Show t i Cost of European War in Men Money and Munitions Staggers r I COST OF OP W WAR WARBy WARL R RD L D By j. j J. J W. W T. T Mas Ma Manor Manor- or To fo Keep the thc war going for or o 0 years and three months has cost cst Europe In fu case n II aa oa oaid d ti out not less than in jn property destroy destro d or damaged and lId not yet et paid for tor o cr men mun killed and about men wound d. d. d To the debit side of or the account ale must be lie added the fact that neither group of at contestants has gained a decision and all are talking ta-lk- ta talk talk- lug Jug now of the war continuing in in- in definitely I The fear tear has spread that the side sid which confesses it has had bad enough pr pf the deep scarring losses will likewise like- like its its' the thea theother wise ise confess its Inferiority to a other Gen Generals rals and nd statesmen are discovering IT IS FAR HARDER TO STOP A A WAR THAN TO START ONE and because the way war out isao is isso so ao much more marc to than the way in the end of or the human wreckage and and the money losses isn't in sight The warring statesmen are ten tell lug jug the world they have no time to count the reckoning which the future fu- fu lure turo will exact They are saying thc they Ahoy have their hands full taking care of or the present and the future must take care of or itself i The future fu- fu ture is it doing so for so-for for the present hut But If It the war were to end tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row Sow the future would present a tax bill to the people of or Europe amounting amounting amounting amount amount- ing to annually to m meet t the interest of or the war debts alone The demand would be for tor a imo mediate accounting under pain of bankruptcy and nd revolution This Is the extent to which the future an be left leU to t take ke care ot ot Itself Itsel For or each day he war goes goeson on the cost mounts proportionately higher The expense of or the conflict I C is now dally This means that for or every four hours of ot warfare is added to the yearly early interest charge charse for war debts 1 If H the w war r lasts another nother year the annual interest payments for belligerent belli bellig erent borrowings will wall be While this huge expense Is being accumulated the result In casualties which is the immediate purpose of the war debts Is men mell killed per day and wound wounded ed d j The The taxation lI Ufe life v war will bequeath e to Europe will be Unprecedented unprecedented In the worlds world's history It will be perpetual too unless the peo pee people people plo shoulder additional financial burdens burdens burdens bur bur- dens through the coming years of ot peace t to tp 4 wipe wIlO off ou some of the w war r debt IJ pr principal A man with an Income income in In- come conic Q of 10 a week in Europe will willbe willbe be fair tair game for tor the arm army of new tax gatherers that will replace the army of ot trench warriors after atter the II treaty treat o of peace is signed The European who earns 15 a week will have to pa pay pap an income tax for the war as long as he lives The Theman Theman Theman man who makes 25 a week wee in u 1 most mosi most of the the belligerent nations will certainly cor te ie e compelled to contribute to his country's tax box hox 50 a year on account of the war var and if it the amount isn't jumped to 75 76 75 the war must end vend very quickly I In addition to the unending load i of ot war debt the cost of ot reconstructing recon recon- the great areas devastated by the tho conflict will be en enormous The greater part art of at this amount will have to be met by extra taxation that will bend still sUlI further the stoop stoop- ing shoulders s of European wage I earners At At least cities towns and villages ha have vo been destroyed destroyed de destroyed de- de wholly or in part by the ruthless bombardments of ot the European European European Eu Eu- armies How appalling the work of or destruction has been Is difficult dif Ut for those far tar removed from rom the scene o of the war to realize reaUze It is probable however that the t o. main reason why Great Britain and France decided to center their present pres- pres W eat ent offensive on the Somme instead of ot repeating the earlier attacks further north was because of the urgent plea Ilea o of the Belgian govern govern- ment went The The Belgians are r reported to have protested that if it their country was fought ought o over er a second time there ther wouldn't be anything left lert to recon recon- Thus in order to save savo Belgium Bel Bel- Belgium gium glum the tho war war literally had to be moved ed awa away from the Belgian bound bound- ary How many widows and orphans have hav been a abandoned to the world r by the toll toU of at the war god has not been officially computed In France alone however the conflict has made children fatherless A minimum estimate places the women and children of Europe deprived of their breadwinners through deaths 1 on the battlefields at l. Furthermore at least soldiers will return home after atter the war injured beyond repair These derelicts of the trenches will have to be supported throughout their I lives lJ by members of or their families The They will receive government pensions pen pen- pensions but the sums in the great of ot cases will be inadequate to support life There wont won't be enough money moner In Europe to go RO round If it after atter shouldering should should- 1 ering the