Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1915-09-10
RICH N RESOURCES
Russia Faces Indefinite Future Of
Warfare UndiSmayed.
1.-THE Most Powerful Country of the
Future" Was Just Finding Itself
When War Broke Out
Wealth Untouched.

Washington, D. C.-With the great
est wholesale destruction of treas
ure in all history taking place, with
war-wrought economic losses piling up
in such stupendous aggregates as no
panic ever caused, the question as to
how long each of the belligerents can
stand the fearful strain upon its re-
sources is becoming as important and
fully as interesting as are any Of
those more stirring questions grow
ing out of the purely military phase Of
the world-war In a bulletin Just is
sued, the National Geographic society
sketches the pre-war economic condi-
ton of Russia, which, having expend-
ed 81, 500, 1000 900, having lost hundreds
of millions of dollars in foreign trade,
and cities and provinces worth hun.
dreds of millions more, is facing an
indefinite future Of warfare undis-
mayed, confident The bulletin reads:
Commercial and industrial revolu-
ton were stirring in Russia before the
war; the work of opening its magniti-
cent domain was being rapidly carried
forward: plans for developing it's al
most unlimited resources were in
process of confident organization;
modern cities were springing up like
mushrooms in rich Siberia; textile,
metal and other industries were lay
ing firm foundations, and foreign trade
had been brought up to about $780,
100000. What has been called the
most powerful country in the future
was finding itself, and was preparing
to enter upon the centuries of expan-
sion that it will need to exhaust the
possibilities of its boundless natural
wealth. a
about two and one-half times
larger than the United States, with
an area of 8,650,000 square miles and
population of 170,000,00O, which II
increasing at the rate of 100000 6
year. Russia's natural resources re
semble those of this country, and are
proportionate. 1t has nearly 100000,
900 acres Of forest-compared witt
the 544,400,000 acres of the United
States-much Of which, even now, II
carefully administered, and which, on
day, will be the worlds first source o
timber. 1t has 250,000,O00 acres o
land nnder cultivation, while thi
country has a cultivated area o
about twice as great; but Russia cal
expand her farm lands twenty-fold AM
still leave virgin land to the future
1t can become the granary and tn
stock farm of the world.
Scarcely two score years hav
passed since Russia began with ser
GUS purpose the task of her interna
development. Progress, during tn
first thirty years Of this period wa
hesitant. In the last decade, however
it has doubled it's foreign trade, 0
which SIS per cent is exports; still
this foreign commerce is less than hal
that of the United States. But Rus
STA before the war had scarcely be
gun to gather steam for the prose
cution of her tasks. There remail
hundreds of millions of acres of ia
lands to be brought under the pillow
tens of thousands of factory plants t.
build; rich mines to be opened; grea
railway and canal systems to b
built; millions of home-builders to b
moved into Siberia, the silver Eas
of the cars empire, and many mi
lions of illiterates to be educated t.
a higher standard of life and eff
cheney.
Russia is a vast storehouse Of raw
materials, and must for many year
remain a purchaser of machinery AM
manufactured goods in increasing
quantities. Yet the mills Of Russi
consume $13O,OOO,000 worth of raw col
ton annually, and Russian iron ant
steel rails have already found thei
way into competition in the market
of the world. Germany bought NOR
from Russia than any other tire
countries, and sold to the Russian
about half of all their imports. Thes
two empires did tremendous, thriv
ing business with one another befor
the war, and a great stream of Ger
man capital flowed into the northern
empire for investment. England, HOl
land, Austria-Hungary and Italy, il
the order named, followed German!
in business with the Russians. Ger
man trade promotion was thorough.
organized throughout the land, ant
in Riga, Petrograd and Moscow names
of thousands Of German firms coulC
be seen.
Russia, as are but few other grea
nations, is self-sustaining in the mat
ter of raw materials; but the Musco
vite empire is dependent upon thu
factories Of other lands for every stel
that it may take in the upward scale
it is even dependent upon foreigl
manufactures to maintain standards il
its wide-sweeping territory as high al
they are today. There is Fabulous
riches awaiting transmutation by Rus
sian industry, but Russian industry
has hardly passed the BIRTH"