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The nursing service is to be called “ The Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service,” and governed by a board under the Queen as president. The pay ranges from the matron-in-chief, from <£250 to £300 per annum (by £10 annual increments), with lodging allowance, to nurses, £25 a year to £35 (by £2, 10s. annual increments). The ranks are principal matrons (from £110), matrons (from £70), sisters (from £37, 10s.), nurses, and female servants. An almost equally elaborate scheme had been proposed for the reconstruction of the army remount department, but it would appear that financial considerations caused it to be abandoned. No department within the scope of its possibilities accomplished harder or more valuable work during the South African war. (j. F. M.*) British Colonial Forces. The British colonial forces proper are those raised and maintained by the colonies at their own expense, either for local purposes or as a voluntary contribution towards imperial defence. The relative prominence of these two objects necessarily depends mainly on the position and population of individual colonies or groups. Canada must maintain a considerable land force for the defence of a long land frontier, while fortunately the chance of hostilities with the United States is sufficiently remote to enable the empire to count on Canadian troops under other conditions. Newfoundland, being little liable to attack and having small financial resources, has not hitherto kept up any military force beyond a few armed police; advantage has, however, now been taken of the exceptional advantages the colony offers as a source of supply of men for the royal navy in war. The Australian states, including New Zealand, derive security from their position against organized invasion so long as British naval supremacy is maintained in Far Eastern waters. Though in a maritime war their land forces would in part be required for protecting their ports against predatory raids, they would doubtless be largely available for offensive operations in aid of imperial strategy. In the West Indies the function of local troops, largely native, must be looked upon as entirely local defence • in Bermuda and Jamaica they are auxiliary to imperial garrisons; in the Leeward Islands, Barbados, Trinidad, British Guiana, and British Honduras, they secure internal tranquillity in peace and guard against any possible raiding attack from a cruiser in war. A small white corps in the Falkland Islands has. been raised to serve the latter purpose. In West Africa considerable forces of armed natives are maintained to secure the peaceful administration of the more turbulent parts of Sierra Leone, the Gold Coast, Lagos, and Northern and Southern Nigeria. In St Helena, the eastern colonies of Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, and Hong Kong, colonial volunteers, mainly European or of European descent, form valuable auxiliaries to the regular garrisons of the imperial coaling stations in these colonies. There are also native armed police in the two last, and a Sikh force, maintained by the confederated Malay States, would in war furnish assistance to the Singapore garrison. Armed police in Labuan and Fiji, assisted by white volunteers in the latter colony, maintain order in peace and would resist predatory attack in war. An armed constabulary of Papuans secures the internal quiet of British New Guinea. In the self-governing colonies the colonial forces are administered by a defence department, which in Canada, Victoria, and New Zealand, is under a minister of defence; in Natal, under the minister of lands and works, and in
[BRITISH COLONIAL
the other colonies under the prime minister or the chief or colonial secretary. In Canada, West Australia, Queensland, and New Zealand, the forces are commanded by imperial officers lent to the colonial Governments; in South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania, by officers of the local forces. In Cape Colony and Natal their command in war devolves on the generals commanding the imperial troops. This is also the case in crown colonies where there are imperial troops permanently stationed. In the Leeward Islands, Trinidad, and British Guiana, the militia or volunteer forces are commanded by an officer who has also the armed police of the colony under him, and the same arrangement was proposed for the volunteer force raised for Barbados to replace the imperial troops withdrawn from that island. A few imperial officers, in addition to the commandant, are employed on the headquarters staffs of several of the self-governing colonies, and the frontier forces of West Africa are almost entirely officered from the imperial regular or militia service. The permanent troops of Canada, corresponding to the regular forces of the imperial army, consist of 2 squadrons of cavalry, 2 field batteries, and 2 garrison companies of artillery, and 4 companies of infantry. The North-West Mounted Police, though enrolled under civil law, are practically a fine military force. The only permanent forces of Cape Colony and Natal are the Cape Mounted Rifles and the Natal Police, who have proved themselves most efficient soldiers. There are armed police organized as a military force in Bechuanaland, Basutoland, and Rhodesia. In Australia and New Zealand the regular troops consist of forces of artillery and engineers, and a small staff of officers and non-commissioned officers for other branches. In the West Indies the permanent forces are armed native police, and in West Africa native constabulary organized on an entirely military basis. There are armed police at the Straits Settlements, Labuan, Hong Kong, Fiji, and British New Guinea, and the Malay States Guides in the Federated Malay States are permanent troops. The establishments of permanent troops in the different groups of states are approximately as follows North America ..... 1,700 South Africa ...... 3,200 Australasia ...... 2,000 Mediterranean (Cyprus) . . . 700 West Indies ...... 2,800 West Africa ...... 8,000 Eastern colonies 3,400 Total . 21,800 These figures do not include the armed police of the Australian states and of New Zealand, of which certainly the mounted branch could be made available in war, and would be highly efficient as mounted infantry. The pay of a private soldier in the permanent forces in Canada is 2s. OJd. (J dollar) a day. In South Africa it is 5s. or 6s., in New South Wales and Queensland, 2s. 3d., in Victoria, 3s. 6d., and in New Zealand, 5s. or 6s. The native armed police in the West Indies receive at the rate of 2s. to 3s. a day, the frontier forces of West Africa, Is. or Is. 3d., and the armed police and constabulary in the eastern colonies from 8d. to Is. In Canada, Natal, West Australia, and Queensland, men enlist in the permanent forces for three years, in Tasmania for five, in Cape Colony for five in the first instance, and afterwards for fresh periods of three years at the expiration of each former period, and in Victoria and New South Wales for five years, with the option of re-engagement for a further period of five years. The periods for which natives enlist in the armed police forces of the different West Indian colonies vary from one to six years. It has been proposed to make the term of enlistment in the West African frontier forces a uniform one of seven years, and to encourage re-engagement. Five years is the usual period in the East African colonies. The colonial forces, apart from the permanent troops dealt with above, comprise the following imits of cavalry, mounted infantry, infantry, artillery, and engineers, partially paid and unpaid.
