HUGE EXPENDITURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 74, 17 August 1914, Page 7

HUGE EXPENDITURE.

THE- COST OF WAH. Whatever may be tlie toll of lives in the {frenfc European war, the materia! 'cost threatens to br' tlie heaviest in I history, idea, of the possibilities I may "be formed from the iijrures of tin; principal wars during the past lialfCfiilnry. liere is a table: Crimean (1?J4) .. .. £340,000,000 Ttalian (KS.VJ) .. .. 00,000,000 American Civil War (1801KSfio) 1,400,000,008 Prussia. Austria am! Italy \ (18I.C) '. fIR.OOD.OOO Franeo-Cerman (IH7O-IS71) 444,000,000 ) Turro-Kiissi.-in (1577), Puis- } sia's cost 102,000,000 Oiino-d.inun'jsc (IS!>4), Japan's cost .. .. 20,000.000 tf|>amsh-Anieriean (1S!!.S) .. 270.000.00U Kusso-.laDanese (l!K)4-l!)0j) 50:1,000.000 r Ualkans (!9!2-l!tl.!| .. 240,<XKt,OOj It is stated that France Kussia, and <ireat JSritain between them liave a warchest of £420,000,000 in hand, while (lermanv, ltalv and Austria i.re said to have £211,4-10.000. This hoard of gold seems enormous, but modern war eats gold. The Husso-Japanese war, which jasto.d ju-.t ciglitiv n months, cos: .lapav: £20:i,004.00:), and 'llnssia £:a)0,0fl0,00.>. Tlie Franco-German war. which lasted nine months cost Prance, the loser. £720,000.000, while Germany, bavin;,' cipended £77,;w(1,00i) on the! war. recouped herself by a war indi'innity of £213.000.0(10 extiactcd from Franco.'and ky the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, valued at £<i4.OO(I,OOU. Thua she came out the gainer on the whole transaction ky £I!HMSO,OW. or, in round figure-, two hundred millions sterling. The usual estimate of the cost, of maintainin;.' Continental troops in the. held is Gs per man per dav, but th- late Heir Ik-bel cstima.od the cost of keeping a Herman, army in the field at ten marl;--, that, is to fay, l'Js pur man per day. Kritish troops have always cost considerably more than that. 'Financial experts liiivf calculated ibat, in the event of Croat. IJrilain bcim: involved in war with any Kuropean Power, it would entail a. war ,"i|!onditi]rc of at least a million stcriinir a dav, and war taxation »: nearly a million a week.