POINTS FROM LETTERS
How MUCH HAS GERMANY PROFITED BY DISARMAMENT?
I have recently been reading, with interest and pleasure, an account of the increasing prosperity of Germany—a prosperity which has been steadily rising since the close of the War in spite of the enormous sums paid yearly in reparations. This undeniable fact opens an extremely important question. Is not the present rapid increase in Germany's manufacturing power due to the decrease in Germany's military burdens ? It would be interesting to calculate the ratio between the reparations paid yearly by Germany and the yearly amount saved and earned by Germany owing to her reduced armaments. How much did the German army and navy cost, yearly, before the War, and how much do they cost now. A much more important factor in Germany's revival and success must be the yearly earning power of the young men who are now freed from compulsory military service. The additional amount thus earned could be easily estimated and stated in marks or in pounds sterling. We must also estimate the present productive value of the labour of the men who were formerly employed in manufacturing material only used in war. It would be interesting and important to have a debit and credit calculation made by an expert and a balance struck—Germany's reparations being charged upon the debtor side, and the increased earnings and savings due to disarma- ment placed to her credit.—BERTRAND SIIADWELL, Poste Restante, Rome, Italy.
" MR. SLUDGE," DImIAS, AND LAFAYETTE.
Your readers may like to hear that there are many interesting pages about Home in a seemingly unlikely book, viz., Alexan- der Dumas' Impressions de Voyage : en Russie. Home, in fact, ac- companied Dumas in 1858 on his journey from Paris to St. Peters- burg. As may be imagined, the great romancer does not miss his opportunity of telling some excellent stories about his spiritual companion, whose biography, moreover, he sketches at some length. Dumas, naturally, does not give Home away, but he cleverly contrives to reserve his own opinion respecting him, and one feels that he was not deceived. Coincidences perpetually occur : nevertheless, it is curious to notice that on the same page in your issue of last week in which Mr. Brand Whitlock's Life of Lafayette is reviewed occurs a review of On Board the Emma by Alexander Dumas. Why is it curious ? Well, it was Lafayette who, in 1830, entrusted Dumas with his first mission—it was to La Vendee for the purpose of the formation of a National Guard. On his return to Paris Dumas handed Lafayette a report in which he recom- mended the making of roads as the best way of civilizing La Vendee and bringing it into touch with the rest of France (see " La Vendee apres le 29 Juillet " in vols. 1 and 2 of the Revue des deux Mondes). As On Board the Emma proves, the life of Dumas abounds with incidents, some of the greatest interest, which are little known.—" Autos."
MR. SLUDGE.
The report of Lyon v. Home L.R. Eq. 655 (1868) shows the recollection of your correspondent, H. B. A., to be correct. The plaintiff had transferred to the defendant, Home, stocks of the value of £30,000 and a reversion in a mortgage for a like sum, and these gifts, made without consideration and without any power of revocation, were set aside by Vice. Chancellor Giffard as fraudulent and void. The report refers to the " cab " incident. The hearing occupied many days.— M. G. L.
Tim COST OF SUGAR.
Although the cost of living is still, as circulated by the Ministry of Labour, 67 per cent. higher than in 1923, it is interesting to note that several commodities are now actually cheaper than they were in pre-War days. Sugar, for instance, is cheaper to-day than it has been for the past twenty years in this country. Though this may be due partly to this year's record sugar crop, I think there is little doubt that the chief cause of the low prices is the prosperity of the great sugar refining firms, like Tate & Lyle, which--as a result of the changes made in the sugar duties by the late Government— have been able to increase their production to such an extent that they have been able to bring down the cost of refined sugar to jts present low level.—G. E. BILTON, Tremezzo Hotel, et Le Grand Mel, Tremezzo (Lac de Como).
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