The evening times., 1900-03-20
RUSSIA'6 TRADE Ships
The Merchant Marine Of a Great
European Power.
Res uIatiOas That Have Been Adopt
ed by the Government to Promote
It-LHws ReIHtinE to the Service.
Wages Paid to Workmen-Part
Played by Chambers of Commerce.

". r. Holloway, Consul General 70 St
Petersburg, has written to the State De-
partment in regard 10 the merchant ma
rine Of the Russia, as follows.
The merchant marine Of Russia on
January I, 1Sgs. consisted Of 6O4 steam
and 2294 sailing vessels or the total
tonnage Of the merchant marine. in the
respective seas, the tonnage OF the sailing
vessels on the White Sea is SIS per cent;
on the Baltic. sos per cent; on the Cas-
plan, 664 per cent. and on the Black
and Azof Seas, only 27.7 per cent. The
tonnage Of the sailing vessels on the ex-
teriors seas forms 4S.3 per cent OF the to-
tai tonnage OF all the vessels. and includ-
ing the Caspian Sea. SOS per cent. In the
tonnage OF the merchant marine the Cas-
plan Sea occupies the first place. the sail
ing feet exceeding in tonnage that Of all
the exterior seas: the steam tonnage on
the Caspian Sea comes next to the Black
and Azof seas, and is largely in excess Of
that OF the White and Baltic seas.
The total value Of steamers on January
/. 1883. amounted 10 81. .Gl2. 600. against
S3s, $4,000 in the preceding year In point
Of value the feet ranks in the following
order; Black and Azof. Caspian. Baltic
and White. During tAe year 1897 q rev
steamers were added 10 the merchant ma
rine Of Russia. Of which 2S were built
abroad and Il in Russia.
The machinery for one Of the steamers
built for the Baltic Sea and one for the
Caspian Sea was imported The steamers
Of the Rnezfau ~-arfh-zf
cipally screw steamers with one engine.
but few are Of larger dimensions. with
two engines chiefly on the Caspian and
Black seas.-During 1897, y sailing vessels
were Withdrawn from service SOM being
too old for service, while others we're sold
abroad Sixty-one per cent of the entire
feet has tonnage less than 100 tons. Is
per cent has from 100 to zoe tons. and only
lSl vessels have tonnage exceeding 500
tons chiefly on the Caspian Sea.
The value Of the sailing feet increased
in 1897 through the addition Of new yes
sells $3SI,79S DuriDs the same year YES
sells were destroyed and sold to the amount
Of $l92, $50. The feet OF the Caspian Sea
which has several large vessels for trans
porting naphtha, is the most valuable: then
follows that OF the Baltic Black. and Azof
in their order. Most Of the sailing vessels
Of the Russian merchant marine are built
in Russia.
"The following regulations have been
adopted by the Russian Government to pro-
mote its merchant marine: The law OF Nav
%, 1897. requiring vessels carrying the
Russian flag TO have the privilege Of sail
ing between Russian ports lying in the
different seas; the law OF April p. 1898.
imposing a duty on vessels built abroad.
the law OF June .. 1899. extending the
privilege Of receiving the duty paid by
Russian vessels in passing the Suez Canal.
and the purchase of foreign vessels with
payment in installments
From two TO four battleships are con-
stantly in course OF construction at the
Russian shipyards; this has no effect what
ever upon the cost Of building vessels for
the merchant marine.
The merchant marine is controlled bv
two departments, belonging to the Min
istry Of Finances namely. council of the
affairs OF the merchant marine and the
department Of commercial navigation
whose officers study merchant-marlHr
service Of the leading nations and advise
with associations and persons interested in
the Russian merchant marine service.
The chambers Of commerce and like as-
sociaJions are represented in the council
OF the affairs of the merchant marine by
delegates selected for that purpose.
The shipbuilding industry in Russia
with the exception Of the Government
works for battleships. is OF little conse-
quence; river steamers. tugs, etc, are
built in small shipyards with Russian ma
terial and workmen. The material could
be purchased abroad at less price. but the
labor is cheaper in Russia; common work
men receive from 81 to 81 cents per day
and SKILLED wOrkmen from u cents to ST.