£7,600,000,000.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 205, 24 May 1919, Page 7

£7,600,000,000.

ESTIMATED TOTAI, OF THE . NATIONAL DEBT. There are good grounds for saying that the National Debt of Ihe country to-day has reached the colossal total of ,£7,000,000.003 (states the London "Daily News"). Before Ihe war it was about Ji(!50,000,(HHI. On February I last the Government admitted that Ihe total debt then wns ,000,000, ami Ihe country has lmd : to borrow between four and live millions a day since then. Mr-Sydney Arnold, M.l\, who has several times elicited interesting facts from Hie Govs-rnment in a non-oral question in the House of Commons recently, got iTom Jl.iV Auslen Chamberlaina statement of-'the total amounts to 1 the latest available dale of the chief items in our indebtedness. ,The .statement of (lie Chancellor of the Exchequer is as follows-— 'The 'approximate amounts outstanding on February- 28 were:— £ - - 1 per cent, and 5 per cent. War Loan 2,071,700.000 National War Howls 1,(117,000.1100 Exchequer Bonds 1185.450.000 Treasury Hills 'JU7.00(I,000 War savings Certificates tat cash proceeds)' 'J:!1,100,000 Loans advanced by the U.S. Government ' 800,000,000 So far the official statement and several of-'.theso amounts-are given for the lirst lime. ' But in the total indebtedness have to bo included -6279,817,(W0 of Consols. X62.740.0W of Three and a Half Per Cent. War Loan offored'in November. '1914,'.000,000 -of Four and a Half P<ir Cent; War Loan, and Ji11,000,000 outstanding of the Six ]'er Cent. Exchequer Bonds of 1910. The foreign indebtedness Includes the money laken up privately-in the United States,, anil somo .loiit. by neutral Stales.. There ore items like tiie ..£100,000,000 of Irish Land Sloiik.also to be included to make the grand total.

Chaplain .T, M'Kcnzie, who Ims recently returned from active- service, will speak at the men's meeting at the Y.M.C.A., Willis Street, 011 Sunday afternoon. Tito chaplain has just taken up work in connection with the Presbyterian Church in the city. He will have a--special mess.ngo foriyoung meu. All relumed soldiers .art invited. The. strangers'- tea wili -be held at 5 p.m.