The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-22
PROMINENT RUSSIAN VISITS BIRMINGHAM Wassilly R. Giwago of Mos
 COW in the City SEEING COTTON MEN Represents Commerce Association of Moscow and Is in This Country to
 Get Into Personal Touch
 With Exporters
SEEING COTTON MEN

For the purpose of strengthening the commercial relations existing between Russian cotton buyers and the exporters of America, Wassilly R Giwago of the Moscow Association for Commerce and In- dustry, Ltd, of Moscow, Russia, is in Bir- mingham. He is engaged on a tour of the this country about three months on the trip.
 The association represented by the young Russian is a heavy buyer of cotton oper- ating 15 offices in various parts of Asia, and has long standing connections in America. He said last night that his trip was for the purpose of getting in per sonal touch with the cotton dealers who are connected with his association, as well as American industries that are interested there. While in Birmingham MT. Giwago is the guest of officers of the Continental Gin company. The latter company sei1s in Russia a large amount of gins, which Mr. Giwago classed last night as among the best made anywhere.
 "The southern part of America is very interesting and my trip has been very profitable to me-" said MT. Giwago last night. 'I have met many American gentle men whose connection with our associa- ton is of long standing. I look upon it as a most important matter to keep in personal touch with those parties with whom we deal by letter and cable so ire auentIy. We use about 100000 bales of
 aiDa about 100000, SO we have to import the remaining two-thirds of the staple. The American cotton is a favorite among Rus sian manufacturers and is imported in preference to the cotton from Egypt and nIdia.
 ''The Continental Gin company of this city transacts great amount of business in Russia. The company sells without any irregularity and maintains many agencies-and connections there. Of course we have known something of the com pany from afar. but I was vastly inter ested in seeing the gins actually being made"
 MT. Glwago has visited most of the southern states, beginning his trip from St. Louis He intends to see the steel plant today and will leave for Atlanta tonight He would be taken at a glance for a blue eyed German, but said last night all his ancestors for generations were pure Russian. He spoke last night with great interest about Russia. saying among other things that the American people had been grossly deceived and misled by accounts of passing events. He said industrially, socially and commer- cially. his country was among the lead CTS of tine world.
 Russia has much to learn," said MT. Giwago, "the same as America has. We are as far ahead of most European coun- tries as America Is ahead of most South American places, from all accounts. Our railroads are like yours very much and our social relations are equally as good as those one finds in America.
 "For instance. I have been on the Si- berian Transcontinental Limited, which is operated from Moscow tp the Asiatic side of the Russian empire. That train ia comparable to no 6ther than the train operated by the Pennsylvania railroad between Chicago and New York. The Siberian railroad is the best We have eight days of travel on that line. Baths are provided in each first class compart- ment. special music car is attached to the .krain, with first class dining cars, and &n Sunday a car where church serv- ices are held is operated on the train That is a typical illustration of improved Russia. We like America very much; have pleasant relations with this coun- try. and find that next to our own coun- try America is about the most interest," ing place that we have visited"
 MT. Glwago is well educated, speaks four languages with remarkable fluency while his English is almost perfect, all though he has learned it in four months. He did not care to discuss political is- sues last night.