COST OF DEFENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8364, 26 February 1913, Page 7

COST OF DEFENCE

A COMPARATIVE STATEMENT. The Hon. R. H. Rhodes, ActingMinister of Defence, furnished an interesting statement yesterday regarding expenditure on the military forces of the Dominion. It was lately alleged that money had been extravagantly spent. The Minister pointed out: (1) Lord Kitchener gave no estimate of what the cost should be for New Zealand, but as he said that tho strength of the New Zealand Army should bo approximately one-fourth that of Australia, it may be assumed that he estimated tho coat to the Dominion to be also about one-fourth of that which he recommended for Australia. His estimate of the annual expenditure for Australia was £1,884,000, vide paragraph 104 of his report. Onefourth of this amount would bo £471,000 per annum for New Zealand. (2) The Australian estimates for last year for purely land defence, entirely exclusive of any expenditure in connection with the Navy, or anything else except the Army, are £2,973,146, an excess of £1,089,146 over Lord Kitchener's estimate. One-fourth of this would ho £743,286 for New Zealand. (3) In starting a business concern- it is the invariable rule to pay initial and expenditure quite separately from annual expenditure. No sum had ever been allotted for the necessary initial and capital expenditure for guns, equipment, clothing, etc., required to start tho scheme of universal training in New Zealand. All such preliminary expenditure had been paid and provided for out of the Consolidated Fund—for 1911-12 the amount was £401,870, and for 1912-13 £481,462.