New-York tribune., 1901-11-23
THE OUTLOOK IN RUSSIA.
NOT AN ATTRACTIVE FIELD
FOR AMERICAN INVESTORS.

TURNED TRAVELLER HAVE MOTH
ING TO FEAR IN RUSSIAN
COMPETITION
| Archer Brown, of Rogers Brown & Co. of No.
Il Broadway, manufacturers of pig iron and
coke, with plants in half dozen different States
| says 1t will take one hundred years of develop
ment for the Russian laborer to reach plane
| where he will be competent as the average
! American skilled laborer: also that Russia as a
! field for the investment of American capital II
absolutely unattractive at present.
| Mr.. Brown returned few days ago from
! trip through part of Russia, covering a period
of about two months. To Tribune reporter
he said yesterday:
! The workingmen of the United States have
nothing to fear in Russian competition. Finan-
! cial conditions there at present are almost as
! bad as in Germany where there has been long
| period of overproduction. The Russian iron
masters last year produced about two million
! tons of iron. but it of good quality. The
| iron industry in Russia lacks two essential
| things to make it worthy of consideration from
/ worldwide point of view. namely, honest and
| able management, and a good grade of ores NO
! high grade ores have yet been discovered In
/ Russia, They have superior in China. and
| it is possible they will uncover some in Russia,
| but as yet they have none French stock COM
| panies have been badly bitten by spending their
| money in trying to develop industrials in Rus
! sia, and 1 cannot where there is any at
| tractiveness for an American investor There is
manifest lack of character in oficialdom that
reacts potentially on the empires industrial de-
! velopment This is perhaps harsh thing to
| say of friendly nation like Russia and, of
| course. every must realize that there are
| large numbers of honest men and women in the
country; but it Is fact, nevertheless. that dis
honest officials take advantage of their position
| TO hamper legitimate industry.
WHAT Is NEEDED TO-DAY.
! What is needed in Russia to-day is about
| fifty thousand miles of new railways. This
! would prevent the ever recurring famines in
different parts of the empire by providing
/ means of transportation for food stuffs from
| prosperous section to a stricken one The Car
! is spending all the money that his imperial ex-
| chequer will stand for public improvements, in
/ order to keep the destitute employed. but this
I does not relieve the great pressure 10 any ap-
preciable extent. There is no money in Russia
! to build these much needed railways, and no
foreign country will loan the funds, for the pres
| eut, at least. l found that American goods
| were very we'll liked there. Our agricultural
machinery is sold the exclusion of that pro-
! duced in almost any other country. l asked an
! intelligent and educated Russian who had VS.
| tied this country how long he thought 1t would
| he before the peasant laborer of Russia would
| be on a moral intellectual and financial plane
as high our own laborers. and he surprised
I me by saying:
" L think IL VIII take constant deVeiopnleht
for three hundred years
There is no intermediate class in Russia
! About 3 per cent of the people are educated ana
the other ~ per cent are ignorant. Inc Tnu-
! Gated class looks down upon business " men
ever the mobiles take hand in the manageihcat
! Of commercial enterprises II is usually WIN
| disastrous results. The masses of the people,
| while physically robust. are almost absolutely
| void OF ambition. The French have invested
| about S4Ou 900 900 in Russian enterprises in the
| last few years. and have lost half oi It. IheS
| are said to be sick of the experiment.
In Moscow. where | spent considerable time.
| I saw more American goods than ali others PUT
together. Our mowers. reapers ana plouShs
| have captured Russia, Great Britain and the
| Continent but particularly Russia. The Rus
! sian Government seems to realize that the de-
| yelopment OF its vast grain fields depends more
| on American implements than any other one
| thing and It encourages the importation oy'
| practically doing away with the duties.
Il vas struck with the change IL sentiment
| that had taken place IN Russia, Great Britain
| end Germany since my last visit 70 thos" coun-
| tries Just prior to the Spanish American war.
| Two things have radically changed European
opinion toward us. The first was the dispatci
| with which finished the Spaniards, and the
| second was the demonstration in the last three
| years OF ability to crowd our Soods llto
| European markets. In 1897 German, Frencn
| and many English iron manufacturers treateI
! our growing claims as joke. incredulty was
| widespread Now any kind of tale about our
| possibilities or our intentions is promptly be
| lieved.
BETWEEN GERMANY AND THIS COUNTRY
.It seems to me that the race for commercial
| supremacy lies between Germany and the
United States with the advantage Enthusiastically
with this country in the long run. Germany
is a poor country after all. It's soil. agrcult-
! ,ral nroducts and mines inferior. and In
aiming to lead the industrial world 1t cut out
for itself an hercuIean task. Overproduction in
| the last two wears nearly prostrated the lhuuS-
| tries of the country. and compelled the manu-
facturers in order to get funds win Whicn ~
meet pressing obligations to sell their Soous
| for W atever they could get. The prices Tor
iron in both Germany and Engiahd uroPPeu % @
per cent and production has fallen to the low
| est fq11re in wears The only resultant benent
has been that Germany ana EnSland nave re-
| sumed control to a large extent, OF theii o" Il =
| markets The Germans are now ulluei oou'ls
| us in many of the markets OF the world dlu
tho EreIisb are a close second There is a sort
| of homeless tone in English and continental
| naners and in the talk of their business men
! on this subject and the prevailing opinion seems
to be that barriers must be pulit up Ill eoiNe
wav to protect their home trade. go
THE Asrarians in Germany have committed
| the government to a tartr law. WhlcH pr
| vidas for general advance on foodstulIS OF
| from 30 to 800 per cent, and large ADVANCE Oh
| protesting bitterly against the Dill as they
| believe thew cannot compete outside thelr own
| empire with other nations having the advantage
| of foodstuffs at naturally low prices Inc
| Berlin 'Tageblatt says that sucn q laIli i, wa wa
revolIltoniZe the whole economic, lndustrlal anu
| commercial status of the German people, or1Fe
| a large proportion of the working classes PACK
| to a diet of black bread and potatoes. and. by
provoking reprtsals from asricultuia a. a. 'I Iaft "a
| like Argentina Austria, Russia and the Unlteu
| states inonaril the nations foreign markets.