New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-20
RUSSIAN TRADERS
FORM new BOARD
Merchants Here Prepare
for Business in East as
Result of War.

Public spirited Russians, aware Vi
the activity among business interests
and the drift of commercialism toward
Latin-American countries, Africa and
the Far East since the war, got to-
gether yesterday and organized the
Russian Chamber of Commerce. The
temporary Office of the new body will
be az 1i5 Broadway.
The Russian Chamber Of Commerce
was started at meeting in the studio
of William Schupp, in the Chatsworth
apartments, Riverside Drive and I'D
ST. Instrumental in its organization
were Ivan Narodny, prominent in Rus
sian circles in this city; Fred B. Whit
ney, general counsel of the Lake Tor
pedo Boat Company; Albert K. Werner,
Of the White Auto Company; Mr. Loe-
lin, representing Gerhard g. Hey, one
of the largest importing and exporting
companies in this country dealing with
RUSSIA; B. Konstanoff, general man
ager of the Charles Crane Company;
J. Medyedief, director of Russian
opera, and n. Lafayette Savay, lawyer,
Of 115 Broadway.
Mr. Narodny, speaking of the new
body, said:
"There seems to prevail an opinion
here that Russia is poor and back
ward country But | would like to
know whether country with a budget
of $4,000, O00, 900 can be at the same
time poor and backward. The Ameri-
can national budget runs only to a
billion dollars.
Russian natural resources are prob
ably the richest in the world. The ex-
ploitment of timber, dairy products,
raw materials and mining products is
still in more or less primitive state.
In some respects, Russia can supply
the American market. On the other
hand, she. can be large buyer.
There could be large demand
here for Russian linens, tapestries
and silk OF certain kinds. Russia pro-
duces silk to the value OF S37,000,c0O
annually. But she raises only one
third of the cotton that her manufact-
urers need. The Russian fur supply
surpasses that of all other countries.
The country produces more sugar than
she needs and raises part of her tea
and tobacco.
"But the mines are not exploited yet
TO anv considerable extent. Russia
has all the oil that Europe needs and
is a country of 170,000,000 population
and 100000 square versts, yet she
has only $4,000 miles of railways.
What an opening this means for Amer
ical
RUSSIA has been importing $780, 0O,-
900 worth of machinery and agricultu-
raj implements annually. Most OF IL
came from Germany. She also I'M
ported musical instruments amount
ing 20 Sl6,000000.
"What Russia will need in the imme-
date future in enormous quantities are
motor trucks, automobiles and traction
engines.
"There are machines that America
can supply, vet there are others which
Russia could supply to America. Build
ing materials, locomotives, tobacco ma
chimes have a sure and wide market
in Russia 1t is the Russian industrial
sphere that the American manufaet-
urer should grasp at this moment In
this the Russian Chamber of Commerce
of America will, we hope, be far
reaching factor"
The officers elected at the meeting
yesterday were:
Presidents, Alexandra Jurievitch,
to the Gar; William
Schupp, well known in insurance circles
and an officer of the Canadian North |
ern Railway; " Agafonow, a Russian |
contractor; Prince ). |
Golitzin, and John Wanamaker (pro- |
posed, presidents; Fred b. Whit |
ney, treasurer; Ivan Narodny, director; |
honorary members, ex-President Will |
lam H. Taft (proposed) and Charles
Crane.