Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-14

Russia deals most largely with Ger
many, as the following figures for the
year 1900 show: Russian exports into
Germany, $111.614.4O5: Great Britain,
exports to. $74,971,640; imports from.
S65. 456,320: France, exports to, $29.-
5S6.75O; imports from. $16,295,595; Aus
tria Hungary, exports to. $13.523,9 900:
imports from. $13.SS6.460; Turkey. ex-
ports to, $1,16O,7S5; imports from, $22. :.
739. 80; China, exports to, $5S9,675; i'm
ports from, $8,339.395. 1t Is thus seen
that Russia buys thirteen times as much
as she sells to the Yankee.
Russia's "ordinary" revenue for 1900
was $685., 0O0,O 900, with an expenditure of
$77S, 0O0,0 900. Her extra or "extraordi-
nary" revenue brought up the total to
$S6S. 000, 900. six times that of Japan's,
and her extraordinary" expenditure
made the total state expenses $4,000
900. Russia obtains her income from
direct taxes on lands, forests and capt.
tai and sale of trade licenses. s65,000.-
900: indirect taxes from custom duties
and imposts on spirits, tobacco, sugar.
railroad taxes, etc, $57,O0O,OOO; state
monOpOlies in mines. posts, minis. tele-
graphs, telephones, liquor, $4,000, 900;
rentals from crown lands, mines, earn
ings of state railroads, $240, 000, 900;
sales of domains, 100000; redemption
Of land by payments of ex-serfs, $44,-
100000: miscellaneous, $4,000, 600
Chief among the Ordinary expendi-
tures'are the interest on the state debt,
the army, s16O,OOO.OO0: the navy, Sac
100000. and departments of justice, in
Guiding the transportation of exiles,
s23.000.O00. One of the "extraordinary"
expenditures is the building and operat-
ing of railroads. of which the empire
has $4,000 miles, including the $685.
mile Siberian railroad
Agriculture has been the main sun
port of the Russian people from the
earliest times. FOur-fifths of it's in
habitants till the soil. There are great
areas still uncultivated. even i'm Euro
pean Russia the forests covering about
two-hfths of the arabic land One-fifth
OF Russia. including the tundras in the
north and the salt steppes in the south.
IS too barren to grow crops and swamps
cover about 100000 acres in West
Russia. Accordingly. only one-fifth Of
european Russia in under cultivation
including about 215OOO.OO acres. With
the forests RACED and the swamns
drained Russia would have nearly one
billion cultivable acres.
european Russia produces two-thirds
Inc oats and one-half the rye Of Eurone
lie. in
me entlre empire averages annually as
loiiowS: Wheat. 49, 600: rye. SO2 600 900:
b baat' @.WMo; barley. 252oo0.OoO. The
veioped. and 100000 acres are now under
cultivation in connection with this in
dustry. Four-fifths of the flax tow of the |
o"o 0oo IS SUP supplied i, by Russia. and in 1890
ana /! 100000 pounds of linseed. In Rus-l
san Turkestan and the Causasus the cot
ION neldS yield about S00,OOOO0O pounds a 1
pounds of tobacco year from Bessara-
b1an plantations. Russia exports timber
worth S'o.0O0.O0O a year. Cattle raising is r
carried on extensively, and it is estimated i
that in the whole empire there are 26-
WVooo horses. A.. 100000 head of cattle. TO-
$40. 900 sheep and goats and 14OOO. 900 hogs
RUSSIA produces more wood than any Eu- |
ropean nation except Great Britain
Manufacturers have been backward in
Russia. and until 1920 the Muscovites
I
er nations. A recent high tariff averag-
ing about IS per cent. of the value has
encouraged home industries. so that at |
the present time about 1000. 600 people are |
employed in Russian factories west of the !
Cral Mountains, which turned out in 1874
a total product worth $3.50. 100000 Most
OF the Russian factories are small and
are scattered through the country. In the
winter they give employment to many |
peasants who would otherwise be idle on 4.
their icebound farms The manufacture |
of linen, wcollen goods. leather. house Il
pottery and hats is still con-
Quoted largely at home by peasants. who
sell them at the great fairs. The capital
invested in 1893 in Russian enterprises
was estimated at $685.. 0O0. 900. Shpbuilding
is Il comparatively insignificant industry. |
Russia has most of her warships built
abroad.
In minerals Russia is one of the richest |
ma ticns in the world. Her mines are still
largely undeveloped. although they con |
tain great quantities of gold. silver. iron, |
copper, platinum, zinc. salt and coal
Iron and coal are found together in Po-
land and the DonetZ coal basin. There
are also iron mines near Moscow in Fin
land and in the Ural Mountains. Pig iron
is produced to the amount of 5000. 600 tons
a year. In 1899 the production of steel |
amounted to 1.31S.O00 tons. The coal in |
European Russia is laid in horizontal |
strata that are hard to work, and al |
though the mines produced 12,N00C0 tons |
in 1899 Russia is compelled to buy coal
from her neighbors. Gold is found chief
ly in Siberia.