board with no time allowed him to gain information which might be useful to an enemy or to foment sedition.

35. Page 137.-In connection with the Harbour Traffic Regulations attention is called to the final paragraph of the Colonial Defence Committee's Remarks, dated the 9th July, 1895, on the Report of the Local Joint Naval and Military Committee of January 1895.

M. NATHAN, Secretary,

February 15, 1897.

Colonial Defence Committee.

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PRINTED BY J. W. HARRISON AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE.— ~16/2/97.

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age 29Th Document is the Property of Her Britannic Majesty's Government P9 of 290

Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. February 18, 1897.

SECRET.

No. 157 R.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

C.O. No. 24549.

Report of Local Defence Committee, September 1896.

Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee.

THE Report of the Local Committee deals with the application of Reports IX and XIX of the Joint Naval and Military Committee on Defence to the conditions of South Australia. The action they propose has to some extent already been embodied in Chapter IV and the Appendix of the Defence Scheme of June 1896. In remarking on that Scheme the Colonial Defence Committee (30th December, 1896) postponed their consideration of the proposals for outer and inner anchorages, and for the regulation of traffic, in order to consider them with this further Report of the Local Committee which they had just received.

They think that it will be convenient if they now state how, in their opinion, the principles laid down on these matters by the Joint Naval and Military Committee on Defence can most correctly be applied to the conditions of South Australia, premising that since the date of the earlier Report (IX) more intimate experience has been gained with regard to the difficulties in adapting the principles there set forth to the varied conditions of the many ports of the Empire.

2. Every arrival from seaward must, when the Traffic Regulations are enforced, be identified, and, if necessary, examined by the examining vessel, who should direct any strange ship to "bring-to." The responsibility for the detection of an enemy rests primarily on this vessel. Should the stranger, from ignorance or treachery, attempt to evade the examining vessel, the latter would signal to the batteries, and they, irrespective of any examination line, would bring the stranger to, either by a signal in the shape of a shot across her bows, or, if this was ineffectual, by firing at her. In the event of no signal being received from the examining vessel, or in her temporary absence, any ship proceeding at speed towards the examination line may be presumed to be hostile, and must be "brought-to" by the batteries, and, as soon as she is on that line, treated as an enemy. The examination line should therefore be drawn from a battery to prevent any mistake as to the position of the approaching ship, and so that the crossing of the line may be instantly followed by the fire necessary to stop or sink her.

3. At Adelaide the examination of vessels should be conducted at the Largs anchorage sufficiently within range of the batteries for her to be able to communicate with them by signal, and to be supported by their fire if necessary. The examination service of the port should be an unarmed and non-military service, conducted by the port authority or one specially

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