The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-08-01

In view OF the 1mmenSity of the
struggle, previous standards count
for little in considering the price the
world is paying The figures involved
are SO vast as to convey little mean
ing. The nations at war have poured
out their treasures of men and gold
without limit. The usual standards
of life have been subordinated or dis
regarded, and in some cases social, in
dustrial and political activities have
been virtually reorganized on a mill
taristic basis, to make all contribute
to the supreme necessities of war.
1t is impossible to obtain accurate
statistics of the number of men en-
gagged, the casualties and the cost.
For obvious reasons the size of the
various armies is kept secret. Most
of the nations do not consider it ex-
pedient to reveal the number of cas-
ualties; in fact, Great Britain is the
only one which has given out official
totals. AS to the money expended
there are available only partial sta
tistics.
HALF POPULATION OF
THE WORLD INVOLVED
More than half the population of the
world lives in the countries at war.
The population of the warning coun-
tries is estimated roughly at $4,000, 600,
and of the countries at peace at 797,-
100000 The population of the en-
tente nations Is perhaps five times as
great as that of their opponents. The
number of men under arms has been
estimated variously usually In the
ncighborhood of 2o.oOo.Ooo William
Mlchaelis. writing recently in Ber-
lin magazine, puts the number of SOL
diers at war at 21,77o,ooo; for the al
lies, 12s2o,000; for Germany, Austria
Hungary and Turkey, S,950.O00.
No previous war has approached the
present one In Wholesale destruction
of life. This is due not only to the
number of men involved. but to the
terrible efficiency of modern weapons.
Trench warfare on a great scale. with
Its deadly charges, mining operations
and extensive use of artillery and hand
granades, has contributed to this end
Whereas, in the past 1t has been call
culated that the proportion of killed
to total casualties runs / to or / to
10, the proportion in trench warfare,
as Indicated by official British statis-
tics Is about / to S.
The battles on the plains of Flan-
ders, on the Warsaw front, in the Aus
tro-German advance through Galieia
and In the Carpathians were attended
by frightful slaughter. Russian losses
in the Carpathians alone were esti-
the battleilelds from Arras. in north
whole fields have been covered with
corpses and at the time of the Ger
nan attempt to reach the English
channel the User canal was choked
with the dead. According to official
British statistics, the British army
alone has been losing Of late, in killed.
wounded and missing. 1000 day. On
June Premier Asquith announced that
British casualties since the beginning
of the war (excluding naval losses
of 1S,549 up to May 31) amounted to
5S, $50. of which the total of killed
was 50,342. Later however, on July
27. Mr. Asquith issued a statement say
Ing that the naval casualties up to
July 20 were 9106. Apparently Mr..
Asquiths first statement was based on
rlisinformation.
STAGGERING STATISTICS OF
SLAUGHTER OF SOLDIERS
The losses of Germany. France and
Russia, by reason of their larger
armies. have been far greater, The
Heer Und Po1itik Of Berlin early In
Tx,vx 49, > L., x