| Show War Costs Million a Day Germany Leads in in Estimate i Of Current European I i Expenditures WASHINGTON Europe's Europe's war is costing the belligerents possibly million dollars dollars dollars-a a tenth of a billion a a day in current cash outlay alone Additional costs in losses of property arms and commercial revenue cannot be computed now The million is neither an official official official of of- nor exact figure It is merely an estimate made from the best information information information in- in formation available here here and and the best is none too good The estimate may be far too high On the other hand war costs may rise even further if and when wholesale wholesale wholesale whole whole- sale destruction of men guns fortifications fortifications fortifications forti forti- and ships begins However data from several sources indicate that Germany heading the list may have spent 12 billion dollars for war by the end of her fiscal year next March Great Britain her dominions and colonies at least five billion million dollars dollars dol- dol lars and France using a calendar year fiscal period at least 2194 by the end of 1939 How Its It's Figured The million dollar figure was computed like this By the end of March Germany and the British empire supposedly will have spent 17 billion million dollars for a war that began days earlier on September 2 or a day Of that amount Germany will have pent a day and Britain a day By the end of December days after the start of hostilities France will have spent or a day The total is million dollars a day That figure does not take into account account account ac ac- ac- ac count the billions that were spent in years prior to the German-British German fiscal year of 40 1939 and the French year ear of 1939 for arms and ammunition now being expended on the western front Probably no one outside Hitler's Inner circle knows exactly what Germany is spending for the war war war- or anything else The Nazis dont don't publish budgets Germany Spends 12 Billion However Hitler has said sad that war expenditures for the last six years would total 36 billion dollars figuring figuring figuring figur figur- ing on a value of 40 cents for the That's six billion a year nearly four times the current national defense expenditures of the United States a country much wealthier than Germany In addition a decree of September 22 provided an additional six billion dollars for the 40 1939 fiscal period ending March 31 That's an aggregate aggregate aggregate ag ag- ag- ag of 12 billion dollars being currently spent If the French war costs were anything anything anything any any- thing like the five billion dollars appropriated by the British the German figure would not seem ex ex- ex- ex The total allied expenditures expenditures expenditures ex ex- ex- ex then would be 10 billion billion billion bil bil- bil- bil lion dollars or better against 12 billion billion billion bil bil- bil- bil lion dollars for Germany The methodical EngI English sh publish understandable budgets They estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated in April that they'd need on a basis of 4 as us th the value of the pound for the 40 1939 year beginning April 1 nearly haltof half halt of it for defense By the time the war got under underway underway underway I way the Estimates had been boosted to including for the war nearly three e s t me e current United States dee defense de de- de- de tense tene figure t but still less than half the estimated German total The budget then thon was wa m nearly double 1938 39 expenditures |
