DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3331, 16 January 1918, Page 7

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

ROYAL COMMISSION APPOINTED. WELLINGTON,, January 8. Tho members of the Royal Commission to investigate the war expenditure are: Brigadier-general Sir Robert Anderson (Australia), chairman. Mr Charles Rhodes (Auckland). Mr Peter Barr (Dunedin). .

Tho chairman of the commission, Briga-dier-general Sir Robert Anderson, is not a soldier. He is a business man, and ho has been given duties and rank by the commonwealth defence authorities not as a soldier, but as a business man, to assist in tho business side of defence administration. Recently he conducted for the commonwealth Government just such an inquiry as that which he has undertaken to conduct for the New Zealand Government, and it is hoped that, because of the experience ho has had, he will be able to shorten this inquiry. It is possiblo that the inquiry will occupy six months before it is finished. In his early civil life Sir Robert Anderson was a banker, but subsequently became town clerk of Sydney, and later on engaged successfully in commercial life. Ho haa been entrusted with important investigations on more than ono occasion in Australia —notably a single-handed investigation into tho postal administration of the commonwealth, and was a member of the Sugar Commission, —in addition to which he conducted tho defence administration. Shortly before tho war tho Auckland City Council waa not satisfied with the manner in which municipal affairs of the city were conducted, and Sir Robert Anderson was brought over from Australia to make an investigation.