£400,000,000 WAR CREDIT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2617, 12 November 1915, Page 5

£400,000,000 WAR CREDIT

. BRITAIN'S LATEST VOTE :mb. asquith reviews our EXPENDITURE NEW WAR COUNCIL By Telegraph—Prose Association— Copyright (Reo. November 11, 8.5 p.m.) London, November 10. In tho House of Commons/ Mr. As- . quith said 'that owing to technical mishaps he was unable to move his four hundred million war vote, but proceeded to state that he intended to move the vote for Thursday nest. This vote, said Mr. Asquith, would make the aggregate of the war credits ■ for the ourrent financial year thirteen hundred millions, or a total since tlio war of sixteen hundred t and sixty-two millions. The total issued out of credit votes from April to November was 7861 millions. The Treasury retained 113j millions, which, with unexpended' Army and Navv balances, would be sufficient to carry on till the end of November. Thus the last credit vote had provided. for our necessities longer than had been anticipated. The net expenditure from April to November was 743 millions, and the average net daily expenditure from September 12 to November 6, £4,350,000. The Army, the Navy, and munitions between April and November cost 517 millions. The repayments to tlie Bank of England totalled 104 millions, and of loans 93 millions. The -upward tendency of the '.expenditure continued, and they could not hope that the expenditure •would not increase for munitions and loans to foreign Powers and the Dominions. The loans to the Allies since the commencement of the year had been fifty-nine millions, and to the Dominions 39} millions. i The wax cost from September 12 to November 6 had been £4,130,000 daily. The net daily expenditure last week was well within the_ five millions previously estimated, and it was expect ed next two and a half months it would not exceed five millions daily. This vote ought to be sufficient to carry on until the middle of February. Tlie Prime Minister said that Mr. M'Kenna's Special Committee has long been considering every possibility of effecting economy, particularly in the Army and Navy,_ examining contract • prices and the elimination of. competition between tho Allies. Regarding contracts, he felt convinced that there was still much to do. Anglo-French War Council. Concluding his remarks, Mr. Asquith mentioned that an important scheme had been adopted to enable more intimate inter-communication between the Allies. It was hoped soon to establish something in the nature of a common War Council, on which Anglo-French Ministers would sit, assisted by expert advice from the united General Staff. This War Council would control our conjoint military and naval operations. (Cheers.) Our General Staff would bo strengthened. They had arranged for an interchange of the officers at tho War Office and those fronts. _ A distinguished French officer was in daily communication with the War Office, while British officers carried out similar duties with the French War Office. He had no doubt that tho -Allies' fine, .spirit and re- ■ sources would bring'tho war to a-trium-phant conclusion.' (Cheers.) Mr. Asquith added that the General Staff at the War' Office included many nien of war experience. Sir Archibald Murray, who was at tho head, was recently with Sir John French. Sir Archibald Murray had _ appointed ' General , Kiggel as his assistant, and General Shaw, -who had had experience in France ■ and at the Dardanelles, would be Director of Home Defence. Twenty ; six officers who were now on the General Staff at the War Office had had actual experience in the present war, and of these officers ten had been wounded. "We will be delighted," he concluded, "if Russia and Italy will co-operate in this exchange of officers, as France has done." Mr. Worthingtou Evans, in the course of the ensuing discussion, said that he was surprised that Mr. Asquith had not stated a comprehensive financial policy, disclosing our foreign investments. Should Serbia Have Attacked Bulgaria? Mr. J. A. Bryce asked whether the Allies refused Serbia permission to attack Bulgaria before the latter had mobilised, in order to anticipate the inevitable Bulgarian attack. Lord Robert Cecil (Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs) replied that Serbia held the opinion that an early attack - would have been the wisest * military policy. Sir Edward Grey sent no instructions to the British Minister at Nish, but on September 27 Sir Edward Grey wrote that all political and diplomatic arguments wero against the' proposed action, adding that lie himself was no judge of tlie strategical considerations. Generals Recalled. ■ Mr. Tennant (Under-Secretary for War), in reply to questions, said that several general officers had been recalled for various reasons, but none had been allowed to resign.