New-York tribune., 1920-10-11
Sl8,554,0 100000 Spent in
l9 Months by America,
Exclusive of Huge Loans
TO the Allied Nations
Taxes at Summit
In This Country
Every Department of Supply
Claring With Ineficiency
Rampant at Washington

Tho following article is tho
trst Of series revealing what the IN
efficiency Of the Administration cost
the people of the United States in tho
conduct of the wor.
Americas participation in the war
cost the American people S1S,554 ,oO0,-
600, exclusive of s9,646, 900 900 loaned
to the Allies.
The United States was engaged in
hostilities nineteen months at a cost of
almost one thousand million dollars a
month. Including money loaned to the
Allies, the American people increased
their debt during the war at the rate
of almost S5o,0OO,ooo a day.
Such numerals and ciphers are be-
yond the human mind No man can
visualize billion. Possibly one one
hundredth Of / per cent of the Amer
lean people can visualize a million
the one-thousandth part of billion,
Yet the war took from American pock-
cts or mortgagcd American pockets at
the rate of more than 100000 an
hour for nineteen months.
President Wilson signed the war
declaration on April 6, 1917.
Allies In Four Years
England and France were in the war
four years and three months. each
mob;lizlng mere than 100000 men.
England increased her national debt
about S23,500,000 excluding her
loans to her allies, and France in
creased her debt twenty billions. Italv
was IN the war three years and five
months at cost of something over
thirteen billions. Our war cost tota]ed
about "a per cent of England's total
war cost, over 90 per cent of Frances
and more than twice as much as
Italys. 'NN' 10
The American people paid larger
percentage of their war costs throu~h
taxes than did the British neonles tIs -
whlle Italy and France fought mainly
on credits. mainly
committees of Congress were an
pointed to ascertain why the Admin
lstratlon spent such enormous amounts
Oh money. An investigation of the
necords re OF these committees shows thu +
Sl,OOO0O0,00O a month failed 70 SIM
ply Pershlng's army in France Win
guns, shells. gas, tanks and the many
varieties OF weapons and equipment
neeaed TO subdue the enemy.
lhough lncomprehensible billions
we're spent, Pershing fought almost
wnoiiy from first to last with guns.
munitions, aeroplanes and other ma,
terials either borrowed or bouoht fron,
the Allies. AZ oii'
records show that billions of dollars
were spent too late and were wasted in
program of hectic production. which
produced virtually nothing for the fir-
ing line up to the time Pershinr's forces
had chopped their way through the
Argonne in November, 1918, and aided
IN placing the Germans in a position
where they were forced to beg for an
armistice. ''''
Allied Advisers Sent Over
A search of the records, as we'll as
utoefsnces OF both President Wilson
and Secretary of War Baker, indicates
that the Administration believed the
war might be settled without any great
use OF American troops, and while can
tonmcnts were built and camps con-
structed and filled with men no ade
quatc provision was made to euuip them
with fighting materials until almost \
year had elapsed after the declaration
Of war.
When it became apparent through
the great drives by the Germans
against the British and French early in
1918 that American assistance at full
strength was imperative, the Admins
tration spent billions in war projects.
England and France, which nations
had experienced agonies of delay in the
early stages of the war and had solved
the problem of war control when we
entered, sent commissions to Washing
ton Immediately after our declaration
to help the Administration prepare.
These commissions included experts in
war organization and acquainted sys-
TENS of employing material resources 3
with the greatest speed and economy.
They offered, among other things, mod
els and plans for the famous French
Continued on page hvs)