The Armoured Car Company, ole fof the oldest in the corps," was formerly the Machine Gun Company.
their present formation they wert Very" valuable indeed, especially in 1632, "in patrolling" the Western Perimeter of the International Settlement, particularly at night, and. the possibility. of their. swift -concentration at any threatened point fon the Settlement boundary. Ideally, they should be Telained, even. were Feorganization being made wholesale. 'Actually, however, they have now passed me time when' they" should fave been refitted.
"The American Machine Gun Company, while very keen, has the maltest eusolment in the corps, and hot hnit'of these are" Americans. This would. argue the necessity for disbandment under any. reorganization scheme, andthe absorption of the men into other units of the corps.
Thus, out of the many and expensive units, cavalry, armoured cars fir defence, and machine. gun, could bbe made "three "strong, ficient machine-gun units. The Shanghai Eight Horse, Air Defence Company and Armoured Car Company forming two, and. the recently" organized company. from the former batteries, the other. This later has high percentage of Germans and Scand: Inavians, ever inerensing. and any weleran of the Great War' can testy {othe value of 1 machine-gun. the Infantry Very few changes need to be made the present organization of the Infantry section of the corps. The division into national units should be kept, if only for the increased esprit de corps this system brings out of the men.
The British units, "A" Company, Shanghai Scottish, and "B" Company, might in some way be combined, without fossing their unit identity, into a minor battalion. The exce!- lent Chinese, American, Filipino, Portuguese, Japanese and Jewish companies" could remain, and the purely volunteer Russian company could be detached from the Russian Regiment and kept on the S.V< strength.
The Transport Company, combined with the Engineers Company, would still be necessary under the reorganfzation, being vital to the success, mobility and defence, of the corps in faction, Other deialls, such Signals, might easily be left to the regular defence forces In Shanghai. Even were they not here, the usual means of peace-time communication, supplemented by motor-cycle riders with each unit, could be swiftly and efficiently organized when the time comes.
It cannot be too strongly emphas-zed that there should be little fear of loss of personnel in the event ut the above changes, no matter how loudly the sentimental and traditional aspects might be shouted by those opposed. There has been little loss in the disbandment of the batteries, Moreover, the Increased keenness of the men in turning to their new Jobs has been very' evident.
The direct savings which could be effected in the purely volunteer section of the corps are self-evident. Extra machine-guns would need to be purchased, but this is purely first cost and would not be unduly great, 'The expensive equipment of the cavalry units could' be dispensed with, the upkeep and- running ex-enses of ten armoured cars would be no more, and a considerable reduction in headquarters staff would "Among the higher officers of the corps a. great reduction could also be made. It would once again be possible to return to a Commandant, an Adjutant, and a Corps Sergeant Major as the only regular men from home. "The remainder, while very excellent men, invaluable under the present system, would find their jobs gone. This would also, in all probability, pave the way for o return to the real volunteering spirit, which has been so Jamentably reduced of late, for there would be less. time for insistence on regulars' "spit and polish" and red-tape, and more for Yeal training.
Whatever the corps might lose in picturesqueness and in the traditions of the now outmoded units, would have to be faced in the interests of efficiency and the defence of the Settlement. Some such reorganization must, in any event, be made, or the voices of those clamouring for disbandment, on the grounds of present inefficiency, must be heard, Tue oldest woman in the world is believed to have been discovered in Johannesburg. She is Annie Louw, said to be 190, She is the sole surviving member of the historic great trek of 1836, when the Boers travelled from the Cape in covered wagons and first penetrated the Transvaal and Northern Natal.
Tex special Coronation colours have been adopted by the British Colour Council. 'The two most important are Coronation red and Coronation blue. The former is a Fich crimson and is a blend of such reds as sword-belt red, heraldic red, the red of peers' robes, and tartan wel red. The result is a shade like a vivid peony. Coronation blue is also a blended "colour and has been developed from Royal blue, Union Jack blue, and gentian blue.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.