COST OF THE WAR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXV, Issue 10713, 5 November 1915, Page 4

COST OF THE WAR.

The "Frankfurter Zcitung" has no delusions Jibout tho effect of. tho war on German trade and prosperity: Terribly heavy is the .burden which the war lays on the industries of Germany and Europe—a destruction of property, and values such a.s the world has never seen before. The cost of the war increases constantly with the number of men called itip, with the growth (of munitions, with the ris-ng pnicfc of raw materials and all necessaries of life, which a modern war requires far in oxcess of all previous experience. \\ r o need nearly two millions of marks for our monthly expenditure for tho direct expenses of tho war, not less than seventy imillnon marks si day—that is do say, about one mark every day for the German people. Tho daily cost of tho war for all the Powers that are engaged in it now approaches 300 million marks, or more than eight milliards a- month, or about 100 milliards of marks for the year. And all this is tho unavoidable expqnso of tho war. Tho destruction of human life, which is tho most precious material of industry, tho capital demands involving milliards for tho care of tho injured :md those who aro left behind, the cost of restoring all that has ocen destroyed by tho war, in wasted laud, factories, houses, and means of communication, all this is not included in these figures. Indoed, ono could havo solved many social problems if only a part of tho value of what has been destroyed had been spent for this purpose in time of peace. A terrible responsibility therefore rests on those who are guilty of this i quandering of the wealth of the world. Xovertheloss, we -shall hold out until others cease from warring * for wo can do this, in spite of all their boasts and threats, bettor than our enemies." Nevertheless, the "Frankfurter Zcitung," like the rest of tho j German press, is alarmed by the "terrible burden which the war places osn tho (industries of Germany.' 1