Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-12
PAYING THE WARS COST
England is Reckoning Up the Indemnity to
Be Demanded.
IT Is Proposed to Ask $2OO, 100000 to
BE Raised by n Three Per
Cent Loan.


| Aside from the abstract principles in
| volved in satisfying the demands of the
outlanders for representation and a more
| efficient honest and economic administra-
! ton in the Transvaal, setting aside the
/ enormous strategic value of the two South
| African republics for supremacy on the
| dark continent. England hopes to find a
| material recompense for the war in the
| public property and revenues of the bel
| ligereut governments.
| 1t has been stated that the war at pres
| ent is costing Great Britain at the rate of
| Si.ooe,ooo day. but her hnanciers figure
| that she can easily recover cash indem-
nifty of at least $20.0O,pO. without adding
/ a penny of taxation. touching tangible as
sets valued al hundreds of millions reck-
| 0ning the great increase expected in reve-
nues under an improved government.
| Before the Witwatersrand gold discovery,
| in 1SS3-S5. the revenue of the TranSvaal
was $1G}2.9Io and the expenditure only
1913. 40. Since then. however, the British
say that corruption and extravaganza. with
large expenditures in recent years on NUM-
tions of war abroad and the construction
of Notifications at home, have raised the
standard until the budget estimate for 1899
showed revenues of s21,19o,GO and expen-
ditures of 81, $4,000. or twenty-five times
those Of the old frugal days
OF these expenditures S6,OS1 80 is set down
for government salaries. which. on the
OASIS Oh Tor similar POSITIONS IN cape
Colony and Natal. Englishmen say can
safely be cut in two. This would give an
annual saving of $30iO.925. but it is esti
mated at only s3,m0,nn to allow plenty of
margin.
What officially called special and sun
dry charges comprising. 1t is believed, the
secret service fund with which arms have
been bought and useful newspapers in EU-
rope subsidized as well as individuals.
have averaged about s.. 10000 a year since
l>,8. and their abolition. of course, would
effect an equivalent economy. This is put
down. however. at S2,Wp.N%
Frankly deuominated military eXpeudi
lures is an item on the Boer budget of
$l3.5.@s'-in 1891 it was as much as So
utn hh-Which, it is argued. may be wiped
off the slate of annual expenses but its
saving is reckoned at only s1H0.Hn.
Under the head of public works the ex
renditure has grown from 81 .!'::,.Hn in 1895
TO S'..I.bi.tan for this year. This. says the
British calculator. can be accounted for
emily by the cost of erecting forts. Taking
the figures of ISL a basis of COMPARE
son. though it is believed that even then
part of the expenditure was due to forth
hcation. and ignoring the fact that this
item in 1897 reached $7.21u.To, we have
this year an increase of sl.5S5. 900 to charge
II fort building. For the sake of round fig
uFeS in the total Only $i.ND.HO of this is
It garded as an annual economy.
The TranSFaal dynamite snoply formed
one of the ou;landeIs' grievances on the
ground that the quality of the explosive"
was bad. and that it cost them more than
would a frSt-c!ass article imported by
themselves after payment to the govern
ment of q profit equivalent to that which
the moncp list norninaliy received. Under
the B"er arrangement the government de-
rN"S only S1@h.'Hp Il Year from the mCnop-
oily. while the Cnuce<SinuuatrcS' annual
PtnffS are pu' S..OEi.OhI. A. the cancel
iation of the concession mas been urged on
eviI. nee thai n" CnnceS<:onf,a res have. fire.
qTeptly violated their contract. il Is con-
tended that here is $::.HEIoU additional
4 Y = h..
soon as they assumed the Transvaai gov
eminent.
Expenditures in the Orange Free State
have risen from 81 l.i1 60, in l-I to 81 $50
~" in 1S:hS. Here again there is nathng cx-
Ctpt military preparation to account for
the increase Comparing the cost Of Brit
iSh coIoGia! adminstTatio with that Of this
republic. il is believed that So.tnA 900 year
could readily be saved from the eypeudi-
lures Of the 0r&ns" Fro State, but allow
arcc i male for My 500 Ht1.
For the redemption of n : per cent loan
Of $-'",eE', 'n in thirty years, there would
b. an aunG2! charg. of sl".2DJ.4o0.
This is made up. with nearly half mil
lion to spare. by the items of saving emu
rscrated.
These are conservative estimates. accord
| ing To those who make them of what mere
| economy could do. They take no account
! Of an increased revenue, such as is TO be
! expected un Ter an administration more hon
! est and efficient than that of the Boer bu-
! ucracy has been.
I MIR. HAYS Hammond mas sand that SuCn
an improved government would be equiva-
| len. to a saving # at least $40 ton 20
| the nine ov ncr. This. on the basis of the
tonnage Of ore crushed in 1885. would
| mean S2+.l:;6h"o dividends III addition TO
! the S2l.2:1525 paid in dividends by the
| mines that year despite all the drawbacks
| Under which they labored.
| As the Transvaal government has tax
| Of ; per cent on these dividends this tier
| alcIe would mean an additional csYeIue Of
| 81 .2ri.-6b.
| Then thee Are the assets of the two re-
| Tuhlics. irnCsc Of the Transvaal contain
| tvGrcyitve million acres Of land, on which
| gre the Barberton gold fields. They include
i also onc-thr1 of the share capital of The
| Nethcriand Railway Company. besides the
! Y-Lht t. s. per cent of the roads ret profits
| after the payment of the fixed dividend on
| its stock This per >entage alone in this
| years budget was set down at S3.;iIIoln
| which. capitalized on . per cent OASIS
| wovld repr. cent S112.500.GW.
| Among the public property Of the orange
| Free State which includes lands. te!e-
! graphs and other sources of income. is the
| railway system. conservativeiy valued at
| S21 100 n0O which in 1897 produced gross
profits amounting TO S252o,0O-
| And So while her loss in blood may be
| beyond all compensation, England hopes 10
| recoup herself for the mere material cost
of Ter latest South African war.
coca CHEWING.