Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-04
'SNOWDEN PICTURES
BIG NAVY" COSTS
Briton Injects Armament's
Expense Sheet Into Naval
Farley.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE,
staff Correspondent of The Star.

stan Correspondent OF The Star.
BY Radio to The Star.
LONDON, January Phillip Snow
den. the Labor governments brilliant
chancellor of the exchequer, in a speech
at Leeds, now has injected into the
Nacal Conference the factor which pres
emily will dominate its proceedings,
namely, the purely financial side of
naval limitation and reduction.
During the fortnight of the confer
ence's existence, the delegates have con-
cerned themselves either with platitudi-
nous references to the desirability of
ending naval competition in tho name
of ueace. or with technical discussions
of tons and guns. The time now is APP
preaching rapidly when the conference
will be talking in dollars, pounds, francs,
lire and yerS.
$500, 100000 a Year Now.
Chancellor Snowden directs attention
to that phase Of the London delibera-
tions in the "braSS tacks" fashion OF
which he is a past master. He recalled
at Leeds that Britain'S present eXpen-
diture on sea, land and air armament
amounts to $500 100000 yearly.
He added that interest alone on Bri-
tainS war debt of $4,000, 000, 900 ag-
gregates $1,750, 100000. To this arma-
ment and war interest total of $780,
100000, John Bull is paying his war
veterans $280,000,0 900 year, bringing
the grand total of the present war eS-
Enlistment and the results of the
World War up to $2,630, 900 900. Other
budget items that must be provided for
out of the pockets of the British tax
payers call for an additional $870,00O,-
600.
The problem confronting the chancel-
Tor of the exchequer at this moment is
to raise $500 600, 900 In taxes. He must
submit his budget to Parliament at the
end of March. It will be a budget show
ing that at this time, every penny of
income tax. SurtaX and death duties col
lected in Britain goes to finance the
war and armament costs enumerated.
Similar Figures in Europe.
These are the British figures, but
they find their counterpart in other
European countries represented at the
London naval conference. Everywhere
on this side of the ocean more money
now is being spent on armament than
before the World War. This doesn't
mean that armies, navies or air forces
actually are bigger in every case than
then, however. The generally increased
expenditure is due in many instances
to the vastly higher cost of ornaments
today. Whatever causes the terrific
financial burdens which they impose,
European backs are bending under
them and, to less extent, the backs of
the taxpayers Of Japan.
In Britain every man or woman
whose income amounts to $50 pounds
q he A
ings for each pound Of it. If that were
the system in the United States, it
would mean that everybody earning
$500 would have to hand over $3.50 of
it to Secretary Mellon. The surtax
begins with all incomes of $4,000.
The person with such an income pays
IN Britain a tax of $4,000.
Death Tax Takes Bulk.
A multi-millionaire like Lord Rothc-
mere, newspaper magnate, now in the
United States, might have an estate
valued at $200,000,000. The chan
celler of the exchequer steps in when
such fortunes are probated and collects
rs or 80 per cent of it for death duties.
These staggering figures are among the
reasons why millions in Britain and in
two continental naval nations are long
ing for concrete results at the London
Conference.
Relief from curtailed naval expendi-
lures will not be of Immediately sub
stantial dimensions, though it will have
a noticeable effect.
The cancellation of cruisers other
than light craft, just announced by the
British admiralty, was decided from
budget motives rather than for the pur-
pose OF setting an example to the con-
ference. This obviously Is the case, be-
cause cancellations, as far as any actual
reduction of British sea power is con-
cerned, amount to nothing at ALL
The reason that BritonS, Frenchmen
and Italians are working at London now
to accomplish some form of naval limi-
tation and reduction Is that such action
will set the armament retrenchment
fashion. 1t will be beginning.
Hope for Deep Cut in 1886.
When the succeeding conference con-
veneS in 1886, Secretary of State Slim
son, Premier Macdonald, Premier Tar
dieu, Minister Grandi and Former
Premier Wakatsuki definitely are hope
ful that having learned the art of cut
ting down expenses on fleets, 1t will be
relatively easy for their governments
TO make sweeping Slashes in naval
budgets.
There is every prospect that a start
in that direction will be made at Lon
don, of a character which the taxpayers
can understand. It probably will not
be as big as some of them would like,
but its main significance will lie in the
certainty that the path to eventual re-
trenchment on massive lines shall have
been opened.
(Copyright, I9SO.)
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