This page needs to be proofread.

50

THE BRITISH EMPIRE I— UNITED KINGDOM

Local Expenditure.

Expenditure by

Town and Municipal Authorities for Police, &c. Unions and Parishes for Poor Relief, &c. . County Authorities for Police, &c. . . Rural District and Parish Councils, &c. . School Boards and Secondary Education

Committees

Harbour Authorities

Other Authorities ......

Total

Eng.&Wales 1909-10

£

94,197,435

17,192,893

19,287,820

4,587,751

29,846,0681 992,586

166,104,559

Scotland 1909-10

£

0,787,617 1,687,123 1,836,243 15,8262

4,034,791

1,4.32,742

124,339

18,918,681

Ireland 1909-10

£ 2,788.003 1,374,531 2,117,355-i 1,590,193=^

558,684 169,669

8,598,435

1 Including expenditure by Port of London Authority.

2 By Parish Councils only.

3 By Rural District Councils and Rural Sanitary Authorities.

■4 Irish Police and education are mainly provided for from Imperial funds.

The estimated receipts and expenditure of the London County Council rate and debt accounts for the year ending March 31, 1913 (including balances) amounted to 11,S54,650L Of this amount 7,087, 106L would be raised by rates. The outstanding debt of London in 1911-12 amounted to 110,770,419?. ,^ , , ,

At the end of the financial year 1909-10, the outstanding local debt of England ana Wales amounted to 536,002,529J. ; that of Scotland to 65,827,182?.; of Ireland to 22,066,834?.; total, 623,896,545?. (mcluding 49,529,222?. outstanding in respect ot loans taken over or raised by the Metropolitan Water Board).

Defence.

Important questions of naval and military policy are considered by the Committee of Imperial Defence, of which the Prime Minister is ex officio president. The usual members are the Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs, War, the Colonies, and India ; the Chancellor of the Exchequer ; the First Lord of the Admiralty ; the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty ; the Chief of the Imperial General Staff ; the Director of Naval Intelligence ; the Director of Military Operations. Other Naval and Military officers and high officials are trom time to time called in. The Committee has a permanent secretariat.

I. AllMY.

The land forces of the United Kingdom consist of the Regular Army and of the Territorial Army. Of these, a large part of the Regular Army serves in British Dominions oversea, and it is customary to refer to these troops as the ' British Army, ' in contradistinction to the ' Native Army ' or ' Indian Army' in India and to the 'Local Forces' in South Africa and in British Colonies. The Regular Army, whether at home or abroad, is paid for by the Imperial exchequer except in India (although certain colonies pay con- tributions towards its upkeep) ; India pays a contribution towards the cost of troops at home owing to these serving as a depot for the regular troops in India. The Territorial Army serves only at home in peace time. The rank and file for both Regular Army and Territorial Army are obtained by vol- ntary enlistment.

I