ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE WAR.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 113, 26 November 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE WAR.

During the past twelve mouths many millions of men have, says the New i'ork "Outlook," been withdrawn from their ordinary work. They have either joined th* various fighting forces or have ben employed in the war industries. Fpr instance, in Germany, under arms on the two fronts there are now about 4,000,000 men; in training perhaps 1,000,000 more; 2,000,000 men are said to be killed, wounded, missing or made prisoners; about 1,000,000 extra are employed on the German railways (all are used tor war and con. trolled by the military authorities), at the Krupp and other arsenals and factories engaged in the manufacture of war munitions, in the coal mines, and in the factories which make clothing, army boots, and other articles necessary to equip and provision the forces. The total would thus aggregate, say, 8,000,000 men withdrawn from ordinary peace force of the German army. 'Nor is this all. War is killing and maiming men at the front without reducing the number of their dependants. Even at the very moderate figure of two dependants for each there may be many nul.ions dependent on the State for rations. Nor is this all. The loss of life does not merely mean the loss of numbers; it also means a loss of the ideas and inventions which some of these young and vigorous men might have given to the world. Such a loss may well be regarded as the greatest loss of the war.

To concern ourselves with mere numbers, however, the casualties, including the killed, wounded, prisoners, and missing of the various powers now engaged in war (Italy excepted) appeared to be about as follows on l6t July, 1915:

WOMEN'S WORK. In computing the losses of the war one should include the earnings and gains that would have been made if there had been no war. This amount, however, is somewhat lessened by the gratifying results already achieved in England in the munitions works and in Germany in many a department by the women who have replaced the men. A recent writer in the New York "Sun" describes this feature of Germany : "In all parts of the country I saw wo. men working in the fields doing a man's work. . . In a 6mall town near Berlin I 6aw twenty young women digging a drainage ditch. Not peasant women, but girls neatly dressed in white, clean blouses, who had volunteered to do the work since no men were available. The conductors in the tram cars of many German cities are now women. . . They do their work well and politely—a decided improvement on the average male. "There is scarcely an occupation which German women have not taken up with success, but most interesting of all is their direct share in the equipment of the forces in the field. Forty per cent, of the workers engaged in the manufacture of high explosives, of shells, and in the packing of cartridges are women.

"Women form 15 per cent, of the 'hands' occupied in the making of harness, saddles, bridles, and other leather goods used for military purposes; 50 per cent, of the makers of tents, shelters, haversacks and other equipment •? 33 per cent, of the workers in pharmaceutical industries; 15 per cent, of the surgical instrument makers, and 20 per cent, of the field glass producers. Seventy-five per cent, of all the employee in the tinned meat and conserve factories working exclusively on army contracts are women; a similar number are engaged in textile mills providing the clothing for the soldiers, as are 70 per cent, of the tobacco workers."

Prisoners Casualand ties. Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. France . 400,000 . .. 700,000 .. . 300,000 ... 1,400,000 Gt. Britain . 116.000 .. 229,000 .. 83,000 ... 428,000 Russia 733,000 .. . 1,982,000 .. 770,000 ... 3,485,000 Germany . 482,000 . .. 852,000 .. . 233,000 ... 1,567,000 Austria . 341,000 . .. 711,000 .. 183,000 ... . 1,235,000 Belgium 47,000 . .. 160,000 .. 40,000 ... . 247,000 Servia 64,000 .. .. 112,600 .. 50,000 ... 226,600 Turkey . 45,000 . 90,000 .. 46,000 ... 181,000 Japan 300 .. 910 .. — 1,210 Total ... 2,228,300 .. . 4,837,510 ... 1,705,000 ... 8,770,810 r