Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1905-06-24

minister 81 finance claims there h In
reserve. and offers Ia exhibit. the ON.
cial hoard Of the Russian government
namely the reserve gold aupply.
made up of bullion aud coinage. and
amoununE. o. We claims. 20 t4b6. 900, 4.
600. This Ofor to show 30 much gold
Is characterized by bankers In Lon.
don. Berlin and Paris. as opera
bounc" They look 10 the reserves OF
the nation and decline 80 ioud more.
And nov comes the startling. but
natural sequCl--that Russia Is already
planning % abandon the gold stand.
ard Such De- the report .n .he ri
conservative financial circles. Il h.
tho natural resort OF unscrpuloue
bankrupts Being a creditor 90 an tho
World the nation proposes 20 go 10 a
cheaper monetary basis
The total public debt of Russia on
January, 1905, tthls does not include
lhe late war borrowlngsl. was 49,.
500. 2i5 600.
For previous years the debt was
1909, S3.3i2.055. $50. 1893. S23t4G73..
Ot3. 1909. S3.23GS17,O75.
But this $1,000 900 900 Indebtedness
Of Russia does not tell the story. Ina
addition 20 this. there b. the whole
railroad debt, the government having
taken over the railway system and
guaranteed the interest on the bonds
and. added 10 this, other industrial
enterprises Ia which the government
has engaged, and become guarantor.
ao that during the Que year of 1900
no less than 81 0OO. 600 OOO worth o.
securities were Issued on which the
government appeared a. guaranty for
the interest
Disregarding the participation Of
the government iB the Industrial &C.
tlFiiles OF the nation. the official fig.
urcs OF the nominal Indebtedness
show that there Is debt OF f2t2t
Tor every man, woman and child OF
kusslas vast domain. The per capita
debt OF the Cdlted States is less than
tll, and OF Japan, tle02l. II was but
With the industrial burden added 20
the nominal debt-that o., including
the guaranteed railroad and other Sc
curities which Russia has indorsed--
that nation has a debt which may be
r0undly and COnseryatlvely stated at
$1,000 600 600.
Nv proportion 20 its revenues and
resources Russia Is the most heavily
Indebted nation ln the world. Added
to the present war expenditures Rus.
STA had built up her burden 90 debt
by the Crimean war. the assumption
ui The Polish national debt. the Russo
Turkish war. the liberation of the
seris and era Oi railway building
Ha.a
to per cent.
How can Russia pay7 How meet
ihis enormous and growing mountain
OF obligation?
The answer is one continuous story
oi tax. First. there is the indirect
TAX OF the tariff system. similar tQ
that Of the United States, then there
is the tax on all spirits accomplished
by the national monopoly of this on
tire business. The cEar les the one
great saloon keeper. Not a gill e..
spirits IL sold IN the empire except by
the government. and then 30 o. dis
pcnsed az a good pront The car
makes about f260.000. 600 a year on
his saloon business
There are several other industrial
mOnOpoiies OF lesser importance. and
NJ ~ contemplated next 20 take over
the tea business as government mo
nOpOly. Other articles taxed are 20
hacco. sugar, mineral oils. matches
and about an the incidental necessi
ties Of daily liic then there are spe
cial customs duties. stamp duties
transfer duties. passport and railway
taxes, etc. IN addition 10 which there
are taxes on lands and forests, on all
redemption payments aud on liberated
serfs thead taxi, and on crown peas
mats"
The liberated serfs and crown
peasants are squeezed Tor about SIS,
900 900 a year
Where will Russia get the money
TO pay war Indemnify OF 500 .O00.
900 and upward. The poor are ground
TO the limit now. II Is small wonder
the natiOn'a fnanciers are worried.