SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144856, 7 December 1915, Page 6

SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

WHAT A THOUSAND MILLIONS IS The present war is costing a thousand million pounds a year. These figures are very easy to say; they are equally difficult M> grasp. But not too difficult. Assuming that tho instant was born a baby started collating. Every minute he counts sixty members. Ho counts ovorv moment of his time, twenty-four tours a day, with not an instant’s pause for sleep or food. By the time no had counted ono thousand million he would bo nearly 311 years of age. A thousand million pounds moans nearly all the gold coin in tho world. It means fourteen shillings for every human being on earth. It means enough gold, if beaten out, to cover 1560 square miles. Just fancy an army of a thousand million soldiers marching past your house. Marching in single fife, day and night, week-day and Sunday, without ceasing, they would take 3Si years to pass. When a soldier is on active service his full day’s rations weigh, in round figures, four pounds. Tho cost is Is 3d, including everything. One day’s supply of food for one thousand million men would cost £63.500,000.