: the number of articles handled weekly by the Stores Departments
is several hundreds of thousands above fifty million: or again, I
read that the munition workers themselves have contributed
L40,187,381 towards various war loans. It is all very easy to write,
but who can form any just idea of such uncountable numbers?

And now, writing of the sums of money Britain has already expended, I
for one am immediately lost, out of my depth and plunged ten
thousand fathoms deep, for now I come upon the following:

"The total national expenditure for the three years to August 4th,
1917, is approximately L5,150,000,000, of which L1,250,000,000 is
already provided for by taxation and L1,171,000,000 has been lent to
our colonies and allies, which may be regarded as an investment."
Having written which I lay down my pen to think, and, giving it up,
hasten to record the next fact.

"The normal pre-war taxation amounted to approximately L200,000,000,
but for the current financial year (1917-1918) a revenue of
L638,000,000 has been budgeted for, but this is expected to produce
between L650,000,000 and L700,000,000." Now, remembering that the
cost of necessaries has risen to an unprecedented extent, these
figures of the extra taxation and the amounts raised by the various
war loans speak louder and more eloquently than any words how
manfully Britain has shouldered her burden and of her determination
to see this great struggle through to the only possible
conclusion--the end, for all time, of autocratic government.

I have before me so many documents and so much data bearing on this
vast subject that I might set down very much more; I might descant on
marvels of enterprise and organisation and of almost insuperable
difficulties overcome. But, lest I weary the reader, and since I
would have these lines read, I will hasten on to the last of my facts
and figures.

As regards ships, Britain has already placed six hundred vessels at
the disposal of France and four hundred have been lent to Italy, the
combined tonnage of these thousand ships being estimated at two
million.

Then, despite her drafts to Army and Navy she has still a million men
employed in her coal mines and is supplying coal to Italy, France and
Russia. Moreover, she is sending to France one quarter of her total
production of steel, munitions of all kinds to Russia and guns and
gunners to Italy.

As for her Navy--the German battle squadrons lie inactive, while in
one s