Evening star., 1923-09-30

ing new paper money. Out of every
dollar she spent in that year, SO cents
went for military purposes. She spent
S3.Sl on the army for every 81 she
raised in taxes. That such a policy
could only end in disaster was evident
to any observer.
The next year. 1921, her receipts
were less than one-third of her ex-
penses Still her military expenses
were more than her receipts from
! taxes. Last year. 1922, for every dol
lar the government spent she raised
40 cents in taxes, of which 33 cents
were for military purposes The fig
ures for this year so far, instead of
cutting the spread between expenses
and receipts. show just the reverse.
| The Polish mark is depreciating in
value so fast that not more than 80
per cent of the expenses Of the gov
ernment this year will be raised from
taxes. Still the military expenses
continue. That's the reason for the
huge increase in paper marks each
month. In four years Poland has
completely destroyed her financial
! machinery of exchange. Her present
| currency is unstable, unreliable and
useless.
The new country of Poland owes
s2s7.OOO,OOO in debts outside her
country. Among these items in this
total are the following:
To the United States Grain Cor
poration. s24,OOO.o0o.
American Relief Administration
SOL 100000.
United States Liquidation Commits
sion, s57.000.O00.
United States War Department,
$50 100000.
United States Shipping Board,
81, 600. 900.
United States Navy Department,
Those items she cannot pay in
worthless paper marks. She can pay
only by gold orr goods. She has no
gold, so she must pay these items
only by creating an excess of exports
over her imports. There is no other
way. The size of the payment is de-
termined finally by the excess of ex-
ports over imports.
What is her record in this regard
Briefly, in 1919, her imports In value
were nine times her exports. No help
in that year. In 1920 her imports.
in metric tons, were five and one
half times her exports. Still no help.
In 1921, her imports in value were
four and one-half times her exports,
Still no help. In 1922 her imports
were two and one-half times her ex-
ports. What conclusion can we draw?
Only one. Up to this time she has
had no excess of exports over i'm
ports with which to pay dollar of
her foreign debts. In fact, she has
been creating more and more foreign
obligations, which must sooner or
later be met, or. her volume of i'm
ports must shrink.
Poland has been going behind every
year. She has been sinking finan-
cially and economically every year
since she became nation. A nation
cannot be built on promises to pay
or armies. mo nation in Eurooa fha Z
visited has shown so little capacity
in the handling Of her government
finance and national organization as
Poland.
The present collarless and tieless
premier of Poland, M. witos, and
his colleague Korfanty are intense
nationalists, trying desperately to
build up within Poland a complete
economic unit These men and their
colleagues are typical by-products of
the war-po1iticians Of the old school
who think only in terms Of the little
national unit of Poland and not of
the greater unit of Europe as a whole.
SO far Poland has been a disappoint-
ment financially, economically and
politically. She has shown herself to
be nothing but a military outpost for
sia and Germany. Poland. no more
than England or Italy, can build up
trade with armies and navies. Her
trade must be built up on good will
and genuine friendship.
Tomorrow: Finland. = Young and
healthy.
toopyrisht, 1923, il unitie states and Great
britain by North AmefGan Newspaper
Alliance. A rffhfk reserved