The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-04-30
Dressmaking.
Progress Of the Doukhobor Communit,

Since the celebrated Doukhabor Pill
grimage to Canada, says the Winnipeg
Free Press, three years and half
: have passed. Those years have been
marked with momentous changes in
the attitude of the Doukhabors. not in
their religious beliefs. but in their re-
lations to Canadian usage and custom
The principal cause contributing to
this change of attitude has been the
personality of their leader, Peter We're
gin, who arrived in Western Canada,
after fifteen years Imprisonment in ST.
IBERIA, the spring after the Pilgrimage.
Veregin has proved himself an acute,
resourceful leader to the community.
The manner in which he induced his
people, to utilize every modern labor
saving invention, and to reap all the
advantages of organization and COOP
GRAFTON is story imperfectly known
Veregin made even the Doukhobor
prejudices stepping stones to their ag-
ricultural and financial advancement
Many of the eX-pilgrims objected to
working horses on the land. Very
WELL" said Veregin, then we will
buy steam engines to pillow with, and
do the other work." and the result of
this shrewd solution of difficulty is
that no community of farmers any,
where in the world has more or bet
ter labor-saving machinery than the
Doukhobors. Some of them objected
to men of their beliefs being mer-
chants Or store-keepers, the personal
and individual profit being antagonis-
tic to their communistic doctrines.
Veregin. took advantage of these con-
victions to establish cooperative
CT v,.1,< al u
peg and the east large stocks of all
necessities, getting big discounts, and
enabling his people to buy standard
farm commodities cheaply.
Under Peter Veregin's leadership
the Doukhobors have become one of
the most remarkable communities ex-
listing in the world today, doing bust
ness on the most modern and business
like methods. or this Wednesdays
Free Press afforded most striking
proof, for it contained more than three
columns of closely printed matter, the
report of the annual meeting of all
the Doukhobor communities. This was
inserted by them as an advertisement
ir order that the people of Canada
might be informed as to their pro-
press and present conditions. The an
nual meeting nj question, was regular
ly constituted, three delegates-two
men and one woman-being present
from each of the forty-four villages,
and the mine members of the execu-
tive committee. The report, which Is
done into quaint, archaic English,
states that during the last three years
of community life, the Doukhobors
have purchased over 100000 worth of
goods, and have, by the system of bulk
purchases, effected an aggregate saw
ing of over s150,O00. 1t gives a num-
Der of examples of the economies made
by this means. The executive commit
tee was reelected, with some addi-
tons. The meeting decided that in
future horses should not be worked
when the temperature was lower than
20 degrees Reaumur (13 degrees Fahr.)
to build flour warehouse at Yorkton.
and flour and oatmeal mill at Vere-
gin and to purchase 100 more teams of
horses. The matter of the erection
Of Doukhobor hospital was discussed,
but action was postponed until it could
be referred to the several villages. 1t
was further decided that number of
| large railway contracts should be
taken during the present season, and
the executive was instructed to pur-
chase OaLS, ScraperS, WneelDarrOWS,
shovels and other supplies and equip
ment, for this purpose.
| The cash account of the Doukhobor
communities is an interesting and
satisfactory financial statement. The
income of the communities as bust
ness concern amounted to $4,000
and their expenditures to almost half
million. OF the income, some $114,-
900 was received from the villages,
and SIS, 600 from land sales, sales OF
senaga root-this item alone aggre-
gated over ST, 000-and payments for
threshing grain. The expenditure is
divided into five classes. The first
deals with land, and totals $25, 841.
Among the items may be mentioned
4 entry fees for homesteads $500, and
the third payment on the block of land
bought near Vernoe, 1925. The sum
Of $1,508 was spent on oxen and
horses, very few purchases being
necessary, on account of the large
number bought the previous year, but