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appointed, and should be subject to the control and direction of the military officer in command at Largs. Before vessels are allowed to lie at the anchorage they must have received permission--not a written permit-from the port authority, and they will then be subject to that authority, who will be responsible to the military officer at Largs for their positions and movements.

The conditions of Porte Adelaide make it impossible to lay down an examination line in front of that port; but it is considered that such a line should be drawn from some point at the north end of Lefevre's Peninsula in a northerly direction to fulfil the conditions above laid down in the event of a ship attempting to enter the Port River without permission. At the point selected a 12-pr. Q.F. gun should be mounted. The Committee would have preferred to recommend two such guns; but having regard to their cost about 1,500l. each, exclusive of cost of emplacement-to the small artillery personnel available, to the short range at which it will be necessary to fire, and to the limitations imposed on the size of the hostile ship by the comparatively small depth of the river, they think that one gun may be made to suffice for the present if supported by the fire of the movable armament allotted to this section of the defence. Until the 12-pr. Q.F. gun is provided, the defence of the entrance to the Port River must be entirely provided by field gun fire. An electric light illuminating the entrance of the river would be a valuable aid to the fire of the Q.F. and field guns, and in view of the fact that their is apparently a system of electric lighting already established along the Port River, the proposed light for defence purposes might be installed without involving any very great

expense.

In the absence of any batteries on shore to support examination vessels, it is not considered possible to establish Traffic Regulations at Wallaroo and Port Pirie, nor do such Regulations appear necessary.

4. The Regulations embodied in Chapter IV and the Appendix of the Defence Scheme of June 1896 will require emendation in accordance with the above principles. They should also omit all obligations on arriving ships, of which, in most cases, they can have no previous knowledge. They should not contain more restrictions and limitations than possible on the free entry (after examination) of arriving ships, or hindrance to the continuance of maritime trade during war.

5. Turning to the Report of the Local Defence Committee of September 1896, and to the letters of the Naval Commandant which it covers, there are several points requiring remark by the Colonial Defence Committee. They concur in considering that Q.F. guns of about 47 inch calibre would be a useful addition to the armament of each of the two existing forts at Adelaide. In view, however, of the expense that would be involved-about 2,3501, per gun, exclusive of cost of emplacements-and of the small artillery personnel. available, the Colonial Defence Committee do not recommend the purchase of these guns at present. The 12-prs. for the entrance to the Port River are, in their opinion, decidedly of greater importance. The Committee, also, do not recommend the provision of a search light to be used from the south of Fort Glanville, or of one to be exhibited from a shallow-draft vessel on the shoal north of the light-house.

6. The Remark of the Naval Commandant on the subject of " existing naval strength," is not clearly understood. It would, however, appear to mean that South Australia should make provision for defence against an attack in force by heavily-armed ships, which might become possible in the event of naval supremacy in far Eastern waters passing to the enemies of Great Britain. The Committee consider that such provision would not be possible under existing conditions, and that the contingency which would require it is not a reasonable one to provide against. If, moreover, naval supremacy did pass into foreign hands for a considerable period, no number or weight of guns in coast batteries could secure the safety of the Austra- lian Colonies.

7. The Colonial Defence Committee concur with the Naval Commandant that it is not possible to provide with artillery fire defence against the attack by carried torpedo-boats on merchant-ships lying at the Largs anchorage. They do not, however, consider this form of attack, by which no material

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