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Show RUSSIA'S HEAVY OUTLAY FOR MILITARY PURPOSES St Petersburg, March 2. Genera! debate on tho budget of 1909 began today In the duma. The principal criticism" was leveled against the disproportionate amount of the military appropriation' as compared com-pared with that for cultural purposes, the expensive conditions of the last loan and tho absence of the strict economy which Russian finances demand, de-mand, i M. Alexelnko, president of the budget bud-get committee, showed that expenditures expendi-tures had Increased $12C,000,000 In tho last two ears as compared with an earlier annual average of J4U.UUU.-000. J4U.UUU.-000. . He said that 43 1-2 per cent cr the budget estimate was devoted to military purposes and 12 1-2 per cent to education, reforms, etc. He declared declar-ed it would be a most urgent financial task to And money for, agrarian reform, re-form, the colonization of Siberia and improvement of the condition of workmen and that other expenditures, 6uch as navy and railroads, must be deferred. Finance Minister Kokovsoff In reply re-ply conceded the Justice of the criticisms crit-icisms of tho military expenditure and declared that no further Increase should be allowed. The minister said that despite the effect of the war with Japan, the Internal disorders, and the International unrest arising from tho troubles in Morocco and the Balkan;, Russian credit now was steadily improving. im-proving. L |