BRITISH MILITARY BUDGET.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 71, 24 March 1915, Page 8

BRITISH MILITARY BUDGET.

NO LIMIT TO EXJ-JBNJJITUHE. PRESS BUREAU CRITICISED. RECENT NAVAL INCIDENTS. The introduction of the largest military budget in the history of Great Britain shared the stage in the House of Commons on February Stb with a discussion of the activities of the Official Press Bureau. The task of introducing the budget fell upon the Parliamentary Secretary of the War Office (H. J. Tennant), as Earl Kitchener (Secretary of War) is a member of the House of Lords. | Two more days have been allotted to the discussion of these ''army estimates," which are called a "blank cheque budget," because the accounts of actual money which will be expended under them are represented by nominal or token figures. PRESS BUREAU DISCUSSION. The Press Bureau discussion was brought on by a motion by Joseph King, Liberal, of North Somerset, "that the action of the Press Bureau in restricting the freedom of the Press and withholding information about the war has been guided by no dear principles and has been calculated to cause a suspicion and discontent." Mr J. King urged that the Press Bureau issue a daily or a tri-weekly statement as to the progress, experiences, success and reverses of the British troopj at the front. He added;— "The Press Bureau ought to be used for freer dissemination of authentic information which would allay alarming and dangerous rumours.'' In reply, Sir Stanley 0. Buckmaster, director of the Press Bureau, defended its work. He declared that he had never withheld for five minutes any information that he possessed. Moreover, he had published instantly everything that it was in his power to publish. SATISFACTION TO ENEMIES. "I can conceive nothing," he said, "better calculated to give satisfaction to our enemies, who are endeavouring to discredit our official news, than the announcement that it has been suggested in the House of Commons that the Press Bureau is the subject of suspicion." Sir William P. Byles, who seconded Mr King's motion, asked if any disasters had been concealed, as there had been endless stories of a capital ship lost some months ago off the north coast of Ireland. The speaker replied that that was an Admiralty matter which could not be discussed under the head of army estimates. Winston Spencer Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty) refused to disclose the result of the investigation made by the Admiralty into the report mentioned in the House last week by Mr G. Stewart that German submarines operating in British waters had received fresh supplies of fuel oil from a vessel direct from a British port. FUEL OIL PROHIBITED. Mr Winston Churchill said it would not be in the public interest to make this known. The export of fuel oil from this country was prohibited, • the speaker declared. He declined also to discuss the sinking of the British battleship Formidable, except to say that the Admiralty had considered the circumstances of the loss of this vessel (she went down in the English Channel the first of January with a loss of 600 men after being struck by a mine or a German submarine), and it did not propose to hold any inquiry or court-martial' Other questions relating to the war asked in the House revealed the i fact that thirty out of thirty-six interned German steamers had been placed in the British coasting trade, with the result that freight rates have been reduced. Lnder-Secretary Tennant paid a warm tribute to the Territorial troops, whose value and efficiency, he declared, had been proved by recent events. The British design of aeroplane, tbe Secretary contended, has been found superior to that used by any other country. Introducing the army estimates, Mr Tennant said he was debarred from dwelling upon the size and the distribution of the British forces. SECRET FROM GERMANS. "The enemy desires more than anything else to know the force we may have in the future," the speaker explained. Recruiting on the-whole has been-satis-i°?V, , there is no cause for discontent and still less for disquiet, but we do want more men in this life and death struggle " Mr Tennant said that Lord Kitchener was considering the possibility of issuing a medal, at the end of the war for technical workers employed by armament firms, etc., who were serving their country so faithfully. b In making the declaration that the troops have been brought from India, Australia, South Africa and Canada without a single casualty, the Under-Secretary remarked: ' "When the total number of these men is known this will be thought an extraordinary feat."

I shall make no forecast of the duration of the war," Mr Tennant continued, but I am convinced not a single member of the House is despondent, that there is not a member but is determined that there T?i\ If- ?1 y £ ne issue -that the Allies shall dictate the terms of peace The efforts of tbe nation are worthy of her past and the exploits and bravery of the army are worthy to rank with the most gonous records of any army at any