LADY HOUSTON'S MONEY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 125, 30 May 1932, Page 2

LADY HOUSTON'S MONEY

OFFER TO ASSIST DEFENCE I' DECLINED BY CHANCELLOR CONDITIONS NOT ACCEPTABLE : ! LONDON. April "1. ' ' Last "week Lady Houston made an • < offer of £200,000 toward the cost of • national defence, lu the letter whicli i she wrote to the Chancellor of the Ex- ! chequer she compared England to a “toothless lion.” Mr. Neville Chamberlain has now declined tho offer, as was to be expected. In tho course of his reply he says: —“ I much appreciate the spirit which has prompted you to offer a sum of £200,000 to supplement the resources of the : Exchequer upon the understanding that • other patriotic donors raise the amount [ of £5,000,000. If I do not feel able, as , suggested in your telegram, to take 1 active steps to support an appeal of ; this character, it is because I share the ‘ view taken by my predecessors in other j similar connections that gifts to the I Exchequer should bo left to be • prompted by the spontaneous wish of i ; the donors. . . . “A more difficult question is raised I [ by your proposal that your contribu- [ ' tion. should be applied to a particular , i "bject. There are. of course, cases I ■ where private benefactions may very j [ properly and most usefully supplement ‘ i or replace public expenditure. Y'our i part iu the last Schneider Trophy con- ' I tost reminds mo forcibly of that fact. ■■ : But in the sphere of the essential State j • services Parliament alune is in a posi- ! ; lion to appraise the priority of comj peting claims, and from time to time : to allocate the limited resources of the 'I Exchequer in the manner most condui civo to the general interests. The re- ! sponsibility of advising Parliament on these matters is one of which no Government can divest itself, and it is a duty in which all Governments must : retain freedom of action and decision. ; Characteristic Reply. “For this reason it appears to me impossible to accept gifts offered to the Exchequer for expenditure upon particular essential services over and I above the expenditure recommended by the Government of the day and subsequently approved by Parliament. Accordingly I venture to hope that, should you decide to proceed with your ap- ; peal, it will be made on the basis that • tho Government shall decide to what ; ’ purpose tho resulting funds shall be • applied.” Lady Houston has replied in her I characteristic style: “I evidently have | made a mistake,” she says. “I j thought you were a Conservative, but ; I cannot imagine a Conservative refus- . ing my offer of £200,000 for the Army, s Navy and Air Force so ungraciously. 1 wonder whether you have consulted I them? “A ou have read by letter incorrectly . as in the first line of your answer you . say that I ‘offer the sum of £200,000 ri to supplement the resource's of the Ex- - chequer,’ but if you read my letter i again you will find that I do not offer r this money to ‘supplement the resources -. of tho Exchequer.’ I offered it speciL - fically for the Army, Navy and Air .. Force. “Dire Need and Necessity.” “But both your immediate predeces- ■ ■ sors accepted large monetary gifts from i. me—for instance, the Schneider Tro n phy was a gift from me of £loo,ooo— in order to make it possible for our t. airmen to compete in the race. This c. was very gladly accepted by your ini- I : mediate predecessor, and the Treasury. i perhaps, if you inquire, will still rei member my very insignificant gift of s £l.soo,ooo—given to a former prede- )- cessor of yours, Air. Winston Churchill. “J did not stipulate that ‘other patriotic donors’ should raise the sum of £5,000.000. What. I did sav was—‘l now offer you £200,000 towards .the £5,000,000 required for our protection— so only 11) times as much as my gift is needed to make up the £s,ooo,ooo%eces-sary-a paltry sum to ensure the safety of the nation—and I appeal to all, both rich and poor, to find it’ . . . No quesII lion of tho Government deciding comes r |into this matter. But you force me again to reiterate the fact that the j £200,000 T offered was offered specifically for keeping our flag firing, and to help the Army. Navy and Air Force in , : their dire need and necessity.”