§ Commander BELLAIRSasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in which Colonies or Dependencies the Governor's salary is defrayed wholly or in part by the British taxpayer; and what is the reason in each case for the money not being found entirely by local taxation?
§ Mr. LUNNThe Colonies in question are Malta, Gibraltar, Bermuda and the Bahamas. In the first three cases the strategic importance of the Colony makes it necessary to place the Civil Governorship and the Command of the Imperial troops in the same hands, and the appointment, therefore, is always held by a military officer. It is not unreasonable, in the circumstances, that some part of the emoluments of the combined post should be provided by the Imperial Treasury. The Secretary of State has no financial control in the Bahamas, and a Select Committee of the Legislative Council, which considered the matter in 1922, expressed the view that from a sentimental and Imperial point of view it was desirable that the Imperial Government should still pay a part of the salary of the Governor of the Colony.