Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-08-15
COUNTS WARS COST
French Statistician Gives the
Cold Figures.
Something Like s55,ooo,o 900 a Day 10
Given as the Expenditure Neces-
sary for Keeping European Ar
mics In the Field.

Paris.--What the cost would be of
q war between four or more first-class
European powers has repeatedly been
subject of calculation and estimate
by European experts. When the mat
ter was under discussion at the out
break of the Russo-J Japanese war in
1904 well-known French statistcian.
M. Jules Roche. estimated that con-
fiict involving two OF three large pow
ers. with, say, 100000 men in all un-
der arms, would absorb $500, 000, 900 In
the first two months. On the same
basis of operations, the average cost
would be about $6,000,000 day. But
war In which France, Russia, Ger
many and Austria we're all engaged
would cause a total average expendi-
ture. for purely military purposes, OF
$1S,000.000 per day. His calculation
may be thus summarized:
In January. 1871, the actual cost per
day to the French treasury. according
TO the Boreau-Lajandie official report,
was 100000 francs Cor $4,000 (;
this for 100000 men under arms. The
actual cost per- day Of every man un-
der arms during the entire period Of
the war was exactly Is francs 88 CEN
times. Into the costs Of forage and
Of keep of horse, which are usually
figured at the rate of, say, 81 day
for each horse, M. Roche did not go.
But even with the figures for the war
Of 1901 before him, he admitted that
II was no easy matter to estimate the
financial expenditure of great war
that might happen in our times. He
continued:
Conditions generally have consid-
erably changed within the last thirty
years, and warfare is now far more
expensive. To begin with, the num-
Der of men under arms In France, on
a declaration of war, would be far
greater than in 1870. France then be-
gan by putting 100000 men into the
field; but in the next great war in
which she may be engaged. her mill
tary organization is such that within
forty-eight hours she can mobilize, in
round figures, 100000 men and 60O,-
600 horses and mules. The first troops
to be called up would be the thirteen
classes of active and active reserve
troops. Each class numbers 100000
men, so that the actual number Of men
to be modified at once would be
2,0S0,O00. Against this the Germans
can pit 2.55O,O0O men, the Austrians
100000 men and Italy 100000 men,"
Herr Schaffle, the eminent Austrian
economist, who was for some time min
lister of commerce In the Hohenwart
cabinet, estimated in 1895 that a
European war in which any of the
above powers were engaged would cost
France 100000 a day, Russia $780,
900, Germany $5,0O0,O0O and Austria
Hungary $2,600,000, and with this es-
innate NJ. Roche agrees. He calculates,
in American values, an outlay of S3.12
a man for each day for the forces un-
der arms, in first-class contest be-
tween European powers.
A. still higher estimate is that pub
lished in 1918, at the time of the Bal
Kan war, by DR.. Charles Richet,
statistician of the University of Paris,
in a very detailed and elaborate cal
culation-
He bases his estimate on the as
that, roughly, 100000 men
would be called to arms, of which at
least half would be sent to the front
On this basis he works out the daily
for the seven powers as
the figures being here rem
dered into dollars:
of troops. -. .$12, 100000
Feeding of horses. ....... 100000
Pay 4,250,000
Wages. arsenals and har-
bors 1000, 900
............. 100000
Transport of foodstuffs,
weapons, etc. ........-. 100000
Infantry ................ 1000. 900
Arullery .............-. l,ZoO,VOO
Ship artillery ........... $4,000
Fitting out of army. ....... 100000
service. .....-. 100000
Movement of ships. 100000
Deficit in taxes. ............ 10000. 900
Support for population with
out means .............. 6.75O.OOO
acquisitions. damage to
towns. bridges. etc. 49,. 100000
Total .................. $o4, lz0,OOO
II such a war lasted only as long as
The brief Franco-Prussian conflict in
1870, the outlay on this basis would
exceed five thousand million dollars,
of war indemnities.