DOMINIONS AND NAVAL DEFENCE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 143, 20 June 1925, Page 9

DOMINIONS AND NAVAL DEFENCE

EXPENDITURE PER HEAD OF

POPULATION

(?EOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDfiST.)

. ■ ■'■ LONDON, Bth May. Mr. Ormsby-Gore has given a written reply to a question by Major Hore-Bel-isha, who asked how much money has been contributed in respect of the current year by each of the Dominions and Crown Colonies towards naval defence; what proportion this sum bears in each case to their total import and export trade and per capita of their population, respectively; and how these figurea compare with Great Britain's contributions under these heads.

Mr._ Ormsby-Gore states that the contribution of the Dominions to naval defence takes the form of maintenance of their own naval forces and establishments by the Governments of Canada, the Commonwealth of ■Australia, New Zealand, and the "Onion of South Africa. The amounts provided in the Estimates of the following parts of the Empire for the year 1924-25 are :—

United Kingdom.—£ss,Boo,ooo. Expenditure per head, £1 4s 10d. Amount spent on naval defence for every £1000 of total import and export trade, £25 3s 9d.

Canada.—l,4oo,ooo dollars. Expenditure per head, 0.15 dollars. ' Amount spent for every 1000 dollars of total import and export trade, 0.74 dollars Commonwealth of Australia,—£2,3lß,----164. Expenditure per head, Bs. Amount spent for every £1000 of total import and export trade, £8 14s. There are %™n mn D'r Special ,aPP r°P"a,tions of ±.3,000,000 for naval construction and £1,500,000 for defence purposes generally, which are proposed to be expended over a number of years New Zealand.—£s23,o79. Expenditure per head, Bs. Amount spent for every £1000 of total import and export trade, £5 5s Bd. '

Union of South Africa.—£l42,o3s Expeuditure per head, Is 9d. Amount spent for every £1000 of total import and export trade, £1 0s Id. With regard to tho colonies and protectorates, the contributions to Imperial defence made by tho Governments of Hong Kong, Straits Settlements, Ceylon and Mauritius are paid, not to the* Admiralty, but to the War Office.