§ Mr. HOLTasked what proportion of the revenue of the Straits Settlements and Hong Kong respectively is paid to this country as a contribution to military and naval defence; and whether, seeing that those revenues have been prejudicially affected by the restrictions on the sale of opium forced upon those Colonies in accordance with public opinion in this country, he can arrange for a diminution in the contribution to defence equivalent to the proportion of that contribution hitherto derived from the sale of opium?
Mr. HARCOURTThe military contribution paid by each Colony is 20 per cent. of its gross revenue, less certain deductions. It is obvious that the reduction of the revenue from opium causes automatically a reduction of that part of the military contribution which was derived from this source.