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How State Fares in
Defence Expenditure
Senate Figures
Show Poor Quota
Disclosures by "The Sunday Times"
regarding the insignificant proportion
cf defence expenditure which has come
to Western Australia, have aroused
further inquiries in the Federal
Parliament.
During the week Senator Allan MacDonald took up
the cudgels-his attitude on the gold tax plunder, however,
is still incomprehensible to the majority of Western Aus-
tralians-and a series of questions submitted to the Acting
Treasurer (Mr. P. Spender) brought forth an array of
figures.
It was revealed that in the current financial year a sum of
approximately half a million pounds is to be spent on defence works
lin this State.
I Senator Allan MacDonald asked:
I - (1) What Commonwealth works
were In progress of construction In
Western Australia at the outbreak of
the war. Including -their cost?
(2) What further ,Common-
wealth works in Western Austra-
lia are contemplated and at wh-t -
cost?
(3) What was expenditure has been
approved in Western Australia for the
purchase of materials, etc.?
(4) What further war expenditure
in Western Australia ls contem-
plated?
Minister's Answer
i Mr. Spender supplied the following
I answers:
I (1) Defence works, £294,865; civil
aviation works, £32,763; postal works,
! £6150; other works, £14,161;' total,
£347,942.
I (2) Following additional works pro-
vided for in Western Australia In the
Estimates for'1939-40: Defence works,
£405,406; civil aviation works. £92,
700; postal works, £6917; other
works, £ 5192; defence works to be
ca rr red out by State for relief of un-
employment, £123.500; total, £633,
715. _ ..
X3) " Xavy,^ victualling anja " naval
stores, £23,250; army, general stores
and equipment, £42,000; air, stores,
camp, equipment and barrack stores,
£13,000; total, £78.250..
(4) Navy, Atting out charter., etc,
auxiliary vessels, £12,-500; army,
general stores and equipment, £ 60,
000; air. barrack -stores, petrol and.
oil and general services, £9000.; total,
£71,500. -
Figures under (3) and (4) are ex-
clusive of pay allowances, etc, to per-
sonnel.
Interest Aroused
The fact that further questions have
been asked the Tederal Cabinet about
this State and war expenditure- la
evidence of the Interest the subject
has aroused.
In case, however, focal citizens
might be inclined to imagine that
half a million pounds ia a big* sum
it is worth a reminder that it
represents less than one per cent,
of the year's total war expendi-
ture planned by Australia and is
actually only one-twelfth of what
Australia will spend tn a month.
Summed up, Western Australia,
with 7 per cent of Australia's
population, is to get less than 1
per cent of die Government ex-
penditure.
It is just another instance of
how the State is being treated by
the panjandrums of the East
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