Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-03-04
FOREIGN NEWS
AND GOSSIP


strong indictment Of state ownership,
as far as Russia is concerned. was
made recently in the Duma, when the
shortcomings in various branches Of
the Russian state management were
illustrated in thu. Aeport Of a committee
of inquiry read by Deputy Godneff
The navy headed the list for ruinous
neglect of the interests of the treasury
as well as those. Of the service. One
fragrant instance of lack Of busineSs
method was given. In repairing the ice
breaker Yermak in England, one of its
An offer to buy the discarded engine
for s15,ceG was made. but the Russian
naval officers thought that a low price.
and shipped the engine to Reval at a
cost Of $4,000. There it lay in the open
for seven years and was finally sold
for 5000. Excessive allowances and in
accurate bookkeeping on voyages OF
Russian war vessels abroad were very
frequent. The committee discovered
that on the same day in the same port
different vessels purchased coal at
prices varying from $40 to $3.50 per
ton.
The army showed similar misman-
agement. In one case the treasury was
the gamer because Of the irregularity.
At the Tehita stores 56S,000 horseshoes
were inscribed in the books, while the
committee discovered by counting that
the actual supply stored was 1,367.O0O
The supply of nails to go with them
was also more than double that en-
tered. The usual experience, however.
was to find the actual stocks far short
Of the amount recorded.
In the budget of the ministry OF
railways, next largest after the minis
try of finance with its spirits monop-
oily, there was a deficit of $61.000.o00
for the year 1908 on budget of $780,
100000. This chronic deficit is as
scribed to the greater cost Of construc-
ton over that prevailing on private
railroads and to other similar causes
On an average the state spent SO. 101.50
more per verst (about nve fur
longs) than private railroads. The
Amur railroad is costing 10 to Is per
cent more than the estimates. The line
around Lake Baikal cost 100000
more than the estimates. that being 20
per cent of the entire cost.
The state iron works on the Urals
show a similar unsatisfactory record,
with deficit totaling s5,000,000 for the
last ten years. Representative Godnef
referred to the fact that this deficit
occurred despite the membership Of
these state works in the combination
Of iron works which kept an unnatur-
ally high level Of prices, which it is not
the province of the government to en-
courage.
Naphtha- bearing lands in the Cau
casus were in arrears on their payment
Of the land rent to the state. The sum
now due from them amounted to $12,-
900 900.
A particular cause Of grievance was
the ineradicable habit of most minis
tries to obtain appropriations under
one head and expend the money for
other needs thus depriving the duma
Of good deal Of its effective control
on the budget Sums totaling $33,500, 900
were thus transferred from one head to
another In one years budget alone.
|. Scarcity Of supply Of the precious
metals in the goldemiths' and jewelers.
trade has forced the government to
undertake the retail sale Of gold and
silved. This so-called gold famine"
has caused heavy inroads to be made
on the specie in circulation. Russian
law threatens with heavy punishment
the reconversion Of coin into metal by
private individuals as we'll as the clip
pink Of coin or its reduction in weight
Nevertheless. goldsmiths have recently
been melting coin in large quantities,
particularly at points distant from the
principal government minis "This is
done especially in the ''taiga," the large,
marshy forest which covers a great
part of Siberia. Hitherto gold in bars
could be bought only at the mints in
st. Petersburg, Moscow and Odessa. To
meet the legitimate demands Of the
trade the ministry of finance will here
after sell gold in bars. planchets and
sheets, 500 per thousand pure, at fixed
price, and allow the mint at st. Peters,
burg to sell pure metal in quantities
up to 10 pounds OF gold and So pounds Of
silver per applicant, to private indi-
viduals and government Offices A
special distributing agency thru the
medium Of government offices conven-
iently situated thruout the empire is
now being organized.