war debts the taxpayers I are arc called upon to pay for tor tora a liberal 1 distribution of or pensions Those Thos manned veterans of or the tho con conflict filet who have no no- relatives able to toi i care care re for for them must become paupers pau pau- paupers pers sustained b by recollections of ur their former heroism Already European newspapers ire are beginning to print stories of at wounded wounded wound woung- ed soldiers arrested for tor begging or for petty peU pilfering offenses because I their pensions are so small and LJ ne e cause their wounds pre prevent ent them from rom finding work cork orkIn In all the belligerent nations there are arc men under arms They Thear are living the most nerve racking rack rack- racking racking ing existence known in human his his- tory Th Tidy They are being taught habits c of cf r d discipline but Jut ui they are are re learning also habits of or brute force and anti their minds are growing accustomed to fo slaughter and pitiless death Here and there among the belligerents bellig bellig- moral rege regeneration ration may Collow follow follow fol fol- low the war but hut this result o of the couplet conflict will be the exception Most Mo t tot of ot the soldiers rs will carry carry home no moral conquests from Cram the battle hattle- fields In Instead tead European governments governments govern govern- 1 ments Its Its' will l have ie on their hands for tor fora tora a number of ot years rears man many millions o of restless excitable shocked shell soldiers who ho ato must go through long pr processes of df readjustment b before tor the they can discard the the battlefield spirit tIl that i has has no place Illace in in the life me of ot a civilian Ana aua hum humanity watching tion's tiou's slow slob recovery recover recovery will deserve fates fate's blackball If It thereafter It cannot cannot can can- not raise up statesmen w who o will keep the world out of or w war war r. r 0 o of Kansas City president of the American Bankers Bankers' association tells how ho the renter will be benefited He says sars I 1 would lend freely on second mortgages so long as I could see Bee that the Interest and the amortized payment pay pay- ment on the first mortgage and tho the interest on the second mortgage and upkeep of or the land would still sUll be less than the rental value of ot the landWe landWe landWe land We will say that a young man who has worked for a farmer a numbe number number num num- be ber of ot years ears or a man of middle age whom I ha have known for years who has rented a place comes to me and says says' I have h 1000 and I have two span 0 of horses and some cows and some sows sows enough enough reasonably to tostock tostock tostock stock eighty eight acres of ot land I have got to pay 50 50 an acre for the landI land I can get a loan through the National Farm Loan association for 2000 will you loan me the other 1000 Now it Is a very easy proposition proposition propos i- i tion to figure it out I will figure that on th the first mortgage of 2000 ho will pay la interest at 6 per percent cent I am figuring now on the max max- He He lie will pay 20 on the amortization amortization amortization amor amor- fund furd Now I loan him the tho 1000 at 7 per cent if you ou please He fie will PD pay ma me 70 and I will figure that his taxes cost him 50 which makes a total of ow Now ow that eighty eight acres acres of land It if Ithe f he rented Jt would cost him anywhere anywhere any any- where herc from to a year rental It goes goes Without saying that he will take more interest in that piece of or land as an owner than as asa asa asa a renter He will take better Letter care of ot it and improve impre e it It will be Im- Im rather than It does not take tak a great stretch o of the imagination to see that th this s man with the 1000 I loaned J him lm can canIla Ila pay lay on an average of or a year on the principal In other words he lie can retire the 1000 I am loaning him ilm in ten years ears Then he will simply sim ply Ily hll have ve a proposition with which with any intelligent work at all he will absolutely make a living Jiving and the small sum he pays yearly early to retire his loan finally will bring him out of ot debt The result o of these time long loans will also be that more of at the income from rom the farm can be placed into equipment for the farm equipment equipment equipment equip equip- ment not ani only to bring larger returns returns re reo turns tunis In dollars to the farmer but that will make malee the family feel as ls though they want to o stay here To Tomy Tomy my notion the greatest lure of ot the cit city is the fact that these farmers' farmers viv wives s and daughters come Into the tho cit city to visit friends perhaps who have modern equipment in their houses It appeals to them more strongly than anything else and makes them more dissatisfied with farm life than anything else Now with the bugaboo that the mortgage Is going to c crime me due in two or three years and I dont don't know how I am going going go go- ing fag to be able to renew it or I dont don't know what I have to pay there may maybe maybe maybe be stagnation In land values With im that tha that bugaboo removed anyone who has the welfare of the farmer at heart can readily advise him Now put some money into your our house and make it modern so that you can make your family feel teel that the they have havethe the same chances for comfort and pleasure as the average city laborer has |