The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-22
THE BEAR IN THE ORIENT.
SOME OBSERVATIONS OF U. s.
 CONSUL GREENER.
Subsidized steamers-Reforms i Commercial Harbors-Chiness Eastern Railroad Sea Ser
 viee-Siberian Rivers,
Advertiser Bureau,
 Colorado Building, Waahinqfnn- Eeh- 21

WaShlngtOn, teD. A. r Below are given some notes on Russian and Siberian interests in the Orient whicf are furnished by R. T. Greener. United States commercial agent at Vladivostok l The notes came before the beginning oi the war with Japan and are now publish ed as a bulletin.
 The difficulty of obtaining sufficient sailors to man the ships sailing from and to Vladivostol1 was attempted to be met in June by parties applying to St. Petera- burg for permission to employ Chinese, as is done on United States, English, and Japanese ships. This move met with decided opposition from the military gov ernor and the harbor master. They tele- graphed to the Grand Duke Alexander Michaeloviteh, asserting that the pro- posed change in the law would ruin the chances of Russian seamen to obtain em- ployment; that at present there were at VladiYostok from 80 to lS0 seafaring men seeking work; that the efforts of those who sought to employ Chinese. Koreans etc, was merely to obtain "cheap labor" at the expense of Russians who followed the sea. as a profession.
 The Grand Duke was asked to antag- onize this petition. He promptly an- swered that he was glad to learn of the matter, admitted the truth of the repre- sentation to him, and promised to use his Influence to have the present law left intact.
 Russian steamers plying between ports In European Russia and those in the Far East receive from the government a sub sidy equal to the dues paid by the steam CT for passage through the Suez Canal on the outward and inward voyage; but steamers must call at ports on the route for commercial purposes, otherwise the subsidy applies only in case of average.
 Seven Russian boards of trade have petitioned to have subsidy granted also to such steamers as call at ports not on the direct route, for the purpose of obtaining cargoes to carry between several ports and pass through the canal on the homeward voyage after procuring sufficient cargoes for Europe.
 The government intends to distribute next year a sum of over S150,O0O as a sub sidy to private steamers Qa the rivers Amur, Petchora, and Lena, and their af- fiuents and on Lake Baikal for the trans portatIon of mail matters at regular in- tervals.
 The bureau of commercial harbors and merchant navigation has finished the pro- jects and plans for improvements and reforms in the Russian commercial har- bors. For these the bureau wants, an appropriation of $75, ,000,000 assigned for Ave years. It also asks for an appro- priation of s, 1,OS00O0 to loan parties en- gagged in shipbuilding, and $5l5,OOO to DulIo a first-class shipyard at St. Petersburg
 Captain Kazi, referred to in report or May 25, has completed the investigation of the affairs of the Chinese Eastern Railroad sea service, and will soon leave for St. Petersburg. He has brought or der out of confusion. but confirms the :act of $1,O30,OOO deficit.
 He recommends an increase in the num- ber of steamers. Of the IS steamers on the line Captain Kazi found only ave able to do profitable work.
 If Is now proposed to save the Soon pari and Grin for service to the north- ern ports. since communication with them must be kept up. They will be al. lowed S20,600 each per round voyage l' Is said a refrigerating steamer VIII ne employed for the export salmon trade new industry. -
 None of the many Siberian river steam ship companies make any profit Tn' quantity of cargo offered for transporta' tion Is decreasing, partly for the reason that the. newly built railroads are trans porting the freights, and partly on ac count of the absence of necessary lnl provements in the river ways.
 The water communications in Russi'
 should be widely utilized. At the presen
 time the river steamer business Is in
 critical condition.
 On the Volga river the majority or th
 steamers are of the best American type
 Such types could be used here, but ther . is no money to pay for them.
 The Siberian steamers consume tWic
 as much fuel as necessary. The price 2 frewood is continually advancing. In , navigable rivers in Siberia are not witI out some palpable defects that could , easily removed by systematic derdgihl i Unfortunately. little attention is paid them. For improvements on the VOLS [ tens of millions are spent; on the Sipel . ian rivers only tens of thousands. r A more universal defect of the RusSis river steamer business is the defcieneS