2.
37
at a coat of $7,500 each. The total amount required,
therefore, is $24,000. The matter has been put to
the Finance Committee who have concurred in the
expenditure and I have accordingly to seek your
approval of it. An indent has been forwarded to the
Crown Agents for the Colonies but they have been
asked not to proceed on it until authorised by you.
If you approve I shall be grateful if early authority
can be given to them to proceed. A formal
Supplementary Vote will be taken later,
4.
Since I am assured by the Military
Authorities that these cars will be extremely
valuable to the Volunteer Defence Corps, and in fact
are necessary to enable it to carry out the duties to
be entrusted to it under the local defence scheme, I
cannot dispute the desirability of their requisition.
This case has, however, led to further consideration
of a question of principle of some general importance
to which I have already alluded in correspondence
regarding the settlement of the Military Contribution.
In the development of the defence plans for this
Colony there is a tendency to place upɔn the Volunteer
Forces additional duties involving the use of
expensive equipment, as to the necessity of which the
Military Authorities umist naturally be the sole
judges. It is, however, natural that that
development should be looked upon with soMO
apprehension by the civil authorities assuming that
in all cases the capital cost and upkeep of such
equipment must be met by the Colonial Government.
the present case, for example, although the immediate
cost involved is not difficult to meet, there is
In