The Star. THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1916. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11755, 20 July 1916, Page 4

The Star. THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1916. EDITORIAL NOTES.

SOLDIERS' CHILDREN. Ever since married men have been accepted for active service there has been much controversy regarding the allowances made to their children, tho general feeling being that the one fixed on by the authorities, was inadequate, and from time to time pressure has been .brought to bear on the Government with a view to securing ,an increase. The statutory allowance has been 3s 6d per week, a sum, considering the heavy increase in the cost of living, altogether too small, and it was urged that any sum under five shillings per week would "be unworthy of the country. When Ministers wero approached on the question they usually sidetracked the issue, and on the plea of conserving tie interests of the taxpayers, who, it may be said candidly, have shown no disinclination to bear their share of the burden which must be borne by rich and poor alike, havfc refused to accede to the pleadings for the children of our fighting men. However, it is pleasant to know that at length Ministers have been convinced that a more liberal allowance should be made, and last night Mr Allen announced that from July 1 -the payment would be five shillings per week up to five children. The tardy decision of tho Government to increase the allowance will give general satisfaction throughout the country, and there will be few who will begrudge the additional payment to the children of the men who aro offering their lives in defence of the liberties of mankind. It will be some satisfaction to fathers to know that during their absence in the trenches they need have no fears regarding their children's welfare, and no doubt this knowledge will make them fight with added zest. The members who have persistently advocated the increase are to be congratulated on the successful outcome of their efforts, as to them is largely due the credit of securing the additional payments. The question of expenditure appears to be troubling Mr Allen, who announced last night that in order to minimise the cost, the Cabinet had given instructions that henceforth married men with more than three children shall not be enlisted under the voluntary system, except for some special reason. The Government's decision to thus discourage the enlistment of married men with numerous dependents is to be commended, as obviously the single men should' be utilised before drawing on the married men. In conclusion, we desire to congratulate the Government on its decision to increase the allowance, and also the members who have foucht so consistently in the cause of the children.

'.LIMITATION OF RENTS. • The provision made in the War Regulations Amendment Bill for fixing • ' rents at a pre-war figure is the first . and perhaps most necessary step in the reduction of the cost of living. The Bill defines standard rent as the rent paid on August 3, 1914, and landlords are debarred from raising their charges above that standard except ■where justified in doing so by their expenditure on repairs or improvements sinco the war bogan. This measure ctf relief, so long delayed, will "be particularly welcome in Wellington, where rents are notoriously excessive and where landlords have been permitted a free hand not only in exacting extortionate payments from .their tenats but in crowding houses on to sections in a fashion opposed to all the laws of health and destructive of all privacy. In spite of its steep hills which closely confine the principal part of tho city -Wellington has abundant room to spread on the west and southj but landlords persist in tho old excuse' that the restricted space justified high rents as well as closelypacked sections.

Auckland and Christchurch tenants are, in general, more fortunate than thoso of the capital city, although in Atickland rents have increased considerably during the last few years and thero are not wanting cases of over-high rentals in this island. Except in cases where it has been necessary to effect considerable improvements or additions, there is no justification whatever for raising charges on the pretext of the war, and tho fixing of rentals at the rates of two years ago is certainly in no way unfair to th© house-owner. Tho only pity 13 that the Bill does not propose to compel a refund of the amount of additional rent which a landlord may bave extorted from his tenant under

