Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-23
VAST WEALTH OF
THE R0MANOFFS

The imperial family OF Russia is the
richest royal family in Europe, and
derives its wealth from three sources
the state treasury, the imperial do
mains Formerly church lands), and
the so-called Cabinet properties"
Tho state treasury provides for the
czar as the sovereign, the imperial
domains are the joint property of the
members of the house of Romanoff.
but administered by the head of the
house; the Cabinet properties" are
the personal possessions of the reign
ing sovereign as such.
No data of any kind arc available
for estimating the amount of property
held by the car and other members
of his house in their private capacity
as individuals. 1t is known To be very
considerable both in land and in gold,
SAYS the Pail Mall Gazette. but is
very rightly treated as a purely
private matter.
The state treasury pays out n mil
lion and a half sterling q year for
the needs Of the imperial house, prin-
cipally for the maintenance of the
palaces and the officials and servants
attached to them Tho reigning en-
press, for example. has an allowance
OF 100000 q year. the doWager
empress the same. Every child born
to the car receives from birth to the
age OF II nearly $4,000 a year, while
the heir OF the throne receives an
nually, In addition 10 maintenance of
palaces 10000 rubles, or 10000
when they marry The figures under
this head are comparatively modest.
and the total expenditure charged to
the treasury rs less than | per cent
Of the annual budget.
The imperial domains, the main
source Of wealth OF tho Romanoms,
We're originally church lands. In tho
middle ages the church OF Russia was
not only the repository OF all the
learning of the land, but It's bankers
and Insurers also, and the wealth
amassod I'm the course Of centuries
was enormous, The Russian church Is
not poor now. but the bulk OF its vast
possessions passed 20 the house OF
Romanoff a century ago The imperial
domains comprise 21,32S,000 acres, an
area larger than all ireland.
About two-thlrds OF this area IL for
est. out OF which good revenue Is
made; the timber exported from Arch
angel Is known all over the world,
while the estate OF Bleovczh, that
magnificent forest where are stil pre-
served herds OF aurochs, annually pro-
vide for sale 100000 cubic feet OF
timber; another estate I'm the Nologda
province PRODUCES GNVtNNN OF Aut lhIH
est timber trees annually for the I'M
perlal sawmills there.
The other third of the area COM
prlscd In the imperial domains some
thing larger than an Wales h highly
cultivated land. The largest vineyards,
producing the best wine in Russia, be-
long TO the domains and about fl5O,-
600 worth OF vino Is sold annually
from this source In the province OF
Samara IS sugar plantation, tho
factory on which produces 1900 tons
Of sugar every year.
Mineral wealth h worked I'm hun
dred spots 800 flour mills a thou
sand fisheries, not FOR sport but as an
article Of trade, a hundred wharvos on
various rivers and $50 trading COM
Germs uf various kinds are among the
minor undertakings belonging TO the
imperial domains. But the greater part
OF tho cultivated area Is rented 20
others, 1900 lots for purely agrl-
cultural purposes and 10000 for tho
higher forms OF cultivation, fruit,
vineyards, etc
The clear profit derived from these
various sources Is over NJ, 600 600 per
aunum,-New York sun.