Defence Expenditure.

Taihape Daily Times, 10 May 1918, Page 4

Defence Expend iture.

MILLION A YEAR WASTED IN v ..yjQAiyi PS<k . *i .WELLINGTON, May 8. Before the Defence Expenditure; Commission to-day, Mr. H. E. Man. ning, builder and contractor, Welling, ton, said he considered that there was a combine in Wellington running the whole fitting-out of transports. The Minister was right out to see the thing to the bottom. Most of the Go. vernment goods had been supplied by a certain Wellington firm which had been making a very good thing out of it. Witness alleged .that there had been some waste of timber ordered for troopship work. Lieut-Col. T, W. McDonald, General Staff, Wellington Military District,, was also examined. He emphasised the fact that both partly trained territorials and untrained civilians were, put on the same level in training, and that a territorial with several years’ training, was squadded with wholly untrained men and told he must forget all he had previously learned. He gave details to show that exclusive or bombing and anti-gas practice thetraining of the New Zealand territorials was similar to that of the rein, forcemeats. Territorials in camp need, only be trained for 44 days. mated the loss which resulted from the unnecessary time taken up by training in New Zealand was: Territorials, £326,400; civilians, £173,000;! making a total of £500,000. The loss, to the community by reason of these: men being taken from productive labour he estimated at £500,000, making a total loss per annum of £1,000,000, or a total since the war began of £3,000,000. He contended that the establishment of camps was excessive... Witness submitted a schedule showing a loss of over £2,000,000 which: the country had suffered through lacs, of organisation, co-oruination, and supervision in New Zealand only. There was waste of ammunition used by cadets who were supplied with cartridges costing £8 per thousand instead of cartridges costing 255. When he made the suggestion oncehe was told to mind his own business,, and other suggestions were ignored.