Evening star., 1945-09-21
British Plea for Funds
Reported 70 Be Citing
Greater War Sacrifice.
By JOSEPH H. BAIRD.

The argument that Britain's sac
rifces in defeating the Axis has
been far greater proportionately
than those of the United States and
that Britain was industrially weak
ened by its long war effort have been
advanced by London's negotiators
here in support of its request for
financial aid, 1t was learned reliably !
today.
This thesis, it was learned, has
been supported with mass of sta
tistical data, presented to Assistant
Secretary of State Clayton and the
American negotiators by the Earl
of Halifax, the British Ambassador |
and Lord Keynes, British treasury
adviser.
The British, who are seeking fin
ancial credits ranging from S3,000,-
100000 to $4,000 00o, ,0o0-depending
on recovery plans eventually to be
adopted-plan to present their en-
tire statistical case to the public |
shortly.
Case Can Be Summarized.
Meanwhile, it is possible to sum-
Marie the British case on the basis
of figures which Lord Halifax and
Lord Keynes have presented to the
American group.
The British argue that total en-
three-quarters times greater than
those of the United States. In
terms of killed and missing. their /.
losses are estimated at three and /
one-half times those of America.
The British hold that in terms of
man-years spent in the Army, Brit
ish Empires forces have contributed
twice as much service as United |
States servicemen. This figure, it
is said, does not account for per-
sonnel in Britains civil defense or
OF men in the home guard.
Industry Has Deteriorated.
More salient in its application to
the present problem is the British
argument that the deterioration OF
Britain's industrial plants and
equipment for nonwar industries,
which provide the nations exports,
has been two or three times greater
than in American plants.
The British point out that be-
cause of lease-lend they drastically
cut the production of consumer
goods in favor of war materiel and
consequently enter the postwar era
with badly depleted production IA
cilities.
In computing the effects of lease
lend on the British economy the
negotiators hold that because of the
disparity in prices in the United
States and the United Kingdom the
pound should be translated into dol
lars at the rate of s6 rather than
the official figure of S403.
Lease-Lend Effect Cited.
On this basis, they hold, American
lease-lend shipments amounted to
Is per cent of British national pro-
duction as compared to reverse
lease-lend. which was only ! per
cent of American production. The
British argue that the sudden ces-
sation of lease lend has had a dele
terious effect on the economy of the
United Kigdom.
According to the British figures.
civilian per capita consumption OF
goods in the United States increased
Is per cent during the war years,
while in the United Kingdom con-
sumption fell off by the same
amount. From this is drawn the
obvious conclusion that the people
Of Britain felt the pinch of Wa:
much more drastically.
In financial terms. the British
hold that while America paid Alt
per cent of war costs by taxation.
Britons carried 53.3 per cent of
theirs through taxes. Also, it was
said, British sacrifices of foreign in
vestments to finance the war were
IS times greater than those of the
United States.
While the United States suffered
no physical damage from the war.
the British point out that 4,50O,0OO
homes in the United Kingdom were
bombed, and of these 100000 were
completely destroyed. They esti-
mated total property damage at s4,-
800,000,00O. Payments of s1,084,-
100000 already have been made to
householders by the British War
Damage Corp.