CAB9-1_PT2 — Page 76

M

shit. derme Whils 2413414

fu

Where

23

de fore

12

Page 76

the force protecting Brisbane; Section II is the main body charged with the defence of the river mouth, while the Reserve is a mobile force for Brisbane, or for operating elsewhere in the Colony or in conjunction with forces from other Colonies. The small body of troops in the Central District is rightly treated as one section for the defence of Rockhampton, but the sub-division of the troops of the Northern District into three sections for the defence of Townsville, and the division of Thursday Island into two sections, seem undesirable.

A better division of the defences of the Colony would appear to be the following:-

Moreton Bay Naval Defences. (1.) Southern District (Brisbane) Lytton Defences.

Brisbane Field Force.

(2.) Central District (Rockhampton).

Townsville Defences.

(3.) Northern District (Townsville) Townsville Field Force.

(4.) Federal Fortress (Thursday Island).

(5.) Offensive-Defensive Force.

Officers should be detailed (designated by their peace appointments) to command at Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, and Thursday Island. Under the officer at Brisbane, who should have his head-quarters at Victoria Barracks, the Acting Naval Commandant will command the naval defences at Moreton Bay, and there should be officers told off to command the Lytton Defences and Brisbane Field Force, with a Fire Commander under the former. Under the officer at Townsville there should also be officers commanding the defences and the Field Force, with an Artillery Fire Commander under the former, and Battery Commanders at Kissing Point and Magazine Island. At Thursday Island there should be a Battery Com- mander, acting Fire Commander at Green Hill, under the Officer Com- manding the Federal Fortress, and a Battery Commander in charge of the movable armament.

The Offensive-Defensive Force of Queensland, which should be indepen- dent of the Brisbane Field Force, so that the capital of the Colony should not be left without mobile troops in the event of the Offensive-Defensive Force being required for co-operation with other troops elsewhere, should be under the command of the Military Commandant of Queensland. In view of the small proportion that the Queensland contingent bears to the whole of the Federal Field Force, as agreed to by the Inter-Colonial Military Committee in January 1896, it appears doubtful whether the Military Commandant of Queensland should accompany it, should it be ordered by the Government to operate out of the Colony. If he does not do so, he should detail an officer to assume command until the Queensland troops join the Federal Field Force, when this officer will take over the duties assigned to him by the military Head of that force. Until the contingent is ordered to leave the Colony, it will, of course, be at the disposal of the Commandant to assist in the defence of Brisbane, or for any other operations which he may consider necessary.

15. Pages 6 to 17. Tables.-Though the Tables on these pages have been carefully elaborated and give complete and detailed information, they are not easy to follow, and contain some unnecessary repetition. The state- ment on p. 6 with regard to the peace distribution of the troops between the three districts and the Federal Fortress is repeated in very similar form on pp. 7 and 8 in Table A, and might therefore be omitted where first given. In its place it would be convenient to have a summary of the regular, militia, and volunteer troops of the Colony by arms, but irrespective of their distribution, and this might be followed by a brief description of the other defence resources of the Colony-viz., works and their armaments, movable armament, submarine mine defences and electric lights, naval defences, &c. The whole of this information, which now appears in different parts of the Scheme, might be transferred to the end of Chapter I.

Under the heading "Distribution of Troops" in Chapter II after Table A, showing peace distribution by districts, should follow Table D, giving complete war distribution, and then Tables E and F, summarizing

Page 76

47

Page 76