Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-10-09
COSTS AMERICA MORE
 IN CARRYING ON WAR
 THAN OTHER NATIONS
Reason Is For Fact Ameri. cans Always Like to
 Spend More Money.
Associated Press.

Washington, Oct. Why does i cost the United States so much more
 to make war than it costs any of its
 co-belligerents?
 What is being done with the tens
 of billions being raised from Liberty Bonds and taxation? One often hears these questions.
 The answer is not difficult. It is, simply, that it costs an Am erican more to do anything than it
 costs anyone else in the world That is the best reason why Americans should buy Liberty Bonds.
 The American army is composed of
 workingmen. The American work
 ingman demands higher standard of everything than any other work
 comes soldier he carries that stan- daId with him, and, comparatively
 gets it.
 Napoleon said, and everybody ever since has repeated, that ian army
 travles on it's stomach. So naturally
 the subsistence of the American sol
 dier comes first in the long bill which
 is rapidly running to $52.0O0, 1000, ,00O
 a day.
 The regular ration list of the American army calls for forty-nine
 different items of food It includes
 many things which are luXuries to the soldiers of the foreign armies At that, it only costs 32 cents a day
 to feed soldier. The figure is low
 because the government has the ad- vantage of dealing in billions and tons where the individual deals in dollars and pounds. Even so, the army has felt the increased cost of living because it cost only 1231 cents day to feed soldier during the Spanish war. A. Take into account the almost stag
 gering sums the government has
 spent for food alone since the war began. $37,OO0.OOO worth of flour; $14,OOO,0OO worth of sugar: S43,000.- worth of beans; $9.000,000 worth of canned tomatoes; $3,o00.G00 worth of rice. It sounds almost like a food bill for nation.
 Without any disparagement what
 ever of the rationing system of the
 co-belligerents it may be said that while the food of the British soldier compares favorably with that of his American cousin, the French ration is less acceptable to the American
 and that of the Italians would get
 very cold reception.
 The equipment of the American soldier is no less up to standard than his food. Since the beginning of the war the government has spent $126,-
 Oo0,O0O for shoes. Only recently a ! contract was let which is intended to keep every soldier with two pairs --one for marching and one for gene ral wear The price in quantity o1
 millions, was we'll over $5 pair
 Old soldiers of the regular army can remember when the government is- sued "Erogans" far removed in qua lity from the army shoe today. The American soldiers clothing SC far has cost round $500,000,000. Fol his blankets the government has spent $150,000,00O. Everything else is in proportion for in every parti.
 cnlar of his equipment the govern ment has supplied the soldier with the same relative high standard he was accustomed to- at home in civil lire. The extra cost or malntalmnS
 an army on foreign soil has entered into the huge bill because it has been found that it cost $42327 tC equip and maintain a soldier a year
 abroad as against $327.7S at home Of this sum $251S5 goes for food
 The rationing expenses at home !s $1S9.S0.
 The high standard has been carri. ed to the soldiers pay. For all prac. tical purposes of estimate the Ameri- can soldiers is the highest paiC fighting man in the world. He ac- tually gets more than the average German officer. To the $33 a montl private receives from the govern
 ment is added sum for his depen. dents, depending upon their condi tion and number. Canada and tho other British colonies more nearly | approximate the pay of the Ameri | can soldier than any others of tht l Co-belligerents.
 Taking into consideration all thes. questions it is not strange that Am iericas war bill is greatest.