§ Colonel YATEasked the rules at present governing military contributions of the Crown Colonies, Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, and Hong Kong; the revenue, less land sales, etc.; the amount of military contribution; the actual proportion which the latter bore to the former for the same Crown Colonies last year; and the revenue and expenditure for purposes of defence of the Federated Malay States?
Mr. HARCOURTThe Straits Settlements and Hong Kong contribute 20 per cent. of their revenue, less land sales, and certain other deductions, which it would take too long to specify, and Ceylon contributes 9½ per cent. of its revenue, with similar deductions. The maximum contribution is, however, limited in the case of Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements to the cost of the garrison; and in that of Ceylon to three-fourths of the cost. The last year for which figures are available is 1909. In that year the revenue of Hong Kong, less land sales, amounted to $6,732,529, and the military contribution to $1,210,739; the revenue of the Straits Settlements to $8,708,942, and the contribution to $1,582,262; the revenue of Ceylon to Rs.38,169,494, and the contribution to about £86,000. Ceylon also provides the cost of land and buildings required for military purposes. The revenue of the Federated Malay States for 1909, less land sales, amounted to $24,962,617, and the expenditure on defence to $448,213.
§ Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State whether the military contributions of the Eastern Crown Colonies are regulated solely with regard to immediate local requirements as to military garrisons; whether, in the case of Ceylon, these latter are greatly minimised by consideration of the nearness of India and of the security of Singapore and Hong Kong; whether this system of fixing contributions results in this Crown Colony expending on defence a very much smaller proportion of its revenue than do the other dependencies mentioned above; whether, with due regard to the financial position of Ceylon and to the fact that the security of the Eastern Dependencies and of their seaborne trade depends on naval as well as military defence, he will consider the advisability of treating the contribution of Ceylon as a defence rather than as a purely military contribution, and of putting it on a footing as regards proportion 1362 of revenue similar to that of the other Eastern Crown Colonies with a view to the provision of more effective naval defence in the East; and whether, in consideration of the financial resources of the Federated Malay States, and the protection they derive from other imperial units, he will consider the practicability of securing some form of co-operation on their part for the same purpose?
Mr. HARCOURTUnder the arrangement which has been in force for about fifteen years the maximum limit of the military contribution in the case of Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements is the whole cost of the garrison; in the case of Ceylon, for special reasons, it is three-fourths of the cost. The strength of the garrisons and the contributions of the colonies are determined by a variety of considerations, both imperial and local, which it is impossible to discuss by way of question and answer. The Federated Malay States, although they are not British territory, already make a very substantial contribution to the defence of the Empire by maintaining, in accordance with the Federation Agreement of 1895, a highly efficient regiment (the Malay States Guides) which is intended to reinforce the garrison of Singapore in time of war.