New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-14
Waste Adds to
The Ever Rising
Cost of War
Movement for Economies
Is Started in British
House of Commons
BY FRANCIS W. HIRST

! lecture or write upon the SUBJECT are
accustomed to the fashionable idea that
n liberal scale of public expenditure
is not only pleasant but profitable.
With the exception of Lord Morley and
Sir George Trevelyan. there is hardly
n living statesman who thoroughly be-
lieves in the old doctrine that high
taxes are mischievous, and that money
should be allowed to fructify in the
pockets of the people.
Now, however. for the first time since
the war began, the rate of expenditure
and the progress of debt are beginning
to excite serious attention in Parlia-
ment among both Conservative and Lib
eral members. Last Wednesday night
Colonel Godfrey Collins. the member
! for Grcenock. who has done excellent
service of IA financial and admnistra-
/ tive kind since the war began IN Egypt
and Mesopotamia. started debate on
nublic expenditure. The occasion arose
upon what we call the Consolidated
Fund. the fund out OF which public
salaries and interest upon debt arc
maid "If the war lasts much longer
lie began. ironically, "all we shall have
} loft will be the Consol dated Fund and
the national debt meaning thereby
that every one will be either sal
aried servant of the state or an in
weston living on the interest Of the
money he has lent to the government
for war purposes.
A Competition in Famine"
The theory that the war can he ended
By "attrition." popularizcd by Mr. Belloc
and other iucglcrs with the casualty
lists. has now been quite abandoned
in favor Of the theory of financial or
economic exhaustion Mr Neville
Chamberlain. tho cX-Mayor Of Biz
mingham. who is now director Of ma
tional service" told an audience tho
other day that the conflict between the
bclligerent nations has become com
petition in famine. As a matter Of
fact. British stomachs have barely be-
! gun TO feel the pinch, and we are quite
puzzled by Geographic reports of food
riots in the United States. The wealth
and resources Of this country arc still
very great. But 4 Is Just as we'll tina:
those who direct IN expenditure OF
ever four millions sterling a day should
listen TO the warning or Colonel Col
Inns and his friends. To-day" said
j Colonel Collins. 'wc are confronted by
/ a national debt Of four thousand mill
| ions. OIL which the annual interest alone
will be two hundred millions" that is
TO say, a trife more than the whole
national expenditure in the year before
tho outbreak Of war.
Sir Herbert Leon. a well known
dealer in money on the Stock Exchange
and a good judge of public finance, pre-
diets that We shall have a debt of
/ 6,0c0,000,oo0 sterling say $4,000
( 100000 if the war continues until
/ March 81. 1918, as against a debt Of
f 100000 before tho war. On this
assumption. including pension bill
/ Of i5o,ooo,Ooo and a sinking fund Of
S6O,00o,o00 Il per cent?, he rcckons
/ that a grand total revenue Of nearly
f6OO,OO0,o0O year would be required
/ after the war to keep the national
credit in sound condition. He there
fore proposes capital levy upon all
property in order to reduce the debt
to more manageable size and to pre-
vent the imposition of a confscatory
: income tax.
Sir +. Banbury. one Of the city
members, agrees with Sir H. Leon that
at the end OF another year the national
debt will have risen to 100000, 900.
Publicity Is Desired
In view Of these figures there is n
powerful movement on foot in the
House of Commons to induce the gov
+'AhAN'A~ w hBpOiIb Il committee lOI
the purpose of suggesting economies
/ Colonel Collins thinks that with more
efficient control the expenditure could
be reduced by at least a million a day.
lie wants war expenditure to be classi.
fed, and a spirit Of economy created
in the public departments. We are
drifting, he says, toward a six shilling
income tax. Are We getting value for
our money in men and commodities :?
"The supreme object Of the House Of
Commons is control OF expenditure. but
the necessary knowledge is withheld.
Without knowledge effective control is
impossible. without publicity the
facts cannot be known. Without dis
cussion the present position cannot be
remedied. Publicity in these matters
is not a danger, but a safeguard. OBJ
security and lack Of knowledge cover
up mistakes and enable those mistakes
10 be repeated" All this is sound
doctrine and may be commended 70
your Administration, now that it is
compelled to embark upon costly prep
aratons for an entry into this gigantic
war.
Economics Of War
Experience shows that waste in war
is unavoidable. Even Mr.. Gladstone
had to admit that after his experience
as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the