The Washington herald., 1914-09-14
COST Big FACTOR
TO FORCE PEACE
Only a Question Of Time When
Combatants VIII Be Finan-.
cially Embarrassed.
WAR EXPENSE APPALLING
Huge Appropriations Made at Begin
ming of Hostlites a Mere Bagatelle
if Conflict Is Prolonged.

London. Sept. la-One Of the most pow
erful elements at work today for the
settlement OF the great European war is
the appalling cost Of the conflict II can
be only q matter Of time until every one
Of the warning powers Is embarrassed
financial. It Is not assuming too much
to say that each of the nations, with
It's great armament, believed that war,
when II came, would be Of short dura-
tion: that the stupendous cost and the
terrible loss Of life wrought by modern
war machinery would bring any conflict
TO a quick termination.
The immense war appropriation OF the
combatants. huge as they are, would be
only q mere bagatelle II the war is pro-
longed. Germany, at the outset, appro-
priated a billion and a quarter of dollars:
France, on the same day, set aside
more than Loo. .ooO. and the British
Parliament voted 500. 900, following
this up subsequently with another ap-
preparation Of the same amount Rus
siA has not made known what she ap-
propriated, but 1t is safe TO say that the
grand total OF the European war funds
voted by all the belligerants. is near 81
OO0, 900 600
Costing 10000, 900 q Day.
Several European experts in such mat
ters have estimated that the war II now
costing the combatants $50 10000 a day.
Some Frenchmen have calculated that II
Is costing France alone so 1000 daily.
How Is this tremendous burden of war
outlay TO be met? That is the problem
with which the financiers in the Euro
pean cabinets are graphing while the
tacticians are planning the army moves.
In France the official estimate OF the
rental value of private structures, homes,
stores, mills, hotels and the like is about
sos, 5000 annually. II. therefore. go
10000 a day is required for the French
army now in the field. the value of the
rentals OF the nation for a whole year
was licked up in thirty-six days. This
is Just one item to illustrate the effect of
war. Who will say that under any form
OF taxation. such burdens will not react
directly upon the rental OF the humblest
laborer and indirectly, through the en-
HANGED rental Of stores and shops, upon
the price OF what he buys?
Already the older countries Of Europe
stagger under enormous debts incurred
in previous wars. France bears the
heaviest burden of public debt, amount
ing to about ss3Jnooo.o0o. Great Britain
comes next, with about 8, 900. .oO0.oOO. The
debt Of the German empire is only little
more than H.oo0OooUo. but this is be-
cause the empire is only about forty-five
component parts are still borne by the
separate States. Austria Hungary has a
debt of about 81. OOo. 600
Burden Falls on Poor Man.
According 10 the most available figures,
the annual debt charges of France
amount to $4,000. 900; Great Britain.
S12O. 600 000: Austria Hungary, 5000 .ooo,
and the German empire. So. .0oo. .0Oo.
The national debt OF Russia amounts to
about A55o. 10000. on which the annual
charges amount to some S207, ,0o0,0oo. But
unlike the other great powers, Russia's
debt was not entirely incurred buying
powder and ball. but represents to a
large extent important productive works
like the TranS-Siberfan Railway.
How much these staggering charges are
TO be increased in the various countries
by this greatest all wars, no man can
say. but Inevitably the fresh burden i'm
posed by the waste OF war will fall upon
the man OF small means