The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1918-10-08
HIGH WAR BILL
OF U. S. DUE TO
HIGH STANDARD
American Soldiers Get Best
Care Of Any Of Allied Arm
ies-Bonds Pay Expenses.

WASHINGTON, Oct S.--Why does
1t cost the United States so much
more to make war than 1t 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
II is, simply, that it costs an Amer
lean more to do anything than 1t 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 working
man demands a higher standard OF
everything than any other working
man In the world When he becomes
soldier he carries that standard with
him, and. comparatively. gets 1t.
Napoleon said, and everybody ever
since has repeated, that an army
travels on its stomach. So naturally
the subsistence of the American sol
dier comes first in the long bill which
Is rapidly running to $50,O00,00O day
The regular ration list Of the Amer
lean army calls for forty-nine differ
ent items of food. 1t includes many
things which are luxuries to the sol
diers OF the foreign armies. At that,
1t only costs 32 cents day to feed
soldier. The figure is low because
the government has the advantage 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 1t
cost only 1921 cents day to feed a
soldier during the Spanish war
Highest Paid Lighter.
Take into account the almost stag
gering sums the government has spent
for food alone since the war began
$37,000,000 worth of -four; S14,000,OOO
worth of sugar; $43,000,000 worth OF
bacon; S12,000,000 worth of beans;
100000 worth of canned tomatoes;
SO ,000,0 worth Of rice. 1t sounds al
most like food bill for nation.
Without any disparagement what
ever of the rationing system OF the
cobelligerents 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.
der is no less up to standard than
his food Since the beginning Of the
war the government has spent $685.
100000 for shoes. Only recently
contract was let which Is intended to
keep every soldier with two pairs
one for marching and one for general
wear The price in quantity of mil
lions was well over IS a pair. Old sol
diers of the regular army can remem-
ber when the government issued bro
gans" far removed in quality from the
army shoe of today. The American
soldiers clothing so far has cost
round 100000, 900. For his blankets
the government has spent $150.000, 900.
Everything else is in proportion for
in every particular of his equipment
the government has supplied the sol
dier with the same relative high stand
ard he was accustomed to at home in
civil life. The extra cost of maintain
ing an army on foreign soil has en-
tered into the huge bill because it has
been found that it costs $423.27 to
equip and maintain a soldier year
abroad as against $327.7S at home.
OF this sum S251.85 goes for food.
The rationing expenses at home is
$1S9lS0.
The high standard has been carried
to the soldiers pay. For all practical
purposes of estimate the American sol
dier is the highest paid fighting man
in the world. He actually gets more
than the average German officer To
the $33 a month a private receives
from the government is added sum
for his dependents, depending upon
their condition and number. Canada
and the other British colonies more
nearly approximate the pay of the
American soldier than any others Of
the co-belligerents.
Taking into consideration all these
items It Is not strange that Americas
war bill is greatest.