On Monday Mr. Arnold-Forster introduced the Supple- mentary Estimate of
22,700,000 for Army services. The Government were subjected to a searching cross-examination by the Opposition, and did not come well out of it. Supple, mentary Estimates are generally necessary, and are reasonable enough, if properly used ; but something must be wrong with our bookkeeping when under the item of Colonial contingents in South Africa we have Supplementary Esti- mates for 2800,000 and an original Estimate for 25,000. Surely this item must have been within the cognisance of the War Office when the original Estimates were framed. Both Mr. Arnold-Forster and Mr. Brodrick lamented that the claim of £900,000 for expenditure on South African railways while under military management had not been paid by the civil Government. The policy of presenting bills of this type against a Colony seems to 11B scarcely dignified, especially as in this case the claim is difficult to justify. The Colonies paid large capital sums for the expropriation of the railways from their original owners. The Army had the free use of the lines and rolling-stock for three years, and naturally and unavoid- ably did enormous damage to both. Any sums spent on the railways were in the nature of necessary repairs to meet wear and tear, and it seems to us that the new Colonies would be justified, not only in objecting to pay any such claim, but in counterclaiming for depreciation of rolling-stock and permanent way to an amount even in excess of the sum mentioned. We protest against this pettifogging way of dealing with the Colonies, just as we protested against Mr. Chamberlain's ill-advised attempt to fasten a tribute on the Transvaal.
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