DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 921, 24 July 1869, Page 1

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

The speech of the Colonial Treasurer , made on the occasion of his asking for an imprest vote of £150,000, to meet' payments which have to be made before the Appropriation Act is likely to be passed, is a highly instructive one. It has been much applauded, and also severely criticised — out of the House leather than within it, for the debate on the occasion was both short and flat. Mr Stafford entered upon a rather elaborate criticism of some of the Treasurer's statements, but was cut short by the Speaker's rising at the fixed time for closing the afternoon sitting. Ho appears to have thought it better to reserve what else he may have been about to say until the Financial Statement proper, should be made. H e did not return to the House during the evening, and his mantle seems not to have fallen upon any other member in his absence. For our own part, without being prepared to endorse the eulogies of the Treasurer's admirers, we think that he is entitled to the thanks of the country for entering so ikr as he did into questions upon which we are all anxious for information. What the financial condition of the colony isj what liabilities for defence purposes have been incurred over and above the amount appropriated for them last session j and what these Native disturbances are aotually costing the country ; are questions of very deep importance. Eveiy one who takes any heed of public affairs has long been anxious for an answer to them. Tho Treasurer was a little confused and prolix, but he contrived, during his speech and reply, to wander through most of the subjeots which are of special interest to the community. .

Ever since tho close of last session, statements have been commonly made that the Colony was paying at least a thousand pounds per diem for defence purposes. The facts brought out by the Colonial Treasurer show that these calculations wero really not very far from tho mark. Tho estimate which had been prepared for him in tho Itofenco Office, stated tho expenditure for Juno at £41,435. In stating this, ho added that it waa at tho rate of half a million per annum, a way of putting it which seems to have aroused Mr Stafford to a little self-defence. Tho latter, though acknowledging the probablo correctness of the estimate, deolarcd that tho expenditure of June was exceptionally high, and not a fair foundation for a calculation as to what this wnr may cost us in a year. Tho dofenoe expenditure he rightly enough characterised as intermittent in its character, so that ono month's expenditure was no oriterion of what waa likely to be wanted for another. Unfortunately, such an avgumer.t cuts both wnys. However exceptional and excessive the expenses of one month* operations may prove, we can never have any oertainty that they are a maximum. The Trwfurcx reiy well replied to Mr

Stafford by pointing 1 ; dutttjie^sigriin^ cant fact, that there 'was ratfq^uiMjfcely j a very simple reaßonKwhy%he^^xpenditure for June was higner thaH'for »any previous month; . He saidj tlxere» naa been ' a continuous increase in the expenditure every month.' Exceptional and excessive as the cost of warlike operations had been in June, we have not the slightest ground for believing that those of July would not have been still more expensive, had Mr Stafford and his colleagues been allowed to retain office. So much as this the Treasurer seema to hav r e been too polite to say, but it is implied in numberless things that he did say. It is, indeed, a very fair deduction from such information as is yet before us of what the late Government had been doing, and were intending to do. The whole expenditure for defence for the year ending on the 30th of June last appears to have been £259,279 17s Id, to which we have to add a further sum of £71,000 required to meet liabilities already actually incurred. This gives us more than £330,000 as our war bill for the past year. The estimate of £1000 a day was not far wrong then. When we remember that the major portion of the expenditure has been since September last, it appears, indeed, to have been below the mark. With regard to the general financial condition of the colony, we learn somehing from the fact that in Committee of Ways and Means the Treasurer had feo ask for leave to issue £150,000 of Treasury Bills, to meet the estimated deficiency during the next six weeks. The liabilities already incurred for the war are included in the estimate of this deficiency. We think most people will be inclined to say that things are not so bad as they expected to find them. If the Government adheres in good faith to the policy of acting solely on the defensive, which it has announced, surely the colony can tide over matters without another War Loan. Let us hope that that party in the House which was prepared to resist a new Loan of this character at all hazards, will now be considerably strengthened.