The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1916-07-13
WARS COST PUT
AT As BILLIONS
Two Years Estimate Does Not
Include Property Loss.
GREAT BRITAIN PAYS MOST
Leads In Expenditures, but on q Pro
erents-Each lnhabitant Must Pay
30 Cents a Day-Cost to Individual
Germans is % Cents Day.

30 Cents a Day-Cost to individual
, Germans is % Cents a Day.
The hostilitles In Europe win have
gone on two years should the war con
tinue to Aug. /. Attempts TO gauge its
burden to all the powers involved have
resulted In a calculation that. II it is
sary. the direct cost of the struggle
Will have been in excess Of $4,000. 000.-
600. The total military expenditure in
the first year was approximately $17,-
5O0.0O0.000. In the second year 1t Will
have been $2s,0O0.OOO.OOO.
These figures represent simply the
expenditures for carrying on the hostil-
tiles. They do not allow for the de-
struction OF cities. railways. ships. fac
tories. warehouses, bridges, roads or
agricultural values. Neither do they
allow for the economic loss through the
killing and manning of men. the loss
OF production in occupied territories,
the decrease In stocks of food. metal
and other materials. the arrangement
of the machinery of distribution or the
cost Of pensions. They measure In q
common term an expenditure OF cap
ital which TO the governments concern
ed will in the end be translated for the
/ most part into permanent additions to
their national debts.
Some Startling Comparisons.
| If the war costs $40. 100000 900 It
will represent n sum three times great
er than the entire capitalization of the
railways of the United States and four
times greater than the total deposits Of
all our national banks. 1t will repre-
sent sum six times greater than that
expended In the civil war. 1t will rep
resent forty times the amount of the
present national debt of the United
States. 100 times the cost of the Pana-
ma canal, 800 times the amount of the
annual American gold output. Direct
cost Of the Franco Prussian war in
1901 was $2,500OOO.OO0 and of the
South African war 81 .250,O00000
The aggregate amount named for
fun two years warfare is believed to
be well within the actual total. DR..
Karl Helfferich. Germany's finance
minister. has named precisely that
amount S45. 900. 100000 as an outside
figure of the war cost to only March 81.
Great Britaln's expenditures are now
I'm the neighborhood of $50 100000 a
day The daily average was $4,000,
600 year ago. France is spending
S1S000,000 a day, according to the lat
est estimate of Alexandra Ribot. Last
year France spent $S.000,O00 daily.
Russia. which a year ago spent an
amount equal to that of France, is now
spending $155O00OO daily, according
TO Pierre Bark These daily war ex-
penditures of the entente allies make u
total of sos. 100000
Central Powers Expenditures.
Germany's present daily war cost is
S16,600.00O. on the authority of DR.. |
Helfferich. That of Austria Hungary, |
Turkey and Bulgaria combined, on the
same authority is $i0.9O0.0O0. The ag
gregate for the central allies Is there
fore $27.5O0000 Altogether, the cost
OF strife to all of the belligerents is
approximately SS6oO0O00.
1t is estimated that In spite of the
present relative position OF the nations
as regards war cost the direct cost to
the chief nations of the central alliance
has been only little short of that OF
Great Britain. whose aggregate up TO
the present time has surpassed that
OF any other single belligerent. Great
Britain's expenditure has increased
gradually. Germany's was large from
the first. because of extensive cam
paigns ON two fronts and because OF
the superior number of Individual en-
envy nations.
Great Britain has lent funds on an
scale for the purchase of mil
Itary supplies to Russia. France, Italy.
Belgium and certain neutral countries
France has made advances to Russia,
Belgium, Servia and neutrals. Ger
many has extended credits to Austria
Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. Ad
or loans. by the strong powers
10 the weaker belligerents and to neu-
trails have amounted TO $500, 100000. !
Figures from English sources indicate
that Russia in this manner has re-
,eived 81. l25.OOO. 900. Italy 100000.
Belgium and Servia Ss75.o0O.oo0. Tur-
KEY and BULGARIA have received per
laps STO0.OO0.0O0.
Prorated over the entire population,
he direct war cost has meant more to ,
France than 20 any other belligerent. /,
England is second ON the list. Ger.
many third and Russia. because of its
vast population. nearly last. Reduced
20 per diem basis. the war has cost ,
France so cents daily for each inhab
tant of the republic. 1t has cost Eng
and 2s cents a day for each inhabitant {
Germany 90 cents and Russia cents