CO129-575-10 Military contribution 3-1-1939 - 13-12-1939 — Page 38

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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