The diamond drill., 1922-02-03
MAGNITUDE OF BILLIONS

l have been throwing the incredible
anybody else has the faIntest concep-
tlon OF what one billion dollars really
Is. We speak Familiarity Of billions as
q commonplace, but most OF us live
| our lives In terms OF hundreds.
have shown you that every one
country. paid last year S53.T7 each
toward the support of the government.
or course, every person does not pay
exactly S53.77. A great many pay
more and some pay less; but those
who pay the most try TO take IL out
of those who pay the least by increas-
Ing the prices OF what they have 10
sell, or OF services rendered or work
performed, so that II averages out at
S53.77. Some pay more than their
share. others pay less. This is called
an incident OF taxation. The whole
point is that we all pay; that we pay
now more than we ever paid before /;
and there is no present prospect Of our
paying less for some years.
In this way we have all paid our
share In the World war The net cost
OF that enterprise TO date has been
| S24, ,100.0000O0. or, including our loans
10 foreign governments. which have
not been repaid, $33. ass, 100000. These
are official treasury figures DO not
let your eyes rEn over them lightly
Thirty-three billion four hundred and
fifty-flve million dollars is an almost
lncomprehensible sum. The cost OF
running the national government Is
now around S5,000,O00,000 year. The
experts say that for the next two or
three years the cost OF the government
will not descend below about $4,000
100000 a year.
want you clearly 10 understand tho
immensity. the magnitude. the ever
whelming size OF such sums. We
chatter about billions nowadays with
out In the least knowing what is
billion. Let me try 20 bring IL home
20 you. II Is now, roughly speaking.
1920 years since the birth OF Christ.
We do not know precisely and accu-
rately at what hour and on what day
Christ was born. But under the Gre
gorian calendar, according 70 which
we now reckon time, we have
record of the days since January first
OF the year one, Ammo Domlni. From
the beginning OF the year one TO Jan
nary l. 1921, there elapsed about 70l.-
267 days, or, TO reduce IL further.
1880, 40S hours. which being reduced
again. means zoos, ,S24. .4s0 minutes.
will ask you 10 remember that the
whole history OF the modern world
from the first second OF the year one
10 the last second OF the year 1920
has been compressed into 1,009. .s24, ,4S0
minutes.
Now let us suppose that with the
permission OF the Roman authorities
the United states had established
dlsbursing officer at Jerusalem on the
first day of the year one with instruc-
tlons 10 pay out 50 minute day and
night. Sundays and holidays included,
right down through the centuries 10
New Years day, 1921.
Suppose he had been given s5.6s6.-
0O5 706 20 start him ON his long spell
of spending. That is one estimate OF
the sum that IL cost to run this gov
ernment I'm 1920. On the morning OF
January 1, 1891. this mythical dlsburs-
Ing officer, giving money away at the
rate Of 81 minute. would have spent
only $5,049, 122, 400. and would still
be one OF the richest men IN the
world. for he would have left on
hand s838. 1885, 800 OF the original sum.
Paying out at the rate OF 81 a minute
for more than 1900 years. he would
not have kept pace with the cost OF
upkeep of this government for the one
single year 1920.
Suppose this imaginary government
spender had been authorized 20 pay
out at the rate Of S23 minute through
the centuries. He would not have
finished, on January 1. 1921, paying
for our share OF the cost OF the World
war by some s7s4.036.ee0. He would
have that much left over after paying
out s23. .225, ,e63. .040. He would have been
paying out nearly 40 cents every sec
ond the clock licked for more than 10
centuries without being able TO dis
charge our share Of the World war
cost.
DO you ever bother your head about
these bushels and bushels OF dollars
Chat you contribute 10 the support OF
the government You earned them.
You know whether they came easIIy or
not DO you know where they go
sitter they leave YOU how they are
spent, whether wisely or foolIshly7
Its all your money, contributed for the
proper and economic conduct OF your
business. There Is no such thing as
government money. The government
never earned n cent
You own the government and you
support H. and II ls merely admins
tered by men OF your selection. l.
have always been puzzled about why
you do not take an active and enRer