New Britain herald., 1916-07-21
The Mounting Cost.
(Springfield Republican,

At the beginning of the war the experts said that 1t could not be kept up long because of the stupendous cost, which for all the belligerent countries together they estimated at rom $40, 1000, ,OO0 to $60,0OOOOO a day. Great Britain began the war on a basis of s5,oOO,OOO a day; last year MT. Asquith gave warning that it would soon reach s25,OOO,OOO But yesterday MT. McKenna, chancellor of the eXCheQuer, stated that the present cost to Britain is $30,O ,OOO. 900 a day, and that nobody could estinf te what the cost might be in another month. Thus England alone is pay ing from half to three -fourths as much as the initial estimate of the entire daily cost of the war, yet there is no talk of peace. If a few years ago one had given such an estimate of what nations could and would spend for destruction he would have been taken for a madman.
 Bloch was take | for an unbalanced visionary, at least, when in order to show that war had ceased to pay he put forward estimates of the stupen- dous cost. Yet his figures, made out for the end of the 18th century, fall far short of the reality for 1916. His estimate of daily cost, in millions of dollars, was Germany, 5.1; Austria, 2.6; Italy, 2.5; France, 5.1; Russia, 5.6. His daily total for all belliger- ents was S21 0OO, 900, or about two- thirds of what Britain alone is pay ing. Bloch has been much ridiculed by militar1sts for his supposed con- clusion that war had become impos- sible, but If he had thought that he would not have troubled to write his book. He believed. on the contrary
 that Europe would very likely be mad enough to risk another war, and his purpose was to give warning that it would be Q futile and ruinous war. He foresaW trench warfare and the long deadlock better than the gen. erals, and his estimate of the cost Is now seen to be too conservative As to the ability of nations to stand such drain. he wrote with peace time standards of finance. Both tax ing power and credit have proved more elastic than he allowed for, but what statesman in peace would have dared talk of spending such sums? As to the after effects, the calcla- tiOns made In tranquil times may prove the more reliable.
 In 1907 the total wealth of Eng land was estimated, in millions of dollars, at 60,OOO, it's total income at 0,000, it's annual surplus at 1865. But one year of war at the present rate would come to nearly 11,000, more than the total income of the year 1907, more than the total savings of six years: and moro than sixth Of the total national wealth. That strain cannot long be borne even by Eng land. So long as the daily rate did not rise above a, million pounds, or even twice that. it was possible to talk of keeping up the war indefinite lv, or destroying German resistance bv silver bullets. With the daily rate six times million pounds. it be- comes Indispensable to press the war with the utmost energy. England cannot finance her allies for 20 years war, as again Napoleon, or even for a seven-years' war, but she can help them to plenty of war mun1- tiOrs and contribute some millions of soldiers for a eliminating effort in the field. The rising cost is largely due to the scheme of smOtherlng the | opposed armies with shell, and be- speaks a purpose to hasten the end of the war: the greater the cost the | more indisDensable that it should end l soon. England is shooting it's silver | bullets from machine guns, and the | faster because the supply is not un- l limited,