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Show FUTURE OF SILVER ABSDRBIG QUESTION Price Will Be Either Very High or Very Low After War. The most absorbing gamble of the age is the future of silver metal after the war, says the New York Commercial. "Unprejudiced "Un-prejudiced experts look for either one or two possible alternatives: Either silver wit be restored to the monetary systems of Europe after the war, and a very high value placed thereby on the metal Cor many years to come, or else, if silver be not restored to expanded coinage in Europe, the bottom will drop completely out of the silver metal market, and silver will drop to further depths than ever in history. Those who profess to know, claim that there can lie no half measures for silver. Either the metal will be monetized mone-tized and come back into its own, making fortunes for silver miners and holders of silver mining securities, or else, if it be not monetized, the metal will drop, to under 50c per ounce, to stay. The one great outstanding argument for the probable remonetization of silver in Europe alter the war, Is the scarcity of gold, and the presumed absolute necessity neces-sity of an expanded monetary system to handle restored business in Europe. The interest on the war debt, payable in gold, will alone make huge Inroads on the world's available gold supply. On July 31, HH4,' the debts of the six principal belligerent powers were $26,500,000. On July 31, 1016. the debt will be $72,000,000,-000. $72,000,000,-000. To pay interest on the new debt, at an average around 4 per cent, will tie up about $2.HSS,000.000 of European gold for yearly interest charges. Monetary i experts profess to see in this one vital : necessity of a subsidiary silver coinage to handle the every -day needs of commercial com-mercial currency either as real silver money, silver coins, or else as a silver reserve bar-king the issue of paper money, silver certificates. On the other hand, if silver be not remonitized on a liberal scale, it is likely that the demand for and value of the metal will decline. The principal use out-side out-side of coinage which establishes its commercial com-mercial value in modern times, as in ancient times, is that of ornament. Naturally Natu-rally one will look for but little demand for silver for ornamental purposes, either in Europe or in the Orient, after the war not at prices suitable to the producers pro-ducers of silver. |