CO882-(8-9) — Page 586

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TLC.O. 882

ستان

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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The War Office putting this arrangement before the Thu., p. Treasury said: The military free at Trincomalee is (No.

maintaines, as their Lordships are already aware, for the protection of our naval interests and is not required for Colonial purposes. This latter charge cannot therefore And in reply be included for repayment by the Colony.”

207

a Treasury query the War Office said that the cost of Thod, p. 28 the garrison at Trincomalee is accepted by Mr. Secretary (No. 426.

an Imperial charge "on the ground that the Hardy as

· Colony does not wish that station to be retained as a military post for any Colonial purpose, but that it is necessarily kept up in consequence of its being the principal Imperial naval station in that part of the world."

The Treasury refused to agree to a contribution less Haid., p. 999 than the total cost, excluding Trincomalee, as to which (No. 43%, they said that "in all the circumstances my Lords will "not refuse their assent to the cost of the garrison at

Trincomalee being charged to fmperial funds."

The War Office referred back to the Colonial Office, Ibid., p. 11 which in August, 1877, pointed out that the sum recoin- (No. 45). mended by the War Office Committee of 1871 was excessive because the large Staff and Royal Engineer establishments were not required by Colonial interests and because home effective and non-effective services were not a part of the actual cost of troops quartered in the Colony.

Nothing further happened until 1883, though the Ibid., pp. Treasury put forward in 1879 a suggestion for an Inter- 103, 104 departmental Committee, to which the Secretary of State (No. 52. assented in principle; but in October, 1883, the revenue 1 and 2). of Ceylon had fallen so greatly, owing chiefly to the coffee Ibid., p. 195 leaf disease, that the Secretary of State demanded a large (No. 53). reduction in the contribution. The letter on the subject which was addressed to the Treasury on the 23rd of October, 1883, pointed out that revenue had fallen from R-. 17,000,000, in 1877, to an estimated Rs. 12,000,000

Enclosures

in 1883; that a strong local Committee had reported in favour of a temporary reduction; and went on to say:- "Their Lordships are aware that it has always been Enclosure maintained, both by this Office and by the Colonial 1. para. 5.

** Government, that the amount demanded from Ceylon in "aid of military expenditure is excessive.

CL

A slight

reduction was agreed to in 1876 by the War Office as a compromise, but the consent of the Treasury was never given, and in consequence the Colony with constantly falling revenues, has continued up to the present to pay Rs. 1,240,000 annually to the Imperial Government on "account of the English troops stationed in Ceylon."

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Lord Derby proposed an immediate reduction of one- third (Rs. 413,000) for 1883, and that in 1884 and Kucceeding years the Colony should not be liable for a larger sum than Rs. 826,700 per annum.

After the Treasury and War Office had had a private Ibid. (Nos. wrangle on the point whether reduction of cost could not 55 to 59). be achieved by taking away one wing of the British regiment, Ibid., p. 111

it was agreed that a temporary reduction of Rs. 240,000 (No. 60). should be made in the year beginning 1st April, 1884, as the Government of Ceylon was unable to pay the full con- tribution.

The Treasury and War Office subsequently agreed that Ibid., p. 129 the reduction, which was to be for one year only, should (No. 73).

date from the 1st of January, 1884. Lord Derby, acknow-

ledging the concession, took the opportunity to point out

to the War Office that a final settlement was needed. He

said that the sum remitted could only be regarded as a

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Pop. 114 minimum, and followed this up by a statement which (No. 66),

shows how completely the attitude of the Colonial Office had altered:-

but., p. 114

(No. 67).

P. 120,

1. 116.

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6.

Further, Lord Derby cannot admit that the question

"is one only of ability or inability to pay; his Lordship "considers that it is also a question of justice. It would

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be superfluous in this letter to enter at length into the

question of what charges should, and what should not, "be borne by the Colony, but as certain expenses are "mentioned in the letter under reply it may be pointed

out that the equity of calling upon Ceylon to pay for many of the charges referred to, and especially those incurred in maintaining the regimental depit in England, cannot be admitted. It is obvious that while a recruit is training at the depôt in England, and until "he is drafted to Ceylon, he is at the service of the home "authorities as freely as any other soldier, and is in no sense considered as belonging to the Colony. If Ceylon were to be called upon to pay the expense of depôt and "recruiting, the Imperial Government should in equity "be required to pay for making use of her troops before "they leave for the Colony.

แ

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2.

"In short, it has not been and cannot be allowed that a

Colony which pays the whole cost of the troops which

actually form her garrison can properly be called upon

to pay for troops which are stationed in England." In a subsequent letter, of the 15th March, 1884, Lord Derby forwarded despatches from the new Governor, Sir A. Gordon, giving his mature views on the situation. Sir A. Gordon and his Executive Council, including the General Officer Commanding, were unanimous in con- sidering that a garrison of 400 to 500 men was all that was necessary from the Colonial point of view apart from Trincomalee, which the General Officer Commanding said "is admittedly a purely Imperial station." The maximumn cost to the Colony would then he between Rs. 400,000 and Rs. 500,000 a year. Sir A. Gordon said that the Council did not wish to substitute Indian for British troops, but if the Imperial Government would not with- draw the superfluous troops, or pay for them itself, he would much prefer the total withdrawal of the garrison, which he would regard with perfect equanimity. The Legislative Council supported the Governor's views, although the General Officer Commanding felt compelled, on grounds of military efficiency, to dissent from the proposal to have only a wing of the regiment in the island.

After correspondence with the War Office the Treasury in July, 1884, proposed an inter-departmental com- mittee on the contributions paid by Ceylon and Mauritius; the Colonial Office replied saying that the War Office had been asked in March whether they could Ibid.p. 130. provide 100 men for Rs. 500,000, "the Colony being prepared to pay for the full cost of the troops required "for colonial purposes, and merely asking that no more "should be furnished than would be covered by the sum "of Rs. 500,000. As regards the number of troops which "in the judgment of the military authorities may be required for the defence of the naval establishment at "Trincomalee the Colony is not concerned, Trincomalee "being an Imperial station and having been always treated " as such."

Ibid., see

p. 130

(No. 74

Enclo- sure).

The reply proceeded to say that it was understood that the War Office were ready to accept this arrangement, and