Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-08-03

The cost in money runs to q Slmil-
arly huge total. Great Britain is
now spending about $4,000. 900 a
day on the war, according to Premier
Asquith. Albert Metin, general bud
get reporter of the French Chamber
Of Deputies, calculates the war is
costing France $4,000 a minute, or
Sl4,t00,0 geo a day. William Michaelis
Germany at yS,250,000, saying forty
days of this war cost as much as the
whole Franco.Prugsian wal of 1901.
In March DR.. Karl Helffcricn, Secre-
tary of the Imperial Treasury of Ger
many, said the war was costing all
belligcrents 1919, 000,000 . week.
On the basis of DR.. Hellferich's es-
innate, the first year of the war cost
the %stupendaus sum OF $11,500, O00,-
900. Mr.. Michaelis puts the figure
ct Is billions of dollars, not includ-
ing Italy's expenditures; q sum more
than 20 per cent greater than the
gold production of the world durin
the last 500 years. Other estimates
r-n still higher, to 20 billion dollars
Or more
In addition to the money expended
directly on the war, the loss in de.
struction Of property On land and
sea has run high into the millions.
Great losses are being o~ccasiOned by
the cessation of curtailment of many
forms of productive industry. The
energies Of the world have been
largely reverted to makeing war.
Factories OF all sorts have been turn
ed over to the making Of war muni-
tons, men taken from mill and field,
to be replaced by women, old men
and children. Economists assert
that for generations to come the
world will feel the effect Of the huge
losses, in the burden of taxation and
otherwise, and sociologists make CON
ficting predictions as to its foral,
physical and psychological effect on
generations living and to come.
Financial Stringency.
Ncutrals as we'll as %belllgerents
have been affected. The financial
stringency which followed the out
break or war was worldwide. The
United States, in common with other
neutrals, has been conlrontdc with
the threatened Infringement Of its
rights, particularly at sea, and has
sent notes Of remonstrance to Eng
land and Germany, the complications
with the latter country following tle
sinking of the Lusitania giving eS-
special concern.
The war has been attended with
nan unexpected features, one OF
which is its %protraction. 1t had been
believed that such a struggle would
be Of comparatively short duration,
on account of the cost and loss OF
life it would entail. At the outset
it was commonly said Tat within
less than a year the nations involved
would be compelled to seek peace
through financial exhaustion, if for
no other reason. While each side
has won it's victories. no financial!
results. have been reached in any OF
the campaigns, with a few minor OK
distant colonies. Over the greater
part of the Franco-Belgian front the
opposing millions are facing each
other in the same positions as last
September. Movements on the east
ern front have been wider, but with
no signs of an approaching dcission.
German Plan.
The German plan is generally as
sumed to have been to deal first
with France, in the early weeks Of
the war before the russian army.
slower to mobolize, was able to pre-
sent a serious menace; and then to
turn on Russia. The fierce resist
ance of Belgium and the unexpected
lyquick mobilization of both the
French and Russian armeies prevent
ed the full fruition Of this plan. New
ertheless Germany has been able to
hold her own on both the eastern
and western fronts.
In realty the struggle Of the eleven
nations is divided into a number Of
separate wars, related to each other
in only a general way. The whole
field of military operations may be
summarized as follows:
In France and Belgium Germany is
is battling wit Great Britain, France
and Belgium. In August Germany
invaded Belgium and France. push
ing southwark almost to the gates Of
Paris. Following the battle of Marine,
perhaps tie most important contest
of the war thus far, the Germans
were compelled o retreat and have
since held an entrnched line from
the Belgian coast to Alsace, retain
ing possession Of northwestern
France and most of Belgium. In this
theatre of the war has been so even
that the capture of a group Of houses
or a few yards of trenches has been
considered a victory worthy of men,
ton in the official reports. The Ger
man attempt to break through to the
English Channel; the British victory
at Neuve Chappelle, tae German
triumph at scissors, while calling
forth supreme efforts, did not ma
terially change the relative positions
of the antagonists along the front of
nearly 300 miles.
Mackensen's Great Drive.
On the eastern front Russia faces
Germany and Austria-Hungary. Rus
sian armies invaded Galicia and Blu
kowina, capturing most of the former
province, but the greater part Of this
territory as a result Of Field Marshal
Won Mackensen's great drive from
Cracow. The Germans invaded Rus