The Washington times., 1922-09-22

preparations for war are costing
the French only about 55 per cent
Of what our preparations are cost
ng US.
It is also to be noted that the
French army and navy expenses
are getting stepped down every
year. So are ours. But the i'm
preston has been that the French
expenses were going up. The con-
trary is the case. In 1919 the
number of francs spent by the
French on army and navy was 49,
600 ,00O.O In 1920 it was 1900.
100000. In 1921 it was $500, 900 900
In 1922 it is 5000, 900, 900. In 1929
1t will be 4,70O, O,OOO0. 900.
II is to be noted further that the
real increases in the cost of govern.
ment in France are in the civil ex.
penditures. They are i'm the eX.
penditures on things having to 10
with "the services Of peace" This
Is seen II a comparison is made be-
tween the year 1913 and the year
1922. In the period between 1913
and 1922 the French army and
navy expenditures went up from
I 800, 100000 to 5000, 900. 900. In the
same period the French civil eX-
penditures went up from ] 800, ,00O.-
900 to 1000, 100000.
In other words, the cost of gov.
eminent has increased in France.
but II has increased much more on
the civil side than on the military
side. The cost OF government has
increased everywhere. We ourselves
have gone up from years of spend
ing 81 900 000, 900 to years OF spend
ing $4,000. 100000. The problem Is
not merely French and not merely
European. II is universal. And
the principal factor in il for all
the countries that took any i'm
portant part in the late war Ia
precisely the task Of paying for
that war.
In the French budget for 1922. he
sides the army and navy expendi-
lures and the civil expenditures,
there is a little item for payments
on the public debt. This little item
amounts to more than $4,000, 900 ,0"o
francs.
France is paying us nothing on the
money which she owes TO US. 1t
might be argued that if she is able 10
| pay large sums to her domestic debt
ors she ought to be able to pay some
sums to her foreign debtors. On the
other hand, II might be argued that
her domestic debtors are bound to
have the first claim upon her for
two reasons.
First: She borrowed from them
| for almost three years during the
war before she borrowed from us
Second: The population Of Franc
was worse hit by the war than ours
was and therefore is in greater nec,l
of payments.
Whatever the merits OF these argu-
ments may be, the statistical fact
is that the service of the debt" is
| the central item in the French bud
| get. 1t can hardly be called "a cost
| Of government"
| II is a cost which no economy can
now reduce. And II amounts to
more than one-ha!f of the whole
French budget.
The whole French budget for 1922
is some $4,000. .00O, 900 francs. Mill
| tary expenditures-being 5000, ,000,-
| 000-are 20 per cent OF II. Civil ex.
penditures-being 1000, 900, ,00O-are
| 2S per cent OF II. The service OF
the debt"-being 100000, ,OOO-is
81 per cent of II.
In Francois with us-a political
party out of power is always going
to make enormous reductions in
taxes. Getting into office. It finds
the service of the debt" And then
the reductions OF taxation in reve-
nue. bills become very much less
enormous than they had been in
campaign speeches.