THE DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

Colonist, Volume XII, Issue 1254, 1 October 1869, Page 8

THE DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

The following has been published in the Lytteltoi Times: —

House of Representatives, Aug. 25th

My Dear Studholme—l hear it rumored that very absurd reports are being taken down to the South, to the effect, that the present Government have appropriated more than £400,000 for defence. In ease you hear anything of this at Canterbury, it would be well for you to contradict such a statement in the most authoritative manner.

The only appropriations that have been made by the House, or requested by the Government, are as follows :—ln consequence of the news received from Waikato, at the time of Te Kooli joining the King, Ministers asked the House to undertake to pay such sum for the retention of the 18th Begiiuent as the Imperial Government should require. The amount of this contribution has been stated by some persons at £80,000; but it is needless to say that there is no justification for such a sum being put clown. The army estimates in the House of Commons, £or 1869----70, showed that the total cost of the 18th Eegimenf, at 700 men, was only £50,000, and the Ministry had no doubt whatever of getting the sum reduced to one-half.

Then, secondly, Ministers asked for permission to enrol a force in England, for three years, at a cost of £70,000 a year; not one shilling of this, however, is to be paid, or engaged for, during the current year, 1869-70.

Thus, the single appropriations made up till tonight for defence are—lst for the 18fch Regiment; 2nd, £150,000 for defence, which last amount has, this evening, been supplemented by" a contingent vote of £50,000, which we shall not spend a penny of more than can be helped; and the reduction in the expenditure may be shown by this single *fact, that the expenditure in June was more thau £40,000, and for July and August about £26,000, while on every side, we are reducing, to the utmost point that the liabilities, promises, and engagements of the late Government allow us to do. The difference is, that whereas, every month, under the late Government, the expenditure was growing, it is every month diminishing under the present Executive. We were first reproached for reducing the expenditure, now, we are reproached for not cutting it down more. The greater part of the difficulties we have had is caused by the constant and unexpected opposition of the " Cave,-' which has done everything in its power to embarrass the Government, and to prevent it from carrying out what it considers necessary for the country. —Ever yours, F. D. Belt,.