PEACE AND WAR

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1714, 4 January 1905, Page 2

PEACE AND WAR

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON,* November 14. ..: :A. The ; “ Wall Street • Journal '’f'recently published a fanciful comparison between the cost of the war in Manchuria .and the. Josses by- lire in the,. United States. Taking Count Okiima’s est imate of 2,500,000,000 dollars for the ; expenses of a two-years’ war for Russia)' and Japan, the “Journal?’ points out. that; this sum ; cannot be properly charged against 1004, since the war has only been, in ‘progress less than a year. Yet the estimated - losses by firb in' tire) United States for the current year work Out at 250, million dollars, or 10 .per; cent., of the entire, money cost of. .a two-years’ war ! );•• -''A-A? :A- .... A A.-A: ?) The WjJbufha! .next" proceeds to cQihpare the casualtiesof the crimpa-ign with those pociiri’ing on the railways of the United, States as follows j—The battle of Liaoyang alone- is said to have resulted in 27,000 killed' and wounded. That was one/of the" bloodiest battles ever fought. If the losses at Port Arthur were as heavy , there have already been 54,000 ineri killed and grievously wounded by : war. For the sake of ; argument, 'let us take this risti-. riaatie as approximately correct. 1 Now, in the fiscal year, ending 30th June, 1904, there; were 9984 -persons, killed and 78,247 injured by.. railroad: accidents in the United States.. Let us put - these figures together and see what they look like:—v . '■ ’ -t/;

K illed and wounded, . Russia- . ; Japan war ‘ ' ... o-i.OOO Killed and wounded,railroadaccidents in. United States... 88,231 The recent-battle at Yentai', and other skirmishes have, of course, materially altered the.wav casualty figures, hut even, if we -double that 54,000, the record of . the United States railways is by no means put into' the deep shade. America . is a. great country without 'doubt, .Beyond dispute.; she holds the world’s records for .blizzards, .devastating cyclones, floods,; and fires, arid her railways systeins. - viewed' in- the light of man-manglers, must be record-lrokiefs also.