THE COST OF WAR.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XL, Issue 5777, 4 March 1912, Page 4

THE COST OF WAR.

EUROPEAN economists are busily estimating the cost of a war between England and Germany, not, of course, the cost in human life, which does not matter, but the cost in money, which does matter. Italy's war with Turkey is costing £80.000 a day. and "he has only 600,00 people in the field. The Boer war cost a total of £207,000,000. The Russo-Japanese war cost Russia £144.600.000 and Japan £130,000,000, but these figures will all be surpassed in the struggle that everyone assumes to be close. A moderate estimate assumes that the Io3S in a war between Germany, France and England, lasting a year would be £460,000,000 each. Professor Riesser, the German finance, expert, puts the figures a little lower. Assuming that Germany puts 2000,----000 men into the field and keeps 1,000,000 as a reserve, she wiJI pay for the first year £340,000,000. France will pay about the same, and also England. The first step on the declaration of war would be to transform all State banks into war banks, to seize deposits everywhere, and to issue. paper money to be accepted at fare value. No European country has a war reserve with the exception of Germany and Russia. But Germany's famous treasure house in the tower of Spandau contains only £6,000,000, while the Bank of State at St. Petersburg has in its vaults £90,000,000. That such discussion should arise at the present time is ominous, especially as there are but few signs that the people of Europe have any intention to enforce their own peaceful interests upon their Governments.