Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-17
BILLION A MONTH
!. s. WAR COST,
AUGUST HIGHEST
Seventeen Months Of War
Costs Government $17,
339,681,342 and Ex-
penSeS Growing.

Washington, Sept. 16.-Seventeer
months of war have cost the United
States government $l7,359, 6Sl ,342-
a billion dollars month. This rate
has increased so rapidly, however,
that August expenses ran up to
$l,805,5l3,222, or nearly $200,0OO,000
more than the highest previous rec
ord set in July.
These figures from the Treasury
show that less than ~ years of
modern warfare have cost the Unit
ed States more than four times
the combined Union and Confeder-
ate outlays for three years of the
civil war, calculated at $500, 100000
for the union and $l,500,0O0,0O0 for
the confederates.
The report also shows double the
rate of increase in expenditures es-
timated by the government in June,
then set at $l00,000,000 more each
month. If this rate CONTINUES, ex-
penses for the year ending next
June 80 will be much more than
the $24,000,000,000 estimated, and the
country may be called on to absorb
more than the $l6,00O,0O0,O00 of
Liberty bonds now tentatively
planned.
Allies Get Big Sum.
The Treasury report also shows
further of the $l7,339000,000 cost Of
the war to date, $l0,989,O77,0 900 has
been spent for ordinary war pur-
poses, and $6,245,764000 has gone
as financial aid to the allies. This
will be repaid eventually, and coli
sequently may be deducted in cal
culating the net war expense to the
United States government.
Only $5,03l, $4,000 has been gath
cred by the government from taxes,
customs and other minor sources of
revenue since the war started, and
$l2 ,300,000,00O from Liberty loans
and sale of certificates of indebted
ness, which are to be converted into
Liberty bonds. This indicates that
only % per cent OF war expenses to
date have been drawn directly from
the pockets of the people. and that
II per cent has come from popular
borrowings which will necessitate
heavy tax levies long after the war.
The third Liberty loan has now
brought in $4l65.635,000. which
leaves only $ll, 100000 of the $4,l76-
100000 original subscriptions yet to
be paid in. The last installment
was due three weeks ago. Income
and excess profits trucking in dur
ing August raised the total from
this source within the last year to
S2,G42, 29S,000 and officials expect
this to rise gradually to $3,000,0O0-
900 as delinquent payments are
rounded up by internal revenue
agents.
Millions of thrifty citizens invest
ing in War Savings stamps have
piled up $647,554,O00. In August re-
ceipts from the stamps were $l29-
044 ,000. Even with this total, COM
parison shows that war savers did
not keep up their pace set in July,
when the government collected SILL
$4,000 as a result of the national
campaign on thrift day.
Tremendous war expenses these
days--$60,O00,000 a day-are being
met by the sale Of certificates of in
debtedness, virtually short time
loans from banks, to be refunded
in the fourth Liberty loan. Even
with $500,000,0O0 of these securi-
ties going out every two weeks, and
a corresponding inflow of money,
the governments working balance
has dropped from about 81, 10000
600, where it stood for the last few
to about $l,000,0 100000. The
figure represents funds on hand,
most of which is distributed as de-
posts among hundreds of banks,
but available at all times for check