The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1914-12-17
OF THE WAR
Some of the Considerations Involved
In the Great European Struggle

(Arthur Billiard in The Outlook
A dozen eminent English specialists
in fanance who had demonstrated not
long ago that a European war was
impossible are now arguing that with
in a few months Germany will be quite
bankrupt. German financial writer's
have for years pointed out that the
wealth of England and France Is
very largely based on credit, and that
credit functions only in time of peace.
But, l do not believe either side will
have to throw up the Sponge because
of lack of change. A French banker
in 1910 told me that there was no
chance of the little Christian ma
tons in the Balkans going to war
against Turkey. They haven't enough
money" he said. They not only
fought the war against Turkey, but as
soon as that was finished they started
a new wal among themselves.
The question of food supply is equal
ly uncertain. OF course as long as
the Allies keep command of the sea
there is no danger of their starving.
But is there any chance of their
bringing Germany to her knees with
hunger? If Holland and Italy main
tanned their neutrality, which means
freedom to trade with both beliger-
ents, it will be very hard to blocade
Germany effectively. But if Germany
and Austria are absolutely sealed up,
it seems to me that the length of
time they can feed themselves depends
most of all on how we'll the national
commissary is organized. In every
community ar immense amount of
nourishment is normally wasted.
There are a great many unemployed
now in Germany who might be put
to work making hothouses to grow
vegetables through the winter. Sugar
beets could be eaten instead of crys-
tallized. There are no end of eXpe-
dents by which the food supply could
be conserved and increased.
Large as the German and French
armies are-in the n~eighborhood of
four million each-there is a limit to
these eight million men now, there are
no more in sight for years to come,
till the boys grow up At the end of
our Civil war the North had more men
in the field than at any time before,
and had not begun to run short of
men. But the theory of modern war
is to put every available a in the
field within the first month. The
English-and the Russians, if they
can find the eq~uipment-can increase
their armies. France and Germany
and Austria cannot.
Another consideration is that the
supply of arms and ammunition,
while great, is limited, and cannot be
quickly replaced. Take, for example,
such very necessary equipment as
field artillery. A modern cannon
with its recoil aboorbor is an intricate
! mechanism. The life of each gun is
known, just as actuaries figure out the
average life Of men. Some of the
great guns are said to be dangerous
after so shots; other lighter guns are
good for 500 or a 1000. Besides this
normal wear and tear, a certain num-
Der of guns are captured; more are
smashed by the enemy's shells.
But today wal is SO technical and
complicated a matter that a nation
might have to sue for peace because
it had exhausted its supply of some
thing that Napoleon never heard of.
Gas and dirigible balloons, for in
stance, was a thing about which he
never worried. A modern army might
be entirely disorganized by the fail
ure of it's supply of insulated copper
wire for field telephones. Fuel for
transportation purposes is an wen
more important item.