Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-10-24

London. Oct. 24.-England is now
talking about two ,things-and about
Two things only. The first is the war.
The second is the cost OF the war.
: What will be the next income
tax?" I asked a man connected with
The government. He threw up his
hands.
Il don't know" said he. mo one
knows. Maybe five bob in the
) Five bob in the pound would be
Just one-quarter Of the taxpaper's in
come. It seems outrageous No doubt
It is outrageous. But nations cannot
Aave such luxuries as war without
item OF the situation is the resigna-
ton with which every one Is facing
the inevitable. One doesn't hear any
anticipatory protests. The man who
can just make ends meet on his SAL
ary today views the certainty of COM
parative poverty in silence.
What are you going to do about
fta" asked the man in the govern
ment 1--WE didn't want this war
but we got it, and We'll have to pay
for it,
England's total debt is now greater
than she has ever before carried. In
1854 the gross debt of the state stood
at S02 million pounds. In 1912 the
KEOSS ueDI WAS liO AlIiOoI
every form Of taxation was found by
blslyd George and the liberal party
to meet the new forms Of expendi-
ttre discovered, such as old age PEN
sions and the like. The revenue of
the state was just trifle better than
the outgo. Then the war came on.
10. What Churchill Threatened.
:. '1 must have fifty million pounds
tor the navy" announced Winston
Churchill before hostilities began.
impossible" said various conser-
vative members of the cabinet 1--WE
can't afford it."
-i''"Then you must take my resigna-
ton" said Churchill. "I have al
ready, spent seven million pounds"
Churchill didn't resign. The total
expenditure directly and indirectly
authorized in those first furious days
amounted to 100000 900 pounds. That
sent the public debt nearer the top
of the thermometer than 1T had ever
been. And the war had just begun.
No one knows how long it will last
or how much 1t will cost
Suppose that England has 1,000,-
u0D men in the field" said one auth
ority upon war costs. "They will cost
her not less than three dollars per
to consideration the destruction of
material. the building of ships and
guns. and the original outfitting of
each man."
: It costs $50 to put soldier in the
Held, for clothes, equipment, ammuni-
ton, and initial transportation. Eng
land now has 100000 men in the field.
She has 100000 recruits in her train
ing camps. There is $40.O00.000 on
the wrong side of the ledger at the
outset. They will cost $2.400,000 a
day to maintain. She has lost half
dozen cruisers. They were old and
OF slight value, it Is true. 1t has cost
her $5,000,000 to bring back her
wounded and organize her hospital
services. The war has barely started.
If the sources Of tax had remained
normal, the expenditures to date
would ensure that the next tax rate
would be at least one-sixth higher
than the last one. But the expendi-
lures have only begun. The sources
are anything but normal. Dozens of
ports have been actually closed. Hun
dFeds of manufactures have been
shut down. At least one-flfth of Eng
lands employees are out of work
Business has been shot to pieces.
81 have just returned from my an
nual trip to see my customers" said
a tailor in q large way of business
II sold Just one-quarter of what US
ually do"
Digging Up Subjects of Taxation.
England now taxes almost every
thing that Is taxable. When you pay
your bill at the hotel a penny stamp
10 stuck on It. If you keep q man