The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22
NEW RUSSIAN COUNCILLORS.
twelve Business Men Chosen to Represent
Industry and Commerce.

twelve Business Men Chosen to Represent
Industry and Commerce.
From TIE SUN Correspondents st. Petersburg.
ST. PRrERsBusa, April 3.-The first
public speech Of an elected member OF
the Council Of Empire was delivered here
yesterday by Nicholas Avdakof. He is
one Of the twelve members chosen by the
manufacturers and merchants as q non
official element in the new council and
belongs to the Octobrist party, whose
programme Is based on the ful6lment OF
the promises given in the Emperor's Duma
manifesto Of October 80.
NJ. Avdakoff, who is chairman Of the
council OF south Russian mining industries
declared that the representatives of industry
elected to the new Council Of Empire fully
recognized that bureaucratic reaction had
brought the peasantry and working classes
to poverty, and that they, as independent
factors In the Government, must fight
vigorously for reform against officialism.
Much more urgent than their own indus
trial questions was the peasant problem,
and Immediately connected with that was
the question OF the transportation capacity
OF the Russian railroads. There we're now
living useless, without any possibility OF
being transported to regions where they
were urgently needed, $500 900 tons OF
corn, 1 200, 900 tons Of coal and SO 900 tons
Of sugar, which were a dead loss to the
nation. The corn was rotting, and the
lack OF transportation facilities prevented
the employment Of thousands Of people.
M. Avdakoff declared himself in favor OF
workmen's unions, which are now illegal,
and OF their right to strike, but what the
people needed above all was education,
which he would advocate In the Council OF
Empire.
The personality Of the twelve elected
members for commerce and industry In
the Council Of Empire Is much discussed in
view Of their being the first independent
outside element introduced into the official
national Government. Most OF them, like
NJ, Avdakofr, are men Of large fortune.
GriRori Krestovpikof, chairman OF the
Moscow Produce Exchange and partner
| in the great Kreetovnikof soap and candle
works in Kasan, Is also q progressive OF the
Octobrist Centre party. He has frequently
been spokesman for the independent manu-
faoturers in matters affecting Government
finance. and represented them on the COM
mission that drew up the new Russian tarih.
The trade OF the Caucasus is represented
by Paul Gokuassoff, an Armenian, the
owner OF great naphtha wells at
Poland Ia represented by B.. M. Rotvapd,
who formally practised as lawyer in Warsaw
and Ia son-in-law OF NJ. Wawelberg, the
banker. Although NJ. Rotvand Is a Roman
Catholic, he had the support OF the leading
Polish Jews, besides thu Nationalists.
81. Petersburg is represented by Stanislas
Glesmar. who prssides over several manu-
featuring companies here. He belongs to
the nobility OF Poland and was graduated
at the Technological Institute, which has
always been the nureery Of Russian LIBERAL
ism.
Another OF the twelve members, Con-
stantln J~asuninsky, Is the son Of a peasant
who was horn a serf and bought his freedom
IN 1850. The son was able to finish his course
at the Moscow Technical School and after
ward Joined his father in establishing 9
Weaving mill in the Vladimir province.
Siberia is represented by W. A. Polk
,eyskv-Kosell, a nobleman born in Tonsk,
who controls the great mining and river
| I'M enterprise established by his
father In Siberia.
The corn trade, the greatest business
IN Russia. could not, it appears, furnish
n representative IncIlboi "HO ~
n,eted a course Of secondary education,
and it chose for it's member A. F., Muk-
bine. director Of the Volga-Kama Bank,
whose father was a leading figure in the
Volga corn trade. -,
Exoepting the criticisms against the
stipulation that every elected member
must be over 40 years, it is conceded that
these new imperial councillors are capable
and genuine leaders Of the commercial
and Industrial world. Their Temporary
chairman is M. TimiriaseG, who recently
resigned the Ministry Of Commerce and
Industry because'o Of bureaucratic obstruo'
ton to his reform policy. He is the only
one Of the twelve elected who has been 9
member of the Government service.
Until called in to take charge on the newly
formed Ministry Of Commerce last Novem'
Der, he represented the Government in
Germany in the preparation OF the 10
Gently concluded Russo-German commercial
treaty.. Since joining the commercial In
dustrial party he has declared strongl,
for the necessity of securing constitutions
-~.-rnpnapf