Fourteen Millions a Day
It is long since the House of Commons has looked with a jealou eye on mcreasing national expenditure, or a Chancellor of the Ex- chequer has apologised for it. Today each increase is regarded o as so much additional activity in war production, and so many more nails in Hitler's coffin. There was no shame, but rather pride, in Sir Kingsley's request for additional money in the form of a supplementary vote last Tuesday, and in his statement that ex- penditure had risen from £12,750,000 a day in October to about £14,000,000 a day now. In spite of past efforts, war production, as Mr. Lyttelton explained the other day, is still capable of expan- sion, and that accounts for part of the new expenditure. But ex- penditure in North Africa has to be added, and in aid to our American and other allies, which is part of our contribution to the Lease-Lend scheme. But the Select Committee on National Ex- penditure exists to remind us that even in war-time economy has not ceased to be a virtue. The more the Government has to spend on war production the more important it is that there should be no waste. The Select Committee, by its advice, has saved the country tens of millions of pounds, and doubtless as many millions besides might have been saved if its lynx eyes had been able to pry every- where. Many hundreds of millions might have been saved if the Government had adopted a wages policy early in the war ; and the working classes would have been no worse off. It is a pity that nc happy mean can be struck between magnanimity in expenditure in war-time, and pusillanimity in peace.
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