the excuse of tho war. The proposed legislation is to have force for only sis months after peace is declared, so that it cannot bo regarded as anything but a temporary expedient for easing tho burden of tho cost of living. Tho people of the Dominion, however, will not bo content with such a temporary method of relief from tho exactions of landlords, and ono of tha first duties of a Liberal Government of the future will bo to deal courageously and effectively with the problem by means of a Fair Rent Act. COST OF THE WAR. Compared with the present war the money cost, of all former conflicts, including tho greatest, was insignificant, and consequently it would be useless to place the figures in tabulated form. In the past many of the great wars extended over a very much longer period than tho present one is likely to continuo, and the fighting embraced a wider extent of country than the struggle which commenced almost two years ago, but they were run at ctimparativelv small cost when viewed alongside to-day's titanic straggle. "Wo stand almost amazed to think that tho long struggle against Napoleon added so little to the National Debt of tho country, and yd that debt ran us into hundreds, of millions of pounds. Our fight against the Boers, which commenced in tho closing months of last century, added £250,000,000 to the Mother Country's indebtedness; the | direct cost of tho Franco-Prussian war was not greatly in excess of £600,000,000; that of the Russo-Japan-ese war was about £500,000,000. It | must be borne in mind that tho Napoleonic wars raged in nearly all parts of the world, and they extended over twenty years, and yet the cost was infinitesimal. compared with tho war in which we are at present engaged. Attho beginning of the last century, when. Napoleon threatened to over-run the world, and when it was necessary for Britain to make a great effort to stem tho march of the invader, the average man of tho time wondered whether the country could stand tho strain, and whether oven by practising the greatest economies such a colossal debt could ever be liquidated. But the figures of a hundred years ago look small and shabby if placed alongside of those, today, which havo attained an immensity which is really beyond the human mind to grasp. Ever since the outbreak of war, the daily expenditure, as might reasonably have been expected in 'view of the multiplication of the fields of action—on land, on sea and in the air—has expanded amazingly, and only a few days ago we were informed that the daily cost to the Mother Country has now reached' the colossal sum of £6,000,000. Happily the resources of the Empire are almost inexhaustible, and up to the present the 6train has not pressed unduly heavily upon the nation; indeed, there js every evidence that we can continuo the struggle indefinitely. As Mr Lloyd George said some time ago, the " golden bullet" is what is required to win the war, and there is no reason to doubt but the Allies possess a monopoly of that very necessary kind of ammunition. The total sum which the war will cost cannot, of course, be calculated with any exactitude, but an interesting analysis of the money expenditure involved, war loans and Government indebtedness of Europe has been compiled by tho Mechanics and Metals National Bank of New York, which throws somo light on the position. This authority makes a calculation covering the two years of war to Angust 1 next, and attempts to gauge the burden to all the Powers involved in'the war, and the analysis resulted in a direct cost of £9,055,000,000 being arrived at. These figures, it is pointed out, represent simply the expenditure for carrying on hostilities, and do not take into consideration the destruction of cities, railways, bridges, agricultural values, etc. They measure in a common term the expenditure of capital by the Governments concerned, which will in the end be translated for the most part into permanent additions to their national debts. The following table represents an approximation of the direct cost of the war to the belligerent nations:— Two Years Ending— Aus. 1,1916. Per Capita. Direct cost to— ' £ £ e. Great Britain . 1,813,000,000 41 0 Franco . . - 1,750.000,000 43 15 Russia . u . 1,400,000,000 8 4 Italy' . . . 300,000,000 10 6 • Belgium and Serbia 200,000,000 16 13 Germany . . 2,100,000,000 33 6 ' Austria-Hungary . 1,200,000,000 24 0 Turkey and Bulgaria 200,000,000 1

JAPAN'S GROWING TRADE. Cablegrams from America and elsewhere convey significant indications ox the huge advanco which Japan has made in industrial and commercial activities since the war began. This progress is particularly marked in the trans-Pacifio trade, in which the shipowners of Yokohama are gradually ousting those of San Francisco. Steamer by steamer the Japanese have acquired lines which were previously in American hands, anu they are reaching out for the Atlantic trade by way of the Panama Canal. That many Americans are chafing under this successful, march of a nation which they are coming to regard as a powerful trade rival is evident from the tone of San Francisco and other United States newspapers, which upbraid the Government for tiie shipping legislation that helps to deliver the shipping traflic into tho hands of an alien eagerly alert for new business.

That our ally of the North Pacific has enormously developed oceanic traffic since tho beginning of tho war we have abundant evidence even in !S T ow Zealand, for Japanese steamers are now frequent visitors to our ports. That Japan is making the strongest efforts to develop commercial relations with these southern countries is proven by the visit of the Trade Commissioners from Tokio, who are about to leave Sydney for Xew Zealand. The Commissioners very wisely are endeavouring to make it clear thai< they have 110 desire to compete wu„ manufacturers in Australasia, but only to send goods which British consumers previously have imported from Germany and Austria. Tbid removes tlu> principal objection to importation-.

from a country where labour is so much cheaper than in these British lands. t Japan certainly has made manful efforts during tho last year and a half to take the place in the industrial world formerly occupied by our enemies. In the manufacture of toys and fancy goods, porcelain and earth' enwaro and certain textiles, the Japanese factories have made quick progress. In toys alone our ally last year filled the gap on the English market, left by the withdrawal of Germany to the extent of 1,590,000 yen, or about £320,000, nearly five- times the amount of the trade in the previous year. Rough estimates collated at Tokio of the exports of 1915 in those articles now classed as luxuries show that the- Japanese trade with Great Britain alone exceeds five million yen. British countries will welcome the chance of rewarding Japan's fidelity by transferring trade to her which formerly profited only our most) deadly antagonists. For New Zealand's" part in return we may look to Japan as a future regular market for our wool and other products upon the development of which this country primarily depends.