Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-18


in other parts of the world. They under
stand what it costs to build and operate
them and what the probable profits will
be. If they give a concession it will be on
business principles and in a business way
My proposition is that of a plain. business
American. 1t is for the exclusive right to
nuiid and operate electric roads in ST. Pet
cispufs, the concession to run for one hum
dred years. The car has ordered a COM
mission of his ministers to pass upon the
proposition. l hope that we may get the
concession"
Taxes on Trade.
Americans who are coming to Russia to
engage in business should look into the
trade laws and taxes. These are peculiar
TO the country. Amy one can open a store or
factory with the exception of a priest or
protestant minister who has a charge or
a foreign Jew. All persons employed in
trade or industry have to pay a special pro-
feSSlonal tax and all commercial under
taklngs are subject to tax. The different
branches of trade are divided into twenty
sections each of which has it's own tax
or license, ranging from $500 down. Every
trading esta blishment OF the first section
pays $40 and every store about SIG. Indus
lrlal enterprises pay more
mere is tax on capital and its profits
amounting to six per cent of the profits
when the profits exceed ten per cent of the
capital All persons who engage in trade
are bound to keep certain kinds of books
ana that without corrections or eras,,res
IL there are any mistakes the entry must
he hraCkcted and a note made of tho cor
recuohS- such books are private. but they
can be called for by order of the court
Hard Lines for Clerks.
According to law a Russian clerk cannot
carry on any business of his own or that Of
any other person except his masters His
employment is after special contracts, which
must be written, and If he breaks them he
is responsible TO his master for any loss or
injury through competition caused by him
ne clerk can be fined the amount of fifty
dollars and imprisoned for three months in
Such an event. Every clerk must within a
L'oh'h after the end of each year give an
account of his work to his EMPLOYER and
ne Is responsible for all damage premedi-
tatea or brought about by carelessness dur
Iils ms service. This includes bookkeepers,
correspondents. statesmen and workmen
Open-Air Markets.
vast deal OF Russian business is done
pS peddlers. who carry the goods from vii
iage to village in wagons and trade them
1or grain, eggs. flax, hemp and wool There
are many peddlers with packs on their
n.tcks nom IN the cities and in the coun-
u! ana where are Open-air markets in the
cites every Sunday where these peddiers
congregate. selling all sorts of things |
nave attended some in St Petersburg and
~ i-'is 81 ones mere IN MOSCOW.
The Sunday market in Moscow begins
early and closes about . o'clock 1t is held
III a wide street not far from some of the
chlef churches and extends along this street
Tor about mile. The street with the ex-
ceptlon of car track. is filed with tents
and sheds and tables. upon which the wares
are spread Some merchants lay their
stock on the ground
| visited this market the other dav rroro
must have been something like n thous,nd
merchants. each selling his own kind Of
wares There were hundreds of boot and
shoe stores. The goods We're home made
ard most Of them cheap. They were hung
from racks or placed on low tables The
Shoe merchants We're long-coa high
booted men with caps. They tried the
S ;r1. on lheir customers out in the broil-
ing sun and then dickered with them as
TO the price. Some of the boots were of
me leather. black from top to bottom and
excellent ones were sold for 81 Such boots
would cost from s. to SO a pair in the
United States.
Women Haberdashers.
The most of the mems furnishing goods
We're sold by women. l saw women sell
ing mems caps shirts coats and even
trousers. Women walked about with great
loads of trousers on their shoulders and
on their arms begging the peasants to buy.
me cap peddlers carried their wares in
Tour Dushel baskets. They had brushes
and kept brushing the caps to cali the
attention of the crowd. The purchasers
tried on the wares without the aid of a
mirror. the only question being that of fit
Tor the same kind of cap is used all over
Russia.
About the only things l did not see in this
market We're cOrsets and underwear Only
the ladies of Russia wear corsets. and
these markets are patronized chiefly by the
peasants, whose women have waists of
goodiy proportions, unaffected by pressure
AS to underwear, the poorer Russjans
il MANY If c1o
same clothes that they wear in the day-
time and some keep a suit on until It falls
to pieces
Pictures for Signs.
one of the queer features of Russian
business is the use of pictures for letters
in making Sign boards a large percentage
of the people cannot read or write but all
can understand pictures. Every store has
on its walls facing the street paintings rep
rescntlng the goods sold within. If it is n
shoe store. the wall will be covered with
pictures of boots and shoes: If a bakery
there will be loaves of bread and if a
butcher, all sorts of joints of meats san
sdgcS, etc. The usual barber sign has a
man shaving a customer and dentist a
representation of one pulling tooth. The
dairy signs are cows with milk maids at
work. and the tea signs are gaudv China
men slipping tea. You can see pictures of
and sewing machines on the
walls of some of the stores. and the Amer
lean bicycle and automobile are shown
forth in the same way.
The windows are filled with samples of
the merchandise sold within and some
kinds of goods are hung outside during the
daytime. There is little business done af-
ter dark. but the light lasts so long in the
summer that it is full day until long after
. pm.
Russian Stocks.
The Russians are babies as stock specu-
lators. They have just begun to monkey
with the buzz saw and are afraid of its
teeth. They are conservative and prefer
to put their money into the imperial say
lnGS banks or government bonds. They
have at present about s4oOoOO.O00 so in
vested. and without they can make 20 30
or 40 per cent per annum outside they will
not subscribe. They are afraid of new
and no American need expect
to come here and start an enterprise based
on Russian capital He must furnish
enough to make the business pay and he
then may be able to sell his stock
In the Moscow Exchange.
/ visited the Moscow stock exchange the
other day. There We're about 500 brokers
present. but the crowd looked more like
one of farmers than of bankers and broL-
ers. The most of the men wore caps and
long overcoats. Many of them were mer-
chants, a few We're Chinese one was n
L b,,