The Forrest City times., 1904-04-22
WAR FUNDS OF EUROPE.
Millions Upon Millions Are Hoarded
Away in the Vaults Of The
Various Countries

Tact that Of al the great nations Of Eu-
rope England Is almost the only one
that has 10 treasure house Of gold 10 go
to when she wishes TO start her great
fighting machinery. says London Tit
Bits. On the continent, stored il cellars
and wants. il IS said, there is 10 less
than : 800. GO 600 in gold and silver
coins, always ready 10 be drawn OF the
moment the fat Of war has gone forth;
and 1t Is very prudent precagtion for
some nations thus 10 Jay by for q waTlike
Cay, since Otherwise they might be
caught mapping and be placed under a
heavy handicap at the beginning
About fifteen miles from Berlin stands
tie grim fortress OF Spandau. and it IS
il impregrable vaults IN the Julius
tower CT this fortress that Germany
keeps her var gold and silver How
many Millions precisely it amounts 10
IS known &c seW; hat We knew tha. OF.
OF the indemnity paid by France Ger
many appropriated SIS 600 GO 10 her
war chest
Germany has had her hoard of war
money ever since the days OF Frederick
the Great, who filed The first chest by
imposing high protective tariff on for
eign manufactures. ard 10 doubt many
time his successors on the throne OF
Prussia have had cause 10 bless his
thrift and foresight.
France IS probably even better pre-
pared for war financially than Germany.
for she is credited with having a fund
Of no less than si2a coo 600 10 90 to
whenever she has 10 set her vast legions
IN motion. OF this gigantic sum. { 70
100000 IS IN gold and { 81. 600 600 in sill
yer. In the custody Of the Anstro- Hun
garian bank there is very seryiceable
fund Of EGO coo 600 for purposes of war;
Italy hasa well-f1lled war chest. and even
penurious Russia has, hidden away
somewhere, the equivalent of c 100 600. :
COO, sum which will keep the war ma
ehinery going for a good many months.
al any rate
IL these figures are correct-and they
appear TO be generally aceepted-lt is
evident that something like $500 ,000. :
600 must be boarded up by continental
nations alone. solely as preparation
for war-a yearly sum Of $4,000. 600 ap-
proximately thus being lost to their ex-
ehequers.
Time was when for many years We.
too, had our war chest-literally chest
iron bound and massiye-and no expedi-
ton ever moved against an enemy by
sea or land without taking this chest
with them. and even when 1t was no
longer necessary 10 adopt such a primi-
tive method OF financing an army there
was fund-and a very large fund. too
exclusively devoted 10 war expenses.
little more than 20 years ago this fund
disappeared in Pitts scheme for the con-
solidation fund. and If We may be said
TO have war chest at all ii may be con-
sldered 10 take the form of this consoli-
dated fund which is always available
for the purpose Of starting war fnan-
cially.
But If John Bull has no war chest and
needs none in the strict meaning of the
WORD ne has many little pile OF gold
scattered about in different parts of his
empire. At Malta there is a treasury
chest. which usually contains about
100000; in the straits settlements there
is t5ooo0; al Gibraltar there is ALWAYS
from { $1,000 TO 10000 to draw on. AZ
Bermuda. 25.000; at the Cape e %
coo; in the West Indies. el7 600. in
Egypt 10000; in Hongkong, G25. 900;
and so on, an aggregate sum OF nearly
1l,ooo000 among these scattered
boards The treasury chest fund is
probably the legitimate survivor Of the
Ole chest which our armies used TO take
with them in their excursions against
the "rebellious Scots or against the
armies OF France and Spain.