Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-02-24
HAS new FIGURES
ON COST OF WAR
topographic society Gives Summary OF
Men md Material
lfscd

| WASIiINGTON. February 23.-Thc
! National Geographic Society has re-
Gently made an economic summary Of
the geography of tho great munition
trade Of tho European war Ncvcr
before I'm the history of the. world has
there been such AN unprecedented de-
mand for materials of every Kind AS
Europe is compelled to employ In this
great. cpochal struggle. Discussing
thu vasincss Of munition consumption,
the society. in a statement issued to-
day. considers 1t from three Viewpoints
the cost OF cuuippinE IL single soldier
the cost OF "a single battle and the i'm
mcnsc quantities of material required
to maintain armies in the field. The
society's bulletin says:
when il is remembered that there
arc to-day under arms more than "a
5000 soldiers in the European war.
tho immensely OF the task OF Keeping
these men in the field and keeping
them supplied with the munitions with
which they wage war Will appear. 1t
has been estimated that ii costs APP
proNimatcly 500 to outfit 4 soldier.
OF this, S.5 goes for his gun and $50
for his 1000 rounds OF cartridges. The
average life OF uniform under mod
crn service conditions is very short:
that of the ordinary rife is six months.
In all Of the history Of war there has
all OF the materials with which it is
made.
.'An idea can he gained of the inn
mcnsity Of the outlay required in the
prosecution Of q great battle by refer
encc To some of the figures from Yer
dun. \ seventy five -centimcter gun
can fire about 800 projcctiles a day.
Each Of Acsc projectiles costs APP
proNimate!y SO. Counting this and the
depreciation OF the gun. which IL par
iculariy rapid. the daily outlay for
its operation amounts to {2.700. II
is estimated that the 100 seventy-hvc-
centimcter cannon in an army corps
fired all day cost in munitions and
depreciation $4,000 In addition to
mis-. each army corps has about forty
pieces of heavy artillery. Explosives
ana depreciation for q single days
work for them total $500, 900 making
the total artillery expense Of an army
corps $4,000 daS.
Cost OF Battle Of Verdun
The lighting OF 100 days around
Ncrdun cost an amount which is rep
resented by column OF gold one yard
square and 81 feet high. or approx
inatcly as high as the statue OF Lib
"rt% on the Capitol dome at Washing
ton
IF the outlay in gun metal and
p"wder is heavy. IL il II" more so than
the outlay for materials demanded hv
IN" present necessities Of trench war
rare An officer who has studied this
phase OF the present war carcfuIIy
says that 10 put "A trench in state
III Tor o"cupatio in winter requires
100000 running feet OF three three
timber. 5000 running feet of CORFU.
gated ron. G,i25.ooo sand-bass. weigh
ing LOO" tons. and $1,000 standards
and pi"kets TO the mile
IN addition to thia. 900 miles of
nhrbed- wire has 10 be used weighing
Nv tons When one stops TO recall
inc hundreds OF miles Of trenches which
stretch across Europe in different di-
r"'tl"ns. and how often sections Of
ines" trenches have TO be rebuilt. no
can gain some idea Of the Tremendous
OF material required in their
Another picture Of the wastucss o,
the NunitioutnS trade and the irn,ncn-
SHY OF the task OF Keeping the armies
TN tn" field and in ngh,ing condition
may DC had from the statement ,ha.
Ih"r, arc now more than 1000 con.
Sf"!!"u munitton plants in Great Brit /
On alone. or these. nineteen u.u Of
twenty never produced war materials
before the war broke out They ON
pioy nearly 100000 men and nearly
10000 women. The vastncsa Of tho IN.
dustrN in England Is no; out OF pro-
portion tn that In France Although
''crmanN holds 30 per cent OF Frances
coal and some so per cent of her iron
france has been able, by the opening
'ip OF new furnaces and by iinmcne.
importauons Of ore and pig metal .
largely 10 overcome this handicap.
Trndc In the United Stntcs
While IL is very difficult to pre-
sent authentic figures upon tho pro.
portions of tho munitions used by tho
niles furnished ny tho United states.
the figures Of tho Department Of Com
mcrcc do show something Of the [
growth of the muuition trade. Au- /
thorittes widely disagree as TO IN. per
rcntaCc OF Americas contribution 10 I
munitions. one authority puts IL as
low as = per cent, while another says .
mat " docs not exceed per cent.
w hatcVct tho percentage may be. /
the figures of the Department of Com /
mere" show that during tho FIRST eight |