The Daily News. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1914. THE VOICE OF CASH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 71, 14 September 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1914. THE VOICE OF CASH.

A year ago, we took theilibcrty, in discussing the faint possibility of war between Germany and Britain, of repeating the fact that Britain has no occasion to borrow money which constitutes "the sinews of war.'' At the time some extra special British patriots (among whom were several Unionist millionaires) told the Chancellor of* the Exchequer with much vehemence that Britain should raise a loan of one hundred million pounds for navy and army expenses. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was particularly emphatic in his reply, stating that Britain had always secured the cash for her defence from her own 'coffers, and did not intend to be so nnpardonably weak as to he at the mercy of the money-lender. It was observed at the time that these "whole liogger" Tories made no offer from the stores of their painful wealth, and were quite agreeable, from Lord lieresford downwards, to get the money from the people by taxation. The position in regard to Herman defence is not, like Britain's. Germany lias not only taxed her people to a heavy extent, hut in the creation of a navy now owes heavy sums to every lending nation of Europe, particularly, of course, to Britain, France and Russia. It is gilbertian that Germany has built much of her fighting ironmongery with British sovereigns, the reason for its building supposedly being to smash Britain's commerce, which has produced (he cash to lend to the Kaiser. The emotional, band-playing. Hag-wag-ging, die-with-your-faee-to-the-foe-mes-sagc-to-mother-style of international warfare is vanishing like a thin wreath of smoke before a southerly breeze. The complex international credit system dominates the situation, and, in fact, says in a cold, business-like way: "If you can't meet the hill by the fourth of the month, you can't go out to win Iron Crosses and Victoria Crosses." Germany, for instance, although she is not going to figlit. desires to he prepared. She knows, being one of the brainiest people in the world, that she can't fight without wheat. Wheat, indeed, is the supreme ammunition. Without it all the Dreadnoughts and coal and cuirassiers and aeroplanes, instant mobilisation, the Kaiser and his mailed fist, and the strategy of the great German fieldmarshals are not worth a single, mark. "I may have to fight my Royal cousin George, whom I kissed on Paddington platform the other day," says Wilhehn to the business men with the downturned mouths and high bridged noses. "(Jive jne a* million tons of wheat to

feed my soldiers, so they shall be strong to kill their relations." "Where's the cash?" ask the men who fight with gold and goods, pen, ink, (ind brains. "Oil, I never thought of that!" says Wilhelm. "Then we won't let you fight!" reply the moneybags. Knocks the romance out of war, doesn't it? The white cuirassier, tin waistcoat and all, seems less of a hero than the stockbroker's clerk or the calm person whose biggest fight is put up at a meeting of directors. Somebody lately wrote that the bottom had fallen out of the glory market, and we steal this one sentence as asking a remarkably apt question, "What pride does any wife or mother take in the fact that her husband or son died to win the dividends of a rubber company or a mining syndicate?" The holders of the purse-strings have made Avar in which they did not join and have waxed fat, and kicked the soldier aforetimes. The holders of the purse-strings, undisturbed by any sentiment or "message-to-mothcr" emotionalism, can stop war if war wil 1 not pay.' T\ r e don't hear of any country waxing prosperous as a result of war, but you hear of fat contractors waxing fatter by selling soft swords and cronk horses, filthy meat and paper boots, bad ammunition and poisonous biscuits. The man who goes to war to "fight for his country" and is killed by an army contractor never gets a chance of a pointed word with the contractor before his soul flits. It is rather a new idea for the gold bags not to desire war, and war as a cash transaction which can be held up by business men has its romantic side. In regard to the menacing German, it is peculiarly fitting that he is deeply indebted to both British and French financiers, to whom he is at present going cap in hand desiring cash and goods to be used against; the lenders. That famous old, jingo-jingle, "We don't want to fight, but by jingo if wo do. we've got the ships, we've got the men. we've got the money too," can be applied to Germany with the exception of the 'last proviso, which is a very essential one. The cupidity of the lending nations is aroused at the idea { of assisting, a borrowing nation to much gold that there is so little chance, of being repaid within a century or so. "Sheath your swords, gentlemen," says the international Isaacstein, "I won't advance the cash, the security isn't good enough."