PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
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ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
It will be seet: froth tuts that the Committe assertei the principe that the Coomes should pay for their own defence, and they appeared to contemplate the raising of local forces for this object, especially if para. 19 on the Report is read in eonjouétion with the foregoing quotation : **af is desirable to concentrate the troops required for the possible, and ** detence of the United Kingdom as much as
to trust mainly to naval supremacy for securing against foreign aggression the distant dependencies of
* Empire."
the
The principle was put into force, after correspondence with the Treasury and War Office, as appears from War Office Sir P. Rogers's letter of 25th April, 1863, to Sir Herendes Print. Robinson, Governor of Hong Kong, who was then om leave. After a thorough examination of the subject, it Para! ** was deended that those colonies which as regards the rust
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of their military defence were more particularly a burden
to the Imperial Exchequer should callowing, of course,
that the state of their revendes was such as to justify the additional charge ) be required considerably to increase their contributions towards that object. In accorilatice with the decision, Ceylon, Mauritius and the principal Australian Colonies will be called upon to contribute **more liberally towards the support of the several detach. "ments of Her Majesty's troups which are maintained in those Colonies, chiefly for the protection of Colonial ** interests."
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The letter then goes on to say that Hong Kong will be required to pay £20,000 a year for five years, though hitherto the Colony had paid nothing. In view of this attitude of the Home Government, which has always been maintained, it seems useless to consider whether there are any grounds for abolishing the contributions altogether. The only line which is likely to be of use is to show that the Colonies are called upon to pay a greater proportion of the cost than they ought fairly to hear, and that they pay more than they can afford. The latter point is not so important since, if conceded, it could only lead to temporary relief at the best. But if it can be shown to the satisfaction of the Committee that the Colonies, or some of them, pay an undue proportion of the cost of their garrisons, it ought to be possible to come to an arrangement which will be more equitable than the system of percentages now in force.
It may be said at once that Mauritius has nothing, and The two real Ceylon not very much, to complain of, sufferers from the existing system are the Straits Settle- ments and Hong Kong; and it is on these two colonies that the question will turn.
I propose to trace the course of events in each colony up to the reports of the first Inter-Departmental Committee, which met in 1888, and reported in sections between 1888 and 1890; to deal with its recommendations and their results, which led up to the reassembling of the Committer in 1895; and then to show what has happened since, bringing out as far as I can the causes of the complaints which have been made and the grounds which exist for revising the present system.
II. MAURITIUS,
(1) THE PERIOD TO 1888.
As regards the history of the question in Mauritius, I regret that no copy of the 1888 Committee's Report on
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the colony's contribution appears (after considerable search) to exist in this Office: application to the War Office has been unsuccessful. But the chief features can be gathered from such printed correspondence as is available.
The history of the contribution from the earliest days to the assembling of the 1888 Committee is given in Lord Knutsford's despatch of the 21st of July, 1890, of which a copy is subjoined :--
It may be useful to note that the Treasury and War Office concurred in its terms.
Sir.
Colonial Office,
Downing Street,
21st July, 1890, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 213 of the 9th of May, forwarding an extract from the Minutes of Proceedings of the Council of Government at the meeting held on the 6th of December last, containing a recom- mendation of the Committee of the whole Council on the Estimates for 1890, adopted by the Council of Government, having reference to the Colonial Contribution towards military expenditure.
2. You are aware that this question has been receiving the most anxious consideration of Her Majesty's Government, who have for some time felt that the apportionment of the cost of the military expenditure in Mauritius required readjustment. And in order the better to explain the considerations which have led to this conclusion, it may be convenient to review shortly the past history of this question.
3. In 1816 the Colony provided the whole of the local allow- ances of the Officers of the garrison, and all lands required for military purposes, barracks and other military buildings, and their maintenance, the Colonial military expenditure being equal to about one-half the revenue (52,7327.). În 1828 it had fallen to one-seventh (24,039), this fall being due to the disbandment of local corps and to a large reduction of the garrison. In 1829 the cost of maintaining the military works and buildings was taken over by the Imperial Government, the Colony paying 5,0001. annually into the Treasury Chest to cover this expenditure, and continuing to defray the local allowances of the Officers of the garrison.
4. In 1857, when the garrison must have been costing this country not far from 180,000/, per annum, the Secretary of State for the Colonies informed the Governor that, "looking to the prosperous and, as it appears now, well-confirmed condition of the fiuances of Mauritius, Her Majesty's Government are of opinion that the time has arrived at which the Colony may be expected to contribute a somewhat larger sum than heretofore in aid of the military expenditure incurred on its behalf." After directing that the contribution of 5,000. should be increased to 10,0001, **ps a contribution towards military expenditure, including repairs to military buildings," the Secretary of State added, "You showed in the recapitulation of financial results, which you made in your report on the last annual Blue Book, that the ascertained average revenue in the fast five years (ending with 1855) had been 333,4637. per annum, the average annual expenditure 301,0797. and therefore the average annual surplus of revenue 32,3842. while taxes equal to 53,8001. per annum had been removed during the rame period. The charge, therefore, which it is above proposed to transfer to the Colony will extend to only one-sixth of the annual surplus above stated, which may now be esteemed per- manent, to a great extent if not to the full amount, while it will bring the total charge to be borne by the Colony for military purposes to an amount not only very moderate in itself, but con- siderably less than one-tenth of the annual revenue, and wiil still leave by far the greater portion of the military expenditure on account of the Colony to be provided for from the Imperial Treasury."
This demand for an increased contribution was "readily and liberally responded to " by the Colony.
5. In 1861 a Select Committee of the House of Commons reported on Colonial military expenditure. This Committee reported, as regards the incidence of the cost of the defence of Colonies, such as the North American and South African Colonies, the West Indies, Ceylon, Mauritius, New Zealand, and the Ane- tralian Colonies, with the exception of Western Australia, that with certain reservations "the responsibility and cost of the military defence of such dependencies ought mainly to devolve upon themselves."
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