The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-02
PROMINENT RUSSIAN VISITOR.
HE Is HERE STUDYING THE AaIERI-
CAN COTTON INDUSTRY.


Large Buyers of American Cot
Seed OiI Industry in Russia.
Big Bath House Which Washes
More Than a Million People Every
Year-Mr. WOstriakOf Once on the
Cars stan and Carries n Hand
some Medal in Honor of the Occa-
sion.
Savannah has had for several days
distinguished Russian visitor in the person
of Mr.. Boris d. Wostriakoff Of Moscow.
whose firm and family are among the
wealthiest in the realm of the ear
His firm is A. & j. Ivan Chludow's Sons
of Moscow, perhaps the largest
importers of cotton in Russia, and much
of the staple which they use goes direct
from Savannah to Russian ports. Mr..
Wostriakoff has been in America for about
six months having come here for the pur-
pose of making a special study of the cot
ton industry in all of its branches.
He was seen yesterday at the
Office of NTessrs. J. B. Duckworth & Co. by
a representative of the Morning News
relative to his visit and the cotton indus
try in Russia.
Mr. wost1akoff spoke interesting
ly of the growth of the in
dustry there, and especially of the
production of cotton, which is compare
lively new in Russia Mr.. Wostriakoff
speaks excellent English, in spite of the
fact that he has had but a comparatively
short time to acquire a knowledge of it,
Prior to his visit to Savannah he spent
sometime in New Orleans.
I'VE find that your upland cotton seed
do best on our SOIL" he said. practically
al of the Russian cotton is raised in the
country around the Caspian sea, in Asiatic
Russia, and the annual production is about
$4,000 bales. Our firm operates two spin
ming mills the Egariswska1a spinning mill
of 10000 spindles, and 1900 looms in Egar-
iswsk government, about sixty miles from
Moscow, and the Norskaja spinning mill
of 60000 spindles, about 130 miles from
Moscow. We get our cotton from Ameri-
ca, from Egypt and from the Caspian sea,
using the three varieties and securing good
effects by blending them"
Cotton cultivation in Russia, Mr.. Wos-
triakoff said. attained it's development
/
trade, together with that of other Euro
pean nations, was undergoing a severe cri-
! sis in consequence of the great decrease of
fiber from the United States. In 1880 it was
! discovered that upland cotton could be
| successfully grown there, and energetic
| measures were taken for its introduction
| and cultivation. In 1880 there were 245,000
| acres planted in Turkestan, from which
| there were 45,6OO,6OO pounds of cotton col
| leeted, an average yield of 1856 pounds per
| acre During the four years, 1SSl-S4 the
| United States exported annually an aver
| age of 124, III, AL pounds of cotton TO Rus
STA. In the period of 1885, the average
was S6,014, SO4 pounds, and it fell to 75 SS9,6l4
| pounds in the period 1882. The decline,
! he said, was from 134, 900 600 pounds, in 1881
| to 81 COO 600 pounds in 1892, a fall of 50 per
| cent Thus, he said, while there is no i'm
| mediate prospect of Russia producing all
J the cotton she needs, the declining trade
| of the United States to Russia in the sta
| pie, gives some warrant for the fear that
| in the future American cotton planters
may meet a more serious competition from
| this source
Il have been interested especially in
| the cotton seed oil industry which we
! want to develop in Russia, and I must say
| l was surprised to learn the great ex-
| tent of it. We have only primitive mills
for the conversion of the seed, and the
industry so far has made very little prog
IGSS III my Country nave Uttu given
every opportunity to gather the informa-
| ton l desire, and have come in contact
with many very pleasant people in my re-
searches here.
Mr. Wostriakoff's firm owns and oper-
| ates quite a unique institution in Moscow
known as the Central Bath Institution,
a bath house in the very heart of the
city near the Kremlin, which was put up
at a cost of $780, eco, and when seen he
had just received a statement of the oper-
atoms of the institution during the year
| 1896 During the year 500 people
| bathed there. and yet the total receipts
were little more than $4,000. The prices
for bath range from 2l5 cents up to 20
| cents the lowcr-priced bath being taken
| by the peasantry, and during the year
| 5S4, i2S people bathed at 2Ib cents In one
| part of the institution are private apart
ments for the wealthy and royalty, which
| are rented for S. up. and in these during
| the year such distinguished people as
| the deceased Shah of Persia the Grand
Duke Vladimar and others of the nobility
! bathed their royal personages.
Mr. Wostriakoff bears the distinguished
| honor of having been a member of the
| czar's staff on the occasion of the great
Russian fair at Mini Novgorod in July
| 1895 with seventeen other young men of
| prominent families in the empire and he
| has with him a handsome gold medal
| which was sent him by the car in honor
! of the occasion, upon which appears a
| representation of a member of the staff
in the costume of the old-time Bojars with
| gown and battle ak. He spoke interest
ingly of the complications in the Levant,
comparing them somewhat to the struggle
| now going on in Cuba
II would like to see the Cubans free"
| he said, but would they be able to gov
! ern themselves after freedom had been Civ
| en- them? The same question may be ask
ed with regard TO Crete / think the po-
sition of the Russian government in the
! matter the correct one. Russia does not
want any nation in that section to Increase
In power. But Russia does not uphold Tur-
key because 1t is Turkey l think that
Turkey should not be allowed to exist
as a nation. Il has nothing that qualities
It as a nation no literature, no art and
| only a barbarous religion. But Ruseia
thinks that in the Lewiston, when IL comes
she is entitled TO Constantlnople and there
! is much reason in the claim. The situa-
ton, though, is very complicated one.
/ a is IN ~ nFlf