The Hayti herald., 1921-08-04
DISARMAMENT TO SAVE
HALF BILLION YERLY
BY HARRY l.. ROGERS,
News Service staff

Disarmament conference TO De nelu
in Washington this fal Improves the
Harding Administration for substan-
tial reductions in armaments, accord
ing to military and naval experts
Enthusiasts, who may be correct,
place the savings which reasonably
may be expected to result from the
proposed curtailment Of the naval
and military establishments as high
as one billion dollars annually. Ac-
cepting the lower figure, the sum saw
ed to the taxpayers of the United
States for the eperiod of $50 years.
compounding every five wears at five
per cent, would considerably exceed
twelve hundred bilions,or more than
four times the estimated worth of the
United States today.
In the year 1920 five big nations
Great Britain. the United States,
France, Italy and Japan-spent for
military and naval purposes Sl6,442,-
251,lO1. This sum is a little over
$4,000, 100000 more than all those
natious together expended for milit-
airy purposes nthe fourteen years
extend ing from 1900 to 1914. 1t has
been eestimatad that in order to pay
FOR the tremendous ornaments now
in contemplation u staX of SO for
! every man woman and child in the
yor,d would have 10 be levied.
OF the billions of dollars raise!
every year by every conceivable tax
alton more than ninety per cent goes
either to prepare for future wars or
to pay the expenses OF wars that have
already been fought. To be more
| specific, statistics show that out OF
every dollar raised by taxation, S2
cents is spent for things rasultlgn
from or appertaining to war.
f! The cost of the world war alone
both in lives and in money, is almost
beyond realization. Thirty millions
people perished by weapon, by gas,
disease or hunger, to say nothing OF
other millions who were blinded or
| manned; and it has been estimated
that if an earthquake should swal-
low up the whole United States it
could destroy no more wealth than
was consumed in that world confiag-
ration.
Although the United States en-
tered the war somewhat later than
the other nations it's expenses were
greater during the comparatively
short period of it's participation than
in all the preceding 12S years of our
history. In December, 1918, the
month following the signing of the
armistice, our expenditures were
greater than for all that period OF
seventy-two years before the Civil
War. During the single month OF
December we expended each day more
money than in the first eleven years
OF our nationhood
The following figures cast an nj
+eresting light upon the manner In
which expenditures for armaments
have increased in the United States:
In 1850 the per capita expenditure
was SLIT; in 1860, S2.O1: in 1870.
s7.61; in 1880, S52S; in 1890, S4.75
in 1900, $3.50; in 1910, $3.50; and
in 1919. S144.77.
In the fiscal year ending June 80
1890, the appropriations for the ma"
tional Government aggregated So
496.575,OOO. OF this sum there was
expended, for the War and Navy De-
partments, S1,424 S,667, or 25 per
cent of the entire amount; So
S55,OOO,OOO, or 81 per cent, went for
previous wars, in the way of pensions
etc. For primary functions OF gov
ernment S1S1. 100000 was expend-
ed, or about 3.2 per cent Of the whole
For public works of every description
the government paid out s16s,OOo,-
900. For research and educational
development this nation lavoshed the
sum of $57,O93,660, or 1.OOl per
cent of the whole sum expended.
In other words, for the various ue-
partments of research. for the incul-
cation of the principles of good ciu-
zenship, for the Americanization OF
foreign elements and for such othei
educational work as the Govern
ment supports wholly or in part the
United States appropriated l per cent
i -.
of five and half billion dollars
while for wars, past and expected
nearly SO per cent.
Many American statesmen assert
that if the coming conference shall
prove as successful as it is reasonable
go expect the proportion of our fu'
ture expenditures will be reversed
that for ordinary governmental func-
tions, for good roads, public build
~