CAB9-1_PT2 — Page 64

O.C., Defences.

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3. PORTLAND, PORT FAIRY, AND WARRNAMBOUL DEFENCES.

(a.) Portland Defences, (b.) Port Fairy Defences.

(c.) Warrnamboul Defences.

B.C., Portland Battery.

Infantry Detachment.

O.C., Defences.

B.C., Port Fairy Battery.

Infantry Detachment.

O.C., Defences.

B.C., Warrnamboul Battery.

It will, of course, be for the General Officer Commanding to tell off the available artillery officers to the above chain of command, but it is suggested that the command of Port Phillip Fortress, being the most important from an artillery point of view, should be in the hands of the Officer Commanding the Artillery Forces of the Colony. The posts of Section Commander and Fire Commander should not be duplicated in one officer. The latter is the highest purely Artillery Commander, and the former may or may not be an artillery officer, according to the exigencies of the particular case.

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7. It is suggested that the details of District Staffs and troops might be omitted under the heading of "Organization and Allotment of Troops (pp. 3 to 5), as they are given under " Allotment of Troops" (pp. 6 and 7). The details and distribution of armament might be given in a separate Table under the latter heading.

8. Pages 6 to 8. Allotment of Troops.-If the organization above recom- mended is adopted, the Tables on these pages should be altered to correspond. For Port Phillip, Table II should show the two sections separately, with Section Commanders and their staffs, and also the field force with its Com- mander and staff. The separation of the Field Force shown in Table V into the Port Phillip Field Force and the Offensive-Defensive Force will require very careful consideration. It will be seen from the comparative Table, printed as an Appendix to these Remarks, that there is some deficiency in engineers and departmental troops, and to secure due mobility to the mobile forces this should be remedied. With regard to artillery, the Committee adhere to the recommendations contained in their Memorandum, No. 65 M, dated 12th June, 1896, but. they consider it an advantage that, until it becomes necessary to form ammunition columns for the Offensive-Defensive Force, the existing third battery of the Field Artillery Brigade should be retained.

9. The Committee note from Table VI, on p. 8, that the total war and peace establishments of the Victorian Military Forces are 6,107 and 10,179 respectively, inclusive of Rifle Clubs (1,128 in peace and 1,590 in war), against 5,386 and 9,138, exclusive of Rifle Clubs-the figures given in the Mobiliza- tion Tables of 1893. The Committee consider that if Victoria has 10,000 trained men that can be absolutely relied on to be available in time of war, the defence requirements of the Colony, as regards numbers, will be fully met. The question of the utilization of the Rifle Clubs for bringing peace establishments up to war strength was dealt with by the Committee in their Memorandum, No. 96 M, dated 16th February, 1897.

10. Page 9, Communications. The telephonic communications for purposes of command do not appear from the Scheme to be at present satisfactory. There should obviously be direct communication between the head-quarters at Melbourne and those of the Port Phillip Fortress Com- mander, near Nepean or Eagle's Nest. The General Officer Commanding

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