£1,000,000 AN HOUR

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28543, 24 March 1958, Page 11

£1,000,000 AN HOUR

Costs Of “Suez Incident? (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, March 22. The British intervention in Egypt was reported yesterday to have been the most expensive engagement in British military history, the “Daily Mail” said. The Army’s share of the bill for the October, 1956 Egyptian incident was shown in the Army Appropriations Account to have been £52,476.000 or more than £1,000,000 an hour for the campaign. The original estimated cost of the action, excluding Navy and Royal Air Force expenses, was £29,800.000 sterling.

However, the high cost of moving troops, services and supplies to the French forces in and the nearly seven weeks of occupation of Port Said, almost doubled the bill. Chaotic ordering has given the Army 1,250.000 pairs of leather boots it does not need and 1,080.000 halt-soles to repair them, th® “Daily Express” said. The newspaper said half a million pairs of boots and half-soles were ordered in 1955, but the department which ordered them did not know the Army was experimenting with - compositionsoled boots which it is claimed never wear out. '

In 1956 the War Office tried to cancel part of the order but the Ministry of Supply refused because it said continuity of pro--duction had to be maintained. So the Army has an enormous surplus. They will be offered for sale to the public.

S.E.A.T.O. Military Planner.— Thailand’s S.E.A.T.O. military adviser. General Jira Vichitsonggram, said that both New Zealand and Pakistan have nominated candidates for the post of S.E.A.T.O.’s chief military planner. The post will become vacant soon yvhen General Alfredo Santos returns to a Philippines army job.—Bangkok, March 22.