The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-06-11
Education, nssllh md Hos1s y
Nation All Walt On RattlesIlps
What does a battleship cost?

the militant patriot, who finds pride
In the growth OF the American fleet. !
+ So 1t does if priced in dollars. OF
course, If one wants to quihble. one
may point out that the expense Of
upkeep for twenty years ut $4,000
q years brings the cost up to $2S,0O0,-
900 and then the tglnSoat goes to
the junk heap. g.. h.
And this $4,000. 900. you'd more
than buy 1000 farms at 1000 each,
IT would provide College education
for 1900 men or women at $500
a year for four years. .s
-; But this is bit unfair. ape rhaps,
LIT us Just weigh Tho cost Of: COM
mon ;l2,000,000 ba,tleshi:a such as
the United States has been build
log q: the rate of two year, rot 10
speak Of cruisers, torpedo boats, de-
st'c!ers. submarines and othy: aux-
ilia:y craft. . 3: y y. r. -.- T.
rher. has been grea: Zeal Ct agi-
taticn in America IL the las, few
years resardingss o:t. llr>1.,'a- lbler tack
O. &c u;i roads The county, has be sn
settled faster than. Eoads. could ne
uilt and so farmers still wallow
through mud hub deep r. several
months in the year to Communicates
with each other, or get their produce ::
to market - 80 =,
Money spent for good highways not
only promotes intelligence and social
unity, but more than repays the cost
in lowered price Of produce.
Well, for the price OF: one battle
Ship; g., good, solid macadam road
0n,v1H Va E,,11% f~o~, NJor,, 1
Chicago-such a magnificent highway
as the Romans built in the days Of
the worlds greatest empire. ,.
You're not interested in roads?
Then let us consider trees. Mime
sofa, In fact, the whole country, has
had an awakening Of late in regard
to the value of forests {,
Trees are things of beauty. More
over, they help to keep the climate
equable, they regulate rainfall and
steady natural irrigation, and by
draining the water of slowly they
| prevent floods. Besides they provide
a future supply Of tinber-and
| America foresees q famine Of wood.
A forest preserve of 100000 acres
| has been proposed in the White
| mountains. The land is burned over
| and unproductive. For the price Ut
one battleship it could be bought
| and planted. : =:
Do internal waterways appeal to
| you? Our canals have filled with mud
! in the last few decades, and OUR nav
| igible rivers need dredging: The peo-
! pie. begin to realize that waterways
| are as important as railroads; they
| keep exorbitant freight rates down
| to a reasonable level, too. They are
| as important as good country roads,
| and facilitate commerce on a. bigger
scale. :
Well, for the price OF two Of these
| it, q six foot channel could be dug IN
the Mississippi from st. Paul to the
mouth of the Missouri :
Irrigation, too, is worth while. In
Salt River valley, Ariz.. there Is a
| project for irrigating the desert and
| thereby reclain1ing for human use
100000 acres Of land; providing
| homes for 5000 families, and increas-
ing the valuable of taxable property
not less than $24;o0O,ooo.' And the
work could be done for three-fourths
the cost Of battleship. -
| Are. you proud Of the great con-
gressional library at Washington
| You ought to be. It's the finest H.
brary building In the world. And It
cost just a. little more than half the
price Of a battleship. and is MAIN
f., tanned for three-fourths the expense
of keeping battleship af1oat. =.
Duluth appreciates the value OF
manual training schools. II Duluth
were given the price OF q battlesf1ip
1t could take 1t and build and equip
with all necessary tools and appli-
ances fifty manual training schools.
And yet the country builds more
and more battleships In frenzied COM
petition with Great Britain, Germany.
Japan and Russia. It Is q game IN
which no one wins and every one
loses.
| Armed peace has become nearly
as expensive as war. It is estimated
that the Increased cost Of our own
army and navy In the past eight
| years-not the total cost, but the
cost over and above the cost during
the eight years preceding the Spanish,
war-has been $1,072,000,O00.
Can you grasp tht?-$1, 072, zoo, coo
more money squandered before the
war with Spain turned our heads? Al
this rate, in less than twenty years
the added expenditure will absorb
the price of the Panama canal, the
price OF complete systems OF deer
waterways throughout the United
States, the price Of proposed national
forests, Of proposed Irrigation FOR
arid lands and in addition, an amount
that would pay our national deht.