Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-07-20

bC CtIlIltd oA upOn d SCd16
cause of the cost and difficulty OF
reaching them; and yet from 1885 tc
1891 1SS,0OO people left Russia to make
new homes in this part of Siberia, and
that in spite of the fact that they have
as yet very limited opportunity fol
sending their produce to exterior mar
kets; and the proportion of the tillable
lands under cultivation is still so small
that the population now requires fol
its own uses all the fruits of the soil
save in years of exceptionally good
haryestS.
What the country needs is large
colonization, and this can only come
when the western section of the great
Siberian road is completed. 1t is pro
posed, simultaneously with the build
Ing Of the road through this great fer
tile area, to COLOMBO a strip of land
from thirty to seventy-five miles wide
on both sides Of the line; and this pro-
ject brings into view a striking differ
ence between the Trans-Asian Railroad
and our own tranS-continental lines
In the United States and Canada
the desire first of all was to reach
important trade centerS on the Pacific
ocean. The trains might pass, as in
Canada, through hundreds of miles OF
uninhabited prai1fes and mountains
but as soon as freight could be hauled
from sea to sea there was a most i'm
pOrtant trade. The Siberian railroad
however, will have no great trade
centerS on the borders of the Pacific
at least for years to come, and without
colOniStS to fill UP the fertile regions
Of Western Siberia the railroad can
not be justified ON practical, economic
grounds. The development of Western
Siberia is about the only element OF
undoubted practicability in the whole
scheme. The western section of the
line will soon be made to pay, and
within decade or two after the build
ing of the road the most favored parts
of Siberia, closely bound to the mother
land by iron ties, will begin to have a
value to Russia far exceeding that of
any region which has fallen to any
OF the European powers in the mad
scramble for Africa
LII the government of TomSk, a
branch line south OF the main line to
Barnaul and RiiSk, in the mining reg
ions OF the Altai Mountains, will at
lord TO the road another important
aspect. There are practical men who
UeneVe that gold mining will be de
Veloped here that will compare favor
ably with that OF California, Aus ualia
and the TranSyaal. However that may
nc, There Is d great deal OF The precious
metal i'll the Altai mount ains, and the
railroad will give an enormous i'm
petus TO this valuable part OF Russia s
domain, which never can be properly
developed until steam communication
joins it with the European system of
railroads.
We see, therefore, that that part of
.lIe Railroad Which ends toward the
east at OF near KrasnOjarsk has most
practicable ends in view in the develop
ment OF colonization, agriculture and
mining. Although freight carriage is
now extremely expensive and would
NC Gl1LuoSI 1llpOSS1UlC were IL uOI lOE
the great Siberian rivers, which, during
SIX OF seven months i'll the year, when
Ice does not impede, carry goods far
on the way to and from the mother
land, the exports from Russia to its
Siberian territories now amount to
55,OOO,OO0 roubles i year, while the
annual receipts from Siberia of metals
skins, leather and tallOW amount to
6O,0OO,OOU roubleS. The total trade OF
' iadivoStok amounts to only 100000
roubleS Il year, showing that russia S
SEAPORT Un Tie I;Icinc us yet cuts only
an insignificant figure in the trade OF
-urupc,,n Ituesla with its ASiatic terri
tories.
East of krasnojarsk there seems nc
prospect for many years of developing
trade that will add largely to the re
ceiptS of the road. In the first place
the most serious problems of building
the line are found east of KrasnOjarsk
The only important bridges to be bull
through western Siberia are those
crossing the Irtysch, Oh and Yenise
rivers. There are some areas Of goo(
soil between Krasnojarsk and Irkutsk
the capital of eastern Siberia, bu
western Siberia is so much nearer mar
kets and affords to colonial tiol
schemes such superior inducements
that there is no prospect of anything
but very sparse settlement of thu
eastern plains for many years to come
There is on the southeast shores o
Lake Baikal and in the valley of tn,
Selenga river, which is the WarmeS
q strict in all Siberia and has beel
called the Siberian Italy," a region o
surprising fertility. But whether thi
remote region will in the near futur
be strongly populated remains to b.
seen.
F1Om Lake Baikal ito the Pacifi
ocean the road will present great en-
cheering difficulties, and is destinet
always to be almost void of popula
| ton. There is no cheerful financial
outlook for this part Of the route en-
braclng about half of it's total length
1t will absorb tWO-thirdS of the tota
cost of the enterprise, and the onl
hope that it will ever add largely t
the income of the road is based upol
the idea prevalent in Russia that tn
road will be able in time to draw
large part of the Southern Asiati
trade.
Russia argues in this way. He
economists say that at present it take
thirty-five days to transport freigh
from Shanghai to Vancouver, theme
over the Canadian Pacific railroad an
acrOSS the Atlantic To Elurone: an