BIG FIGURES.
WAR CLAIMS AGAINST NEW ZEALAND.
HEAVY REDUCTIONS SECURED. ~\ 1
(By Telegraph. —Parliamentary Reporter.)'
WELLINGTON, Thursday.
New Zealand's war expenditure account will be formally closed by legislation this session, and any clearing up will be done by the Treasury. The expenditure totalled £70,677,000, and last year important negotiations occurred in connection with the claim by the Imperial shipping liquidation against New Zealand of £1,332,000. Tin. has been reduced by the large total of £724,675 as New Zealand established contra claims of over half a million for the carriage of Imperial troops. Finally the big bill was settled by the payment of £170,375. Apart from these figures claims totalling approximately £60,000 were lodged by shipowners for diversion of ships for. transport purposes, of which only £5860 has to data been admitted, with every prospect of complete rejection of the remainder. Included in the amount admitted is the case of one ship which has recently been the subject of legal proceedings against the Crown in the United Kingdom, the amount of the claim being £20,709. The claim was contested by the Imperial shipping liquidation department's legal advisers on lines of defence constructed by our transport accounting officers, and advice has come to hand that the shipping liquidation has effected a settlement with the shipowners, involving payment of £4360 by New Zealand. With the exception of reparation claims the only other accounting matter still outstanding is the claim against Australia totalling £103,843 for ammunition .taken over from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt in 1915, against which contra claims owing by New Zealand £31,728, have been withheld, leaving a net balance due to New Zealand of £72,115.
The Defence report suggests that this shows the eminently satisfactory results that have been obtained in reducing war expenditure. Savings in many other directions were also effected, one notable instance being rebates totalling £87,000 from the Imperial comptroller of Customs for duty on foodstuffs shipped from New Zealand and purchased in England for consumption by New Zealand troops in the United Kingdom.
BIG FIGURES.
Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 209, 4 September 1925, Page 8
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