WHAT THE PEOPLES OWE

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14586, 8 February 1921, Page 2

WHAT THE PEOPLES OWE

(From our London Correspondent.) ■ LONDON, December 16. "The Government will certainly not make any such proposal as a levy on capital," says the faithful Chamberlain, in some Parliamentary papers just circulated. Not in that way, then, while the present Ministry lasts, will there be any effort to pay for a war "•which, while saving- our liberties, also saved the large purses. Be that as it may, there will he no very material re--ductinn in the cost of living in Ibis country until we get rid of a lot of our debt and the British sovereign comes again into Us own in the world's money markets, especially that of the United States, where we owe so much. Bui ■we mention Parliamentary papers principally because they contain an interesting and informing statement of pubic indebledness. Figures of gross national debt per head of population are : United Kingdom £l7O France, 577:? francs, nominally £230 Italy, ■2O. r ),'> lire, say £B2 United States, 236 dollars, say £4l Obviously the most striking contrast ts that presented between this country and America. And reflection on the figures brings to mind that the Lnifed Kingdom lias less than half the population of her great Western neighbour, and that In area and natural resources —well, perhaps we had better not carry the comparison any further.