Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1901-09-21
BOER WAR EXPENSES
Great Increase In British Public
Debt Has Been Caused.
Enornous Outlay Made Necessary by
Conttnuation of HOstilities AA
south Africa ana No mad
An sight.

In the speech of Sir Michael Hicks
the house of commons on the occasion
of the introduction of the new budget
there was not very much that bore
directly on the cost of the war in
South Africa. The tale was told, how
ever, in one clause of one sentence.
The expenditures for the year, he
said had been 6 1s3, 500, 000,, ''of which
65, 100000 was Oh account of the war
in South Africa" AT the same time he
proposed loan of 60, 100000, made
necessary by the war.
This loan, which is now being SUBJ
scribed, is in addition to the war loan
of G3O,000,000 issued in 1900. That
loan represented less than half of the
increase of the British public debt last
year due to the conquest of the Boer
republics. It's total was very near the
974,0OO,Ooo mark, says the New York
Sun.
Since the latter part of the seven
teenth century Great Britain has never
been out of debt. The debt began with
a trihing 100000, the result of the
revolution which brought the Dutch
King William to the English throne.
From that time it grew and nearly al
ways on account of war.
AT the accession of Queen Anne in
1902 the debt was 1914 900, and
when the first George became king IL
years later the debt Ead been nearly
quadrupled He paid off paltry cou-
pie of millions, but George H. saw it
grow to nearly G140,00O0OO
BY the beginning of the American
war it had been reduced some c 10000
0oO but that war sent it climbing to
what at that time was the terrifying
figure of G250,000, 900. For few wears
there were successful efforts at re-
duction, and total decrease of anoth-
er c 10,0O0,000 was recorded for the
decade.
Then began the disastrously expen-
slve French war, which with slight
interInission called peace continued
until the downfall of Napoleon in 1915.
During those % years the debt grew
tremendously, the loans averaging
about e20,000000 year. In 1916 the
British debt had climbed to the colos-
sal figure of 900, 436, 900. The debt
of no other country, except France,
has reached such proportions.
Z After the peace of Paris the British
debt took new course and began to
decrease. This course was followed
steadily with but two slight Interrupt
tons until the outbreak of the war
with the Beers. In 1888 the abolition
OF slavery caused a slight increase,
and the Crimean war added about
E30.o0O,000, so that in 1857 the debt
stood at about 500. 900, 900 In the 43
years that followed up to the out
break of the present war. the debt was
reduced on the average $4,000 900 a
year. In 1899, when the war began, it
had decreased to e635 900, 900
The war expenses had taken it back
well over e700,000O0O. or more than
three times the net debt of the United
states, and there is as yet no sign that
the war expenses are about to cease or
even to show any material diminution.
Great Britain is now spending approx
lmately million dollars day on the
war with an army in the field of only
100000 men.
In the civil war, when the federal
armies numbered nearly million, the
expense was only approximately dou-
bic what Great Britain is now spend
ing for one-fourth of that strength.