APPALLING COST OF WAR

Evening Star, Issue 15909, 15 September 1915, Page 6

APPALLING COST OF WAR

In exact figures, £9,147,900,000—0tcjt 43 times jis much as the total annual revenue . of the United Kingdom. That is the total direct and indirect cost of the war, -estimated up to July 31, 1915. Of that amount Great Britain's share will be £1.259.000,000, which covers the direct- expenditure of the Government, the capitalize! value of the loss of human life, and the loss of production. li. is pointed out, however, by Edgar Crammond, the recognised authority on war finance, that the accumulated wealth and national income of Groal Britain is on such a sound basis that, these have only been slightly affected by the war. While Germany is said to be utilising: all her means, only Ilia fringe of British resources in men, money, foodstuffs, and raw material has been touched, in spite of thi; estimated vast expenditure- t-o the end of July. , Britain's bill is less than that of France, ißuSsia. Austria, or Germany, the total loss to Belgium, which includes the value of property destroyed, being £526,500,000. Germany suffers most in pocket, and by the end of July will have expended £2,775,000,000. Germany's lo«s of production will amount. to at least £675,000.000 in the first 12 months- of the war, while she is spendhur £2,000,000 .i day, at the rata of £730,000,000 per annum, on the upkeep of her army in the field. France's bill for the maintenance of her 3.000,000 men now available for active service and the 1,000,000 in the reserve, is very heavy. Crammond puts it at £1,500,000 a day, while as practically tie whole of the ! male population between 19 and. 50 hare been withdrawn from production, the total loss of production amounts to £625,000,000. The total cost to France up t-o July 31 is estimated at £1.686,400,000 a vear—£286.400,000 more than the total cost to ' Russia.