MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 July 1917, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

COST OF THE WAR. CREEPING VP TO SEVEN MTTTJONS DAILY. ADVANCES TO ALLIES AND DOMINIONS. : Received July 25, 5.5 p.m. London, Julv 24. Iu the House of Commons, .Mr! Bonar L",v, in moving a vote of credit for .■CGoll.ooo.ooo. which was larger ov £130,000,000 than any previous vote,'said the average daily expenditure would outlast the vote, hut it, had exceeded the estimate by a million dailv. The estimate was for £5,411.000 da'ily, whereas for 112 days of tho present financial year the daily expenditure had ken £0,7f15,000 The increases were: Array, navy, and munitions, iloW.Out): advances to Allies and Dominions, £500.000; and m.xvliaHc.us O.KMKh) daily. He was somewhat lisappointed tfiat,' despite the pid given ,y America, our advances to the Allii iu'.d increased. YVo have held thi'jujjhoitL that to the Allies were due the money spent by them as it was spent for ourselves. We were not fighting for ourselves alone. He was satislied that the United States would deal nitri this question in the same spirit, realising that they relied upon receiving in the I niled States the resources necessary to pay for supplies of all kinds for the Allies. The total advances to the Allies and Dominions amounted to £1.415,000,WW, but the total advances to the Dominions amounted to only £IHS,OOO,UK). Part of the increased ai'iny expenditure was due to the greater payments to India, because of the larger force obtained from India than was expected. The expenditure on aeroplanes had also increased.

CURTAILMENT URGED. Received July 23, C.43 p.m. London, July 24. Mr. Bonar Law, continuing, said that tin' daily increase in expenditure, apart from loans to the Allies, and allowing tor thai whii-h would subsequently he repaid was OKI.OOO. The budget estimate would In l largely exceeded, mainly owing to advances to the Allien. Tli6 total votes of credit since the war were £"i.2!!2,<iooJHjo. Now that the country with the greatest resources in the world had thrown iUelf into the fcale on our sale, it »■;!- truer than ever that it wouM not be want of money that would prevent us from winning the war. Mr. MeKonna said that the present position was that our total expenditure was £s/KH),000 daily, and our revenue £2.(100.000, and if "this continued it would mean an addition of 3s 4d in the £ r( the income tax, making over eight sfiil'ings altogether, and that would cripple trade. The remedy was the curtailment of expenditure. Further labor unrest was certain to arise if the prices continued to rise. The credit vote was adopted.

MINERS DEMAND INCREASE. OR COST OF LIVING REDUCED. Received July 25, (1.45 p.m. London, July 24. The miners' ror.ferento is demanding 2.'i per cent, increase of wages. Received July 25. fi.45 p.m. London, July 24.

Mr. Smillie, jiresiding over tlic Miners' Federation conference at Glabgow, dealing: with the increased cost of living, declared that the miners were in a position at any time to force increased wages, but they did not desire to use their power. They preferred to see a reduction in the cost of living. If this was not reduced, the wages must he increased. They would also force the Government to deal fairly with those proved guilty by the Mesopotamia report.

THE SALONIKA FORCE. VIEWS ON PEACE TERMS. Renter Service. Received July 25, 9.10 p.m. I<ondon, July 24. In the House of Commons, Lord Robert Cecil, replying to criticisms, strongly repudiated Mr. Dillon's allegations that the Salonika force was demoralised. Dealing with broad peace principles, he said that the first was to stand by the Allies. It would be France's right to say tvhat she desired as regarded AlsaceLorraine, and Britain would back her up. Tii is equally applied to other allien, eiptcialiy to Serbia. We were absolutely pledged to restoration and reparation.

POLITICAL MATTERS. London, July 24. Mr, Edwin Scryrngeour contests the Dundee seat against Mr. Churchill as a Prohibitionist-Labor candidate. Mr. 'Xc-villo Chamberlain will shortly be resigning' and handing over the Nation.il .-icrvice (Department to the Labor Ministry. It is unlikely that the second Dardanelles report will be ready before late aut'.'.mn. THE IRISH CONVENTION. Rcuter Service. v London, July 24. Mr Bonar Law announced that ninety- | five acceptance had been received of the invitation to the Irish Convention. 'The Labor representatives had been in- ! creased from live to seven.

ALLIES' WAR AIMS. London, July 24. Mr. Lloyd George will state the Allio-;' war aims at the anniversary meeting in London on August 4. Numerous tioveiT.mcnt supporters are forming an Allies' War Aims Committee pledged t<- carry on the war till victory is ob. taiued.