§ MR. HAROLD COXI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any proposal has been made by the Government of the Australian Commonwealth to establish a mint in Australia for silver coinage, so as to obtain for the Commonwealth Government the profit on silver coinage which now goes to the Government of the United Kingdom; and, if so, whether the Commonwealth Government has proposed any alternative method of refunding to the taxpayers of the United Kingdom part of the expenditure which they now incur for the defence of Australia.
§ THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Colonel SEELY,) Liverpool, AbercrombyThe Answer to the first part of my hon. friend's Question is in the affirmative, and to the second part in the negative.
§ MR. HAROLD COXMay I ask my hon. friend whether he will make representations to the Colonial Government on that point?
§ COLONEL SEELYI cannot undertake to do that, but I can say that we have not yet come to a conclusion.
§ SIR GILBERT PARKER (Gravesend)Is it not the case that the Australian people are already heavily taxed for their own defence and that they contribute to the Treasury of this country something like £i80,000 a year for the Navy?
§ COLONEL SEELYThat is a question which should, I think, be addressed to my hon. friend behind me. It is in a somewhat argumentative form.