The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-03-03
FIGURES OF AMERICAS PART in
WAR PASS ALL PREVIOUS RECORDS

The war cost the United States
directly about $22 600, 00o, 600, or
nearly enough to pay the entire
cost OF running the American
government from 1871 UP to the
outbreak OF the European war.
For every hundred American sol
diers and sailors who served in
the war with Germany two were
killed or died Of disease during
the period of hostilities. The
number of men serving in the
armed forces of the nation dur
ing the war was 100000, OF
whom 100000 served in the
army.
These facts are set forth in a
statistical summary Of "The War
With Germany" compiled under
the direction OF Colonel Leonard
p. Ayers, chief of the statistics
branch of the general staff Of
the army.
This summary, just published
by Colonel Ayers by direction OF
the secretary of war, is a COM
plete review of Americas partici-
patton in the war against Ger
many condensed into less than
$50 pages. 1t is detailed sum-
mary of American military OPP
erations, and yet the long statis-
ficial reports are entirely lack
ing.
Colonel Leonard P. Ayers is
the only officer from civilian life
who has risen to the position of
chief Of division Of the general
staff. Before the war he was a
director Of the Russell Sage
Foundation. He was chief sta
tistical officer of the peace COM
mittee. After his return here
he received the distinguished
service medal.
Some of the Figures.
Some of the statistical sum-
maries in the report show:
The war cost the United States
considerably more than $1,000
900 an hour for over two years.
Americas expenditures in the
war were sufficient to have car
ried on the revolutionary war
continuously for more than a
thousand years at the rate of
expenditure which that war ac-
tually involved.
During the first three months
expenditures were at the rate of
$2,000,000 a day. During the next
year they averaged more than
$22,OO0,000 a day. For the final
ten months the daily average
was. over $4,000, 900.
The total war costs Of all ma
tons were about s1s6,O00, 00O,-
600, of which the allies and the
United States spent two-thirds
and the enemy one-third.
The three nations spending
the greatest amounts were Ger
many, Great Britain and France,
in that order. After them come
the United States and Austria
Hungary with substantially equal
expenditures.
The United States spent about
one-eighth of the entire cost of
the war and something less than
one-fifth of the expenditures of
the allied side.
The total battle deaths of all
nations in this war were greater
than all deaths in all the wars
in the previous hundred years. ,,
Russian battle deaths were
thirty-four times as heavy as
those of the United States, those
Of Germany thirty-two times as
great, France twenty-eight times
and the British eighteen times
as large.
Infantry Suffered Most.
In the American army the cas-
ualty rate in the infantry was
higher than in any other serv-
ice, and that for officers was
higher than for men.
For every man killed in battle
seven were wounded.
Five out of every six men sent
to hospitals on account of wounds
were cured and returned to duty.
Pneumonia killed more soldiers
than were killed in battle. Men.
nights was the next most serious
disease.
The British sent more men to
France in their first year Of war
than we did in our first year. but
it took England three years to
reach strength Of 100000 men
in France, and the United States
accomplished it in one-half of
that time.
In the physical examinations
the states of the middle west
made the best showing. Country
boys did better than city boys,
white better than colored and
native better than foreign born.
Most Of the troops who sailed
for France left New York. Half
of them landed in England and
. the other half in France.
or every 100 Americans who
went over, forty-nine went in
British ships, forty-five in Ameri-
can ships, three in Italian, two in
French and one in Russian ship
ping under English control.
American cargo ships averaged
one complete trip every seventy