Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-07
aUSSIA'S RAILROAD CHIEF
Inspector Of Prisons Has Been Chosen
for the Job.
JUST THE MAN FOR THE PLACE
Coed Reason for appointment Found
In FOrseries aud Corruption Of
which Railroad Employees
Have Been Guilty.

INRANhAFAAH bAAii AAtH WIN ~ W
eisners who hope to do business with Rus
STA II is an important event; to American
railroad men the chapter Of negotiations
that preceded the appointment should fur
nish as much establishment as instruction.
Mr.. Roukhloff comes into power at a
moment when the Russian government Is
pushing the policy OF granting TO private
capitalists the right OF constructing branch
lines in promising Industrial regions that
connect with the main state owned system.
The purpose Of bringing In private capital
to cooperate In a state enterprise IL TO
put money into circulation in Russia more
freely than can be done by government
loan operations.
Russia. slow Railroad.
Under Russia's present system Of rail-
road rates North American wheat can be
imported into Baltic ports at a freight
charge Of 10 kopeks Is cents) a pood OF
forty Russian pounds. The corresponding
charge for bringing wheat from Russian
Siberia or South Russia to the Baltic
provinces Is from 20 kopeks to 50 kopeks
a pood. Rail carriage is so Unsatisfactory
owing to both the expense and the delay.
that much OF the South Russian wheat re-
quired yearly to make up the shortage In
the north is carried by ship from Odessa
and Rostotf-on-Do through Turkish
waters to the Mediterranean and so round
by the Atlantic and North sea. making a
journey ten times longer than the over
land distance. Siberia is a very good
wheat growing country, but the railroad
transit is so hopelessly inadequate that
the grain turns half rotten on the cars
owing to the time that 1t is on its journey.
As an Independent department the ad-
ministration OF state railways has always
suffered through having to give right of
way to all military and governmental traf-
fc. II has never recovered from the Man
churian campaign when the transsiberian
road and the systems feeding 1t became ex-
clusively strategic lines and from the dis
organization following the general railroad
strike.
General schaufus, the outgoing minister.
was brought in to cope with the situation
arising from the revolt of 1906. He was
expected 10 furnish a corps OF military en-
gineers and a soldier service OF guards
and porters in case OF another strike OF
the civil staff. But he never came near
wlplng out the enormous annual deficit In
the account for running trains. He proved
a veteran officer who slept comfortably
In his office armchair as soon as he per
ceived that he would not have to find a
supply OF soldiers to replace revolution
aries.
Reform that Wrecked Havoc.
His only attempt at increasing the rev.
enues-by raising the charges both for
passenger and for freight traffic was dis
astrous. IL completely corrupted the NOR
ais of his department.
At leading railroad centers throughout the
country passenger tickets have been forged
by the thousand. in Gollusion generally
Will tina sanf0r railway ...ff 90 - -.
agents in town at less than the published
tariff, the parties TO the fraud dividing
the profits among themselves. Some gangs
that have been prosecuted have pocketed
as much as 10000 in the last year.
Even greater loses have come to the de-
partment from the practice of traders
making bargains with members of the
tIatfic department to have their conslgn.
ment OF goods delivered at, saw. Irkutsk
by a certain date 70 return for a gift OF. say
400. There Is a long list OF cases now be.
fore the special court in which state rail.
way officials took the brides and failed tc
perform the services promised. TheIr
fraud nave become known only through
the disappointed traders denouncing them
The vast number OF cases in which tn,
hribes were pocketed and the goods de,
livered will never be known.
Executive Ability Minus.
II is patent that a railway administra
ton In which corruption Is 30 fragrant anC
all pervadlng must be devoid OF all compe
tent. disciplinary executives; and this hai
been recognized by Prime Minister stoly
pin and Finance Minister Kokovtzeff, tn,
two ruling spirits in the government. onl!
Russians could have thought of the solu
ton that they have found.
They brought in the first inspector o
prisons, for that is Mr., Roukloffs oil
office. 10 restore honesty and order in tn
state railways, Mr., Roukhloff began hi
official career in the prison department
thirty years ago. and in 1890 represente.
his country at the international Peniten
tiary congress II seems a strange recor
for a railway man.; yet Alexander Goutch
koff. the octobrist leader in the Dums
says It IL a good appointment. Mr.. Rouk
hloff is Teputed to be a demon for statistic
and for verifying the contents of the re
ports submitted to him
He was not the first choice for the pos
When Mr.. Stolypin realized that GenerS
schaufus must be promptly replaced M
ksb the administration OF the whole Run
sian railway system was to collapse h
sent for Mr.. Meme schsieff, manager {
the neutrality-suspicious. southern railway.
former pupil OF Count White and repute
TO be a very good business man. But NJ
Nemeschaieff made 1t an indispensabI
condition that the financial branch OF h
department should he under his contr,
instead of as now under the ministry {
finance. Mr.. KokovtEeff objected streni
ously TO tho proposal and Mr.. Nemei
ehaieff, falling to carry his point, broh
off negotiations.
system In Remarkable.
The direct control OF railway finance b
the imperial treasury establishes a r,
markable system In Russia. Two month
ago the DumA sought to protest again
the government granting concessions
private concerns for railroad construl
ton. the objection being that this prar
I tice infringed on the Dumas constitution
y control OF the budget. An official rescril
was issued denying this; Il stated that
the minister OF finance was satisfied
the good faith and resources OF intendir
soneessiOnarles IT was a matter for Il
ONE DENEH~Ny Vw1wwus