DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 February 1918, Page 5

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

SITTINGS OF COMMISSION OPENED.' \( By Telegraph.—Press Association. jis f Palmcrston N., Feb, 21. '? The sitting of the Defence Expenditure . ,;i Commission commenced in Palmerstpn J •' this morning before Sir Robert Andertwir '.'-S (chairman), Charles Rhodes and P, Sine*" '$ The first witnesses were Colonel J. 13, ■ ,fl Hume, officer commanding the Wellfoph sS ton Military District, and Coionel T. W, McDonald, stall' oOiccr. ■" '$ Colonel Hume did not agree that auth- 'J! ority to spend small amounts should bo t| delegated to group commanders. iHp \:% would prefer to have tho responsibility, \>i* on his own shoulders. Jn many cases "\Gj the ollicers to whom he. had to send're-• ?J? quisitions were his juniors in years ta& 'jS rank. Sometimes he got so sick that he did without things for months.*.L| He had been trying to get some linoUßunT'Vj and book shelves for his otlice, qpd if js| took him a long time to got some He had bought some articles at his owa '*M expense rather than argue about it. Ini:S many cases the time and rauterial taken , 3l| up in correspondence wore more valuable'. M than the articles asked for. ""'H / Colonel McDonbld considered that per« s m manent camps should ha\e hecn estab- ~M lished in the four military districts in« ftj stead of at Trentjiar.i anil FcathcwWm, ''da so that they could have been nßed as' ijm training camps after tlio war. He eon- Vjl sidered that if .the couuliv had taken, "'-ill advantage of his advice snd'that of olher'"|l experienced officers many thousand* of, m pounds would have been t>r. Jl the couu* ' y§ try since tiic war broke out. ■ '-I*!