Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22
AUTOS ARE SCARCE TRADING USEDAUT0S
Only About 5000 in Whole
Russian Empire.
LONG WINTERS A FACTOR
Gear, However, Is Doing Everything
in His Power to Make
Motors Popular.

Russia, despite its huge population. is
an almost automobileless empire. This
Is due. according to a American
dealer who has lately been in this coun-
try, to the severity of the climate and
the POOR condition OF the roads. There
are now it is estimated. but 5000 cars
in the whole empire, a much smaller num-
her than are owned in any of the Ameri-
can cities. Fifteen hundred of these Rus
sian-owned cars are American built. Rus
sian winters are long and cold. and auto
MODELLING is not the ideal sport for them.
declared this dealer. NJ S. Friede. How
ever, there are many months I'm the year
when the automobile can be used TO as
good advantage as elsewhere. The BAD
Russian roads are a great drawback to
the progress of the country. There are
scarcely any roads at all as Americans
know them. There are certain fairly good
highways between some OF the most inn
portant cities, but as general thing the
roads are nothing but rough cart tracks.
This condition Is sure to change. now
ever, as the emperor is an enthusiastic
car owner and Is doing everything to en-
courage the importation of cars and to IN
duce his subjects to use them. tnder
his direction this year an endurance test
was conducted by the imperial Russian
war department over a course OF 2,HW
Russian vierats. The only competing ear
that did not require outside assistance
during the entire run, and that finished
| were forty-five different makes of cars in
the trials. After the trial the emperor In
person congratulated those who took part
Exposition at st. Petersburg.
There is to be a big automobile expo
sition this winter in St. Petersburg. 10
| which cars of almost every make will be
sent. 1t is to be held under the direct
patronage of the emperor
Frederick A. Sterling, second secretary
of the American embassy. St Petersburg
| writing on the condition of the automobile
| market there, says he believes there is q
golden opportunity for the sale Of Ameri-
| can-built cars in the Kingdom of the
| Bear"
Before 1905,'' he says there We're few
automobiles in Russia, and small interest
was taken in automobiling. Like all ma
| chinery, however. automobiles OF German
make first appeared, owing to the prox'
| unity of the German market and the Ia
cilitles for transportation overland and via
the Baltic sea. In 1908 the first American
car appeared in Russia. More than In
/ of them were sold. Inasmuch, however
| as no American companies had an organi
cation in Russia, there were no spare
| parts to be had. and no representative oi
| the factory who could advise the pur-
| chaser how to handle or repair his car.
| 1.-The first automobile exposition took
place in st. Petersburg in 1908. All the
| machines, with the exception of one from
America, were French and German built
| This was the first time the Russian pub
| lie had an opportunity to examine any
kind of automobile. for st. Petersburg
at that time, had not more than POD cars
all told. of which, perhaps only five OF
six could be seen in the streets during
| the day, and then only during the sum
mer months. TaXicabs were quite I'M
known. Notwithstanding the fact that the
city had more than $4,000 horse cabs.
Taxicab Service in 1909.
General interest gradually began to as
sumo more definite expression, a:
| shown in the trials and shows that wer'
| to be given In 1910 the Imperial Auto
mobile Club organized trial races between
St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kief, II
which nearly forty-five automobiles OF
European make and one from the United
States were entered. The American cal
went through the trial entirely salts
| factorily. In May, 1913. the Imperial Au-
tomobile Club will hold another exhibition
| in ST. Petersburg.
I'm 1863 the first taxicab service in
| Russia was established by the representa-
| tive of the Ford Motor Company anu
| Ford cars were the first taxicabs In Rus
| sia 1t was difficult to get trained chauf
| feurs for this service. But the enter
prise succeeded in putting on the streets
| of st. Petersburg seventyfive taxica bs
| AT the present time there are more than
| 300 taxicabs i'm service.
| I'm May. 1913. the Imperial Automo-
| bile Club will hold another exhibition In
| St Petersburg. At the same time 1t Is
| proposed by the American representative
| of one motor company, who has made a
| study of the possibi ity of introducing
| American cars in Russia. to hold an in
| dependent exhibition. He proposes t.
| get a large exhibition building where
there will be space for about 100 cars ac-
| cessories and appliances of American
| make.
| Thus il may be truly said that pub
! lie interest in automobiles has awakened
| i'm Russia. When it is remembered thai
| at present st. Petersburg. a city Of p
| 600 coo inhabitants has only 1.JC0 auto
| mobiles, Moscow even fewer i'm proper
ton to population. and the whole Rus
| sian empire, with its 1Io.tW.Wo people
| no more than 5000, or less than one o.
| the smaller cities in the United States, II
can easily be seen what a field for th'
| sale of automobiles the country offers.