MILLIONS FOR WAR

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9076, 22 June 1915, Page 7

MILLIONS FOR WAR

VICTORY AT ANY COST PRIME MINISTER CONFIDENT. NATIONAL CABINET JUSTIFIED. (“Times” and Sydney “Sun” Special Service.) LONDON, June IS. In- asking for a War Vote of £250.000,000 in the House of Commons to-day Mr Asquith said that it was the fifth vote of the kind- In 1914 Parliament was asked to sanction three votep totalling .£362,000.000, which was about £5,OOU.OOO in excess: of the actual 'expenditure on the war that Year.The war covered 240 days in 1914. ana the actual expenditure was, roughly, about 061, 500,000 a.day.. The vote of .£250,000,000 passed a. March last was- calculated to lost, approximately, one hundred days, on the basis of an expenditure of .£2,000,000 a day on the navy and army, and £50,000,000 for the purchase of. foodstuffs, and for other minor items. That wOUla be sufficient to carry oh the public "servioea until the end of June. 43,000,000 A DAY.

It was. very difficult, went oh the Piime Minister, to make ' any thing, Uke an accurate forecast of the rate at whichthe 'expenditure would continue during the next two or three months. From April Ist to Juno 12th it was estimate;* that it would be, approximately, ,76194.000 000, br. 472,660,000 a day, which . wav slightly higher than previously anticipated. The navy /and army alone ha'i accounted for '.£157,000,000, or ah average of .£2,155,000 daily, and the TreOfeury still had in hand £56,000.000 oht of the last/vote of credit. ..It’ was clear that the' expenditure on the navy and army would expand to 'dme extent, and probably the fighting services would need £2,250,000 a day, . - _ As the war continued Great Britain’s obligations to her Allies Would certainly not Ibe lighter, and it was safe to assume that; the total ' expenditure fhoiu ‘the hew ■ vbte would not be much less than £3,000,000 a day, aild conceivably It might he more. A REPUGNANT TASK;

Recently -he had; with the approval of the King, reconstructed the personnel tot the Government; and let him say ■at once, in the. plainest possible terms; flat ho would not have been justified.in doing. what he had done under pressure from any outside influence or the tethpprary embarrassment of a t ransient parliainen. tary emergency. The task was. os. unwelcome and repugnant a one as could fall to the lot of any man. To pan colleagues who,-had , sel-Ved with . suchloyalty and efficiency was the most pa hful experience that he had had., ’n his public ' life, and he hssdfed hik toolleagues and .supporters, that.'there yhs fib 1 man more faithful to the great principles which for 30 years had been bis aim and inspiration in such servictes ah he had been able tb render tb the dtate. He receded from ’ noth'hg,,,. he abandoned" nothing, and he .’sacrificed nothing, and in the same templr - and spirit his new colleagues hid. felt it their duty to respond txj his in.vitatibn Bb associate themselves in the siipfrine 'national crisis with their lifedbhg political antagonists. ... ......

SITUATION WITHOUT PARALLEL.’ It would be asked why ho had brought about this- political upueaval and transformation,. for .coalition® in the main had been -found wanting in dignity add success. Hi® answer to that Question Was' simple* .Even up to the ,last uxo~ ipent he was not .without doubt, as to how-best to respond to the-call of public duty. The situation was without parallel in ohr' nktionhl history. (Hear, hear.) The. demand it,had made find would continue to make upon the energy and patriotism of the nation abd the patience and foresight of those responsible for ite Government copld hot posiubly be measured by any test. was no call for any change ; in national .policy, but only lb pursue the war; at.any cost, to a victorious issue. (Hear; hear.) . The broadening of. the basis of the Government 1 would denionstrdte to our people at home, our fellow-eubjccta across the sea, to our Allies and our enemies;'as well as to the neutriliS; tH4t the British -people were more resolute than ever, that they were one at -heart, and that their purpose. Was to obliterate all distinctions until every personal political. as well .. as moral, and material force in the prosecution of I heir cause, bad been employed, A HAZARDOUS EXPERIMENT.

It was a unique national, emergency that demanded the Unreserved land whole-hearted co-operation iff all parties. It was a great arid hazardous experiment. He Supposed there was enough of the old political Adam in their,bosoms to say that none of them much liked it. iLaughter.) 'Arid there was in,the country bri both. Sides doubt, suspicion, arid bewilderment lot the moment. To eay a' wbfd about hiri own position.. Some might think that he. having had the privilege of serving in confidential. and responsible relations. three successive British Sovereigns, had not satisfied his ambitioris. They , write, welcome to their opinions, but they little knew the truth. Like other people,' and no more than others, he had tried .lb do his best. It was not profitable to compare the inilitary or international feitrialidh with what it had been in thb Bbginriirig of March. The accession, of Itily was a neW fact “of immense importance; For •the rest the actual fortunes.of the .campaign fluctuated weekly, and almost ACTS OF HEEOISM. The area was so vast, the PHme Mihister prbceeoed, arid the scale- of .Operations so. far beyond Jan. eyb glance, thit they cbuld ribl take in. the scene, though it was constantly being lighted rip tyitn spieriaid" acts of heroic, adventure. ■ Perhaps the mriiri impressiori in the minds of both* the combatants and the britobkers was the gigantic sliugglb &f, rinautance- If it wore feb then let it be said of us that we bndured to the end. (Cheers.) ' . . - . ' , ; lii bvrity speech he had made since the beginning Of the war he had tried to strike two - notes—those of warning at the gravity of the task,aid confidence in the ultimate Issue. Thfrrh was rio discord between the two. They would dp well riot to heed the blind counsels of Eystetiri and pahio for brie moment. They had brie plain, paramount duty to perforin—that was to bririg to the service of . the State those willing .Jo be organised to help every class of the community. (Cheers.) It rionld be a fit place to work for every. man and Svriman iri the land when, sooner or later, our cause was vindicated arid once more there was peace Upbh the earth. It might be recorded on the proudest page in thfe annals of the nation that noffiome or workshop in the whole of the United Kingdom had riot taken a part in the cbirimori struggle to earn » share of the common triumph. (Prolonged cheers.) The House passed the vote.