§ MR. CHARLES HOBHOUSE (Bristol, E.)To ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state the total cost of all military operations, whether chargeable on local, Indian, or Imperial funds, which have taken place in Somaliland during the past ten years, including the two Jubaland Expeditions and the Aysa Expedition of 1893.
(Answered by Lord Cranborne.) Any expenditure previous to 1898 was defrayed by the Government of India, and any question relative thereto should be addressed to the India Office. Since the date when the Somaliland Protectorate Administration was taken over by the Foreign Office from the Government of India (1898) the sums expended on military operations in that Protectorate have been—1900–1, £29,670 13s. 9d.; 1901–2,£46,775; 1902 (to 30th September),£13,009 19s. 4d.; Total,£89,455 13s. 1d. I would call the hon. Gentleman's attention to the fact that the Jubaland Expeditions were conducted in territory subject to the East African Protectorate and not to the Somaliland Protectorate. As regards these expeditions the expenditure was—1898 Expedition,£9,264 3s. 6d.; 1900–1 Expedition,£132,210 0s. 4d.; Total,£141,474 3s. 10d. Grand Total, Somalilandand Jubaland War Expenditure under the Foreign Office,£230,929 16s. 11d. The military operations at present carried on against the Mullah are conducted under the direction of the War Office, to whom any questions as to expenditure should be addressed.