The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1917-08-29
2.YEAR war COST TO
HIT FORTY BILLION
And 100000 Men-S0 Per Cent
OF Fighters Will Be
Safe.
(Charles Nicholson Special to the
Chicago Herald.)

chicago herald.)
Washngton.-The debate over the
war revenue bill indicates that if the
war lasts two years it will cost this
country $4,000, 100000, with an ad-
ditional $4,000, $1,000 to take care
of the loans Of our allies. That's the
dollar cost. The cost in men has
been calculated as carefully. 1t is a
CHASTITY total, but at that it indicates
that so per cent. Of the boys will
come out safely.
If it takes us two years to bring
the kaiser to a realization that civ
ilization is not to be shattered for
a Hohenzollern dream of world do
minion, it ds estimated that there
will be 100000 American soldiers dis
abled.
This gruesome total was arrived
at in the course of computing the
amount of money required to dis
charge the new government function
of insurance to take the place Of a
pension system.
Allies Experience Applied.
To get the figures the experience
of England, France and Canada was
invoked and applied to the number
of men this country expects to put
into the war.
The insurance actuaries were Civ
en- rs an assumption that on Sep
tember / Of this year there would be
100000 men in the United States
army and 10000 including marines
in tho raw.
L was likewise assumed that on
September / year from now, the
number of men at the front would
equal the present total of the army,
of 100000 men, and of the navy
force. 100000 will be in the zone of
hostilities.
The average of men in active SER
vice during the first year is assumed
to be 100000 for the army and 100,-
900 for the navy. During the sec
ond year the army and navy in ac-
tive service is calculated at l, $751;
900.
Experts and Figures.
The insurance sharps, guided by
the casualties of our allies, who have
fought under the same general con-
ditiona that our fellows will face, es-
innate that scventy-fve out of every
1000 men will be killed, fifty out of
every 1000 viii be totally disabled
and seventy-five out of every 1000
will be partly disabled.
This leaves out of the account
those who entirely recover from their
wounds, which the experiences of
other armies indicate is greater than
all the other casualties combined.
The insurance bill allows $780,
900 to pay the death benefits the first
year and S22,0OO,OOO the second
year.
Reduced to numbers, this means
that the government expects that in
the first year 29,550 men will die,
1880 will be totally disabled, and
those partially disabled will equal |.
those who die-a total of 10000
men.
Increase in Second Year.
The second year, when we will
have 100000 on the firing line, is
expected to cost in dead 10000, to-
tally disabled 1880 and partly dis
abled 10000, making the bill for
the year 1888 approximately 317,-
500.
Included in these totals are those
who will die of disease and the nor
NAL mortality of those in home
camps.
This gives us a line on what
chances man has in the war. The
number of men in our fighting
forces is to be gradually increased
until there are 100000 under arms.
This means that eighty out of every
100 who will go into it will come out
of the war without serious hurt,
even if the fighting continues as des-
perately for the next two years as
it has been during the three years
before our advent into the struggle.
No U. S. Lads Fighting.
As to when our army will get to
the actual fighting nobody knows. I
Even the Secretary of War SAYS he
can not tell, implying) though not
stating, that that was a matter for
General Pershing to decide.
The air is full of rumors that there ,
have been battles in which our army /
abroad has taken part. These are l
as unfounded as the recurring sto- q
ries of a transport destroyed at sea. q
"There has been absolutely no |
lighting in which American troops
have engaged" said Secretary Ba-
Ser, "and no report of any disaster
'n the sea or on the land has reach I