VALUES

Average for
1912-1913-1914
1918
Foodstuffs$143,133,374 $617,515,690
Clothing, metals, leather, etc. 45,822,717 215,873,357
—————— ——————
Total $188,956,091 $833,389,047

As practically all of the increase of food and other materials went to Great Britain, France and Italy, the extent of Canada’s effort in upholding the allied cause is clearly evident and was by no means a small one.

The trade of Canada for 1914 was one billion dollars; for the fiscal year of 1917-18 it was two and one-half billion dollars.

Approximately 60,000,000 shells were made in Canada during the war. Shortly after the outbreak of hostilities a shell committee was formed in Canada to really act as an agent for the British war office in placing contracts. The first shells were shipped in December, 1914, and by the end of May, 1915, approximately 400 establishments were manufacturing shells in Canada. By November, 1915, orders had been placed by the Imperial Government to the value of $300,000,000, and an Imperial Munitions Board, replacing the shell committee, was formed, directly responsible to the Imperial Ministry of Munitions.

During the war period Canada purchased from her bank savings $1,669,381,000 of Canadian war loans.

Estimates of expenditures for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1919, demonstrated the thoroughness with which Canada went to war. They follow:

Expenditure
in Canada.
Expenditure
Overseas.
Total
Expenditures.
Pay of 110,000 troops in Canada and 290,000 in England and France.$50,187,500 $70,312,500 $120,500,000
Assigned pay, overseas troops 54,000,000 ........ 54,000,000
Separation allowances 21,750,000 6,000,000 27,750,000
Rations, Canada, 50 cents per day; England, 38½ cents per day 20,075,000 21,000,000 41,075,000
Clothing and necessaries 19,080,000 ........ 19,080,000
Outfit allowances, officers and nurses 1,000,000 700,000 1,700,000
Equipment including harness, vehicles, tents, blankets, but not rifles, machine guns, etc. 20,000,000 ........ 20,000,000
Ordnance services ........ 1,800,000 1,800,000
Medical services 5,000,000 ........ 5,000,000
Ammunition 5,000,000 ........ 5,000,000
Machine guns 2,000,000 ........ 2,000,000
Ocean transport 4,612,500 ........ 4,612,500
Railway transport 11,062,500 450,000 11,512,500
Forage 450,000 ........ 450,000
Veterinary service, remounts ........ 3,000,000 3,000,000
Engineer works, housing 2,750,000 1,250,000 4,000,000
Civilian employees 2,920,000 750,000 3,670,000
Sundries, including recruiting, censors, customs dues, etc. 3,000,000 ........ 3,000,000
Overseas printing and stationery ........ 300,000 300,000
General expenses overseas ........ 1,800,000 1,800,000
Maintenance of troops in France as 9s. 4d. each per day ........ 115,000,000 115,000,000
—————— —————— ——————
Total $217,887,500 $225,162,500 $443,050,000

CHAPTER II
The Second Battle of Ypres

FIRST to feel the effects of German terrorism through poison gas were the gallant Canadian troops on the afternoon of April 22, 1915, at Ypres, Belgium. Gas had been used by the Germans previously to this, but they were mere experimental clouds directed against Belgian troops.