THE COST OF WAR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 3572, 26 October 1898, Page 2

THE COST OF WAR.

The strained Franoo-Britigli relations over a distant and outlandish pieee of Egyptian territory threaten at any moment to get the two nations at war. The financial side of war must be faced by both countries, and it is interesting, therefore, to glance back on the cost of recent wars. England and Franca have been at peace with each other since 1815, but for the 22 years prior to that the two countries were almost continuously engaged in hostilities. That long war with France oost Great Britain over .£613,000,000. The four years of the Civil war in America cost the United States £584,000,000, or .£146,000,000 a year. The Franco-Prussiau war involved Franco in cash payments amounting to .£371,515,280. An analysis of this will exhibit how a defeated combatant emerges from the struggle. Tbp following payments were made by France;

War expenditure, 1870 ... ... 43,920.610 War. expenditure, 187 i ... ... 23,008,830 Foreign occupation, 1871-73 ... 1,5 2.280 Provisioning Paris... ... ... 6 /8},720 Grants to families of soldiers ... 2,000,000 Interest on sums due to Germany 12,082,600 Maintenance of German troops ~ 9,915,000 Fines levied by Gormans ... 2,468,320 Disbursements on account of loans ... ... ... 35,216,720 Loss from non payment of taxes, 1870-71 14,567.580 Miscellaneous expenditure ... 21,912,560 War indemnity to Germany ... 200,000,000 '371,515,280 In addition, the wealthy province of Alsace and part of Lorraine were surrendered, a loss which cannot be expressed in money. The war between Japan and China cost the former £45,009,000 and the latter over .£00,000,000, besides the island of Formosa. The 112 days’ war between the United States and Spain cost the Americans about .£120,000,000, .but it is difficult to ascertain to what extent Spain suffered financially. War under modern conditions has a tendency towards costliness; the machinery employed is more complicated and costly, the expense of firing the large ordnance runs into several pounds sterling per shot, while the cost of tuning men to handle the delicate and death-dealing machinery entails a constantly increasing sum, y war between England and France will involve considerable expense to both nations, but there is no doubt that in addition to other advantages Great Britain's financial re-' sources are incomparably great. The positions of the two countries may be judged by their respective debts. At the date of the Peace of Paris September, 1815 —the national debt of Great Britain was -£900,436,845, and on the 31st March, 1897, it was £644,909,847. At the earlier date the debt of Prance was about £50,616.100 ; it is now £1,224,016,280. Thus, while England has reduced her debt by £255,000,000, Prauce has increased hers enormously. Great Britain can easily stand an increase of £500,000,000 to her national debt, but such an operation would cripple France, with her stagnant population, ,

The Church of England has in tho Mother Country taken the lead in public practical experiments for the 1 house reform of the liquor traffic, as eeporm distinguished from visionary league, attempts to prohibit all dealing

in intoxicants, and in a number of instances most encouraging results have been achieved. It is therefore a cheering sign to find the Anglican Synod of Dunedin resolving to recommend the formation of a Public House Reform League whose business it should be to educate opinion in this country on the principle of sale without profit. The end aimed at is to create such a public demand for tho nationalisation or municipalisation of the liquor traffic as will compel Parliamentary action. Thoughtful philanthropists all the world over are satisfied that by the elimination of the elements of competition and private profit, the worst evils associated with the drink traffic would be extirpated. With pure liquors, sold under Government or municipal guarantee, by public officials, and under conditions that would discourage excessive indulgence, the volume of intoxication and of crimes induced by it would be very materially lessened, and there would be no breaches of the law in the matter of selling during prohibited hours. A reasonable reform of this kind would, we believe, be welcomed by the people as a whole, and it is to be hoped that the movement started by the Dunedin Anglicans will extend to every part of the colony.