El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-09-15
Of FUNDS
MAY STOP WAR
Enormous Expenditures Al
ready Are Wrecking the
Big Warning Nations.
BY HERBERT TEMPLE.

London. Eng. Sept. 15.--One OF the
most powerful elements that is at work
today for the settlement Of the great
European war is the appalling cost OF
the conflict It can be only matter OF
time until every one OF the warning
powers is embarrassed financially 1t
is not assuming too much to say that
each Of the nations, with its great
armament, believed that war; when 1t
came, would be Of brief duration; that
the heavy cost and the terrible loss Of
life wrought by modern war machin-
cry would bring any conflict TO a quick
termination
The European powers have not en-
tered upon this war without some pre-
NlOus calculation as TO the means Dy
which II must be carried out IN aQ-
D ditiOn to the great accumulation OF
gold in the central banks, plans IoE
new taxation and additional allowances
Tor the army and navy have Deen part
Of the fiscal programs Of all the powers
The Immense war appropriation OF
the combatants. huge as they are
would be wholly inadequate II the
war is prolonged. Germany at the out
set appropriated a billion and quar-
ter of dollars: France on the same day
set aside more than Sl,OOO,gO0,0oO and
the British Parliament voted $500, 00O,
600, following this up subsequently
with another appropriation Of the
same amount Russia has not made
known what she appropriated. but IL is
safe to say that the grand total OF the
European war funds voted by all the
belligerants is near $4,000, 100000
Plan How to Raise Money.
Several European experts in such
matters have estimated that the war
is now costing the combatants $4,000
600 a day. Some Frenchmen have cal
culated that IL is costing France alone
$40. 0O0,0 900 daily.
How is this tremendous burden Of
war outlay to be metz That is the
problem with which the financiers in
the European cabinets are graphing
while the tacticiaus are planning new
army moves It is obvious even 10 the
layman that the productive power OF a
country at war is greatly reduced If
not absolutely paralyZed- Industry OF
every sort is hard hit by the Withdraw
al of the thousands. and in this war,
millions Of men, who are taken from
the fields, shops and factories ana
placed in uniform for the purpose OF
blowing away powder in shooting each
other
Such producing power as remains is
utilized in making the materials OF
mar. arms, ammunition, clothing and
food for the armies
rental values OF private structures,
homes, stores mills, hotels and the
like is about ST2S,OOO,0OO annually. II,
therefore, $4,000. 900 a day is required
for the French army now in the field,
the value Of the rentals Of the nation
for a whole year vas licked up in SO
DAYS il has already gone This Is one
item to illustrate and bring home TO
the average man the effect Of war.
But One Of Many Burdens.
This iz only one of The many forms
in which the financial burden OF the
war viii fail upon the masses in all the
countries involved in the struggle and
terest charges upon their children and
children's children yet unborn
Already the older countries OF Europe
stagEer under enormous debts incurred
in similar manner in previous wars
France bears the heaviest burden OF
public debt, amounting TO about ~
550, 900, 900 Great Britain comes next
with about $4,000 900. 900.
The debt Of the German empire is
only little more than Sl,0OO,OOO,OO0, but
this is because the empire is only about
IS years old. and the immense debts
Of its component parts are still borne
by the separate states. Austria-Hun-
gary has a debt Of about $1,000. 100000
The national debt Of Russia amounts
to about $3.50. 100000. on which the
annual charges amount TO some $780,
900, 900.
How much these staggering charges
are to be increased in the various coun-
tries by this greatest Of all wars, no
man can say, but Inevitably the 1reSn
burden imposed by the waste Of war
will fall upon the laborer and the men
Of small means They may not pay the
taxes directly, but they will pay them
indirectly.