Washington sentinel., 1898-07-09
RUSSIAN TARIFFS AND TRADE
Consular Journal.

The announc ement-of which we have
just received confirmation from an off.
cial source in St. Petersburg-that the
Russian Minister Of Finance has decided
to admit a number of imports free of
duty, and to reduce the duties on others.
is one to which the gratest importance
attaches from a British point Of view.
We have always held, and hold now
more than ever, that Russia is a splendid
and growing market for British manu-.
faciures. BY means of the Information
tabulated and supplied by consuls to the
Trades Intelligence Office we have done
much to develop trade in various parts
OF the Empire-trade especially in iron
and steel goods. agricultural implements
and machinery, watches and clocks,
tobaccos, and teas. Some of these
benefit materially under the revised
tariff to which we refer, and we cannot
exhort our manufacturers and exporters
too seriously to take the fullest advan-
tage ofthe opportunities which the more
liberal policy ofthe Russian Government
will open up. We, for our part, are
prepared to, and through the Consular
Service can, assist our readers to develop
business connections in Russia and in a
manner, and with a certainty OF profit,
which cannot, for obvious reasons, be
otherwise obtained, and we cordially
invite any OF those who are desirous of
extending their trade to communicate
uyiRh ne "a rIry ,y v,,g-stIa
The tariff concessions to which we
have referred are. it is true, merely
temporary and experimental, but they
nevertheless constitute an important
relaxation of the arbitrary tariff Of 1891.
First of all, as likely to extend the large
amount ofwork already done for Russia
by English shipbuilders, comes a ukase
abolishing the high duties on seagoing
vessels built abroad. Freedom from
duty is granted for ten years from July 1
last on iron vessels for external navi.
| cation not imported in pieces, on steam
Yachts, dredgers, ice breakers for sea
ports, floating docks, chains, anchors
and wire cables for ocean-going ships
and all vessels for service under the
Russian flag on the Danube A reduced
duty Of 40 roubles CgoldJ per ton o
carrying capacity is to be charged or
iron vessels for rivers, lakes, and the
Caspian Sea; also on tugs, barges, anC
floating cranes for work at ports on tn,
Russian Pacific coast; besides thre,
rOubles per square loot OF boiler heatin,
surface in steamers Of this category
The duty on wooden sea and river boat
imported whole is fixed at eight rouble
per ton, with the addition OF the above
mentioned boiler tax. The abolition c
the duty on sea vessels will enable Rus
slams to buy abroad all the vessels whic
the change will render necessary, an
which they cannot have made at home
M. Witte has also. at last, settled tn
much debated question of the duties o.
imports into Siberia by direct sea route
Among the imports by sea via Siberia
rivers to be free OF duty are machiner
for Siberian gold works, salt agriculture
maehinery, coal, and parts of machine
: to an unlimited extent, machines 70
: equipping Siberian mills and workshop.
, fishing nets and twine for same, certai
chemicals, but only in quantities actuall
required by works IN Siberia. Th
Minister has made the above exemption