The Washington herald., 1915-10-17
Grand DucAesees OzSa
d1oa WZZaH3

through Russia, some may be regarded
a.5 assets. but a great many are liabil-
tiles to the extent that their upkeep eats
heartily into the 5000 00OO,0 900 income
of Nicholas. The imperial family owns
several game preserves, which are un-
doLbtedly of enormous value as realty
investments, but can hardly be cOnsid-
cred as revenue producing properties.
F"r instance, there is the Bulovitch
park in the province of Grodno. This
neat little camping ground, 5000. 900
acres larger than the state of New York,
is we'll stocked with bear, wolf, fox. deer
and almost extinct yak-oX. At a recent
BulOvitcI hunt the czar used only twen-
ty-one cartridges. certainly a great and
appreciated economy in ammunition,
with Russia's armies being pressed back
into the very heart of White Russia for
lack of cartridges But then a hostile
staff officer sat down and figured out
that incidental expenses 81 the jaunt
footed up 100000 rubles, or $4,000 for
every shot the czar fired.
Nicholas has exactly lis palaces and
chateauN. but those he mostly frequents
are the winter palace in Petrograd.
PeterhOf in the suburbs of that city,
which is copied after Versailles, and
Livadia in the Crimea. The cars
$4,000. 900 salary" and the imperial
family's s7.50n. .OoO expense money"
from the state, would not keep going
these three places alone. to say nothing
of the other 112 residences. Even with
wages as low as they are in Russia. it
costs something to house and feed 10000
court servants, operate and repair go
automobiles. feed and groom 5000
horses and maintain the body guard"
of 100000 soldiers. police and detec-
tfves. Even the S10.OOO,OO0 or S12,-
cho bo tho inn
perial domains would leave a large def
icit So the unhappy Nicholas must
needs to draw heavily on the income
from his private estates to keep the
pomp of state sumptuously going.
Siberia's untold wealth is needed bad
ly The gold and silver mines must be
kept going, or else the head of the
Romanoffs would suffer in dignity. Tim
Der must be cut right merrily and the
wheels in those 1.5nO flour mills kept
humming. so that Nicholas II maintain
his royal estate in a manner befitting the
ruler of 16O.000.0 .0NN peoples. whose
average annual income is something like
1850
\ German biocrapher of the car once
estimated his private fortune at 5000
600 600 ruhles. or s2.50n 900 .OG0 It
has been seen that the largest source OF
revenue are the infamy-stainCd mines Of
SlD'Tld- ne Hpil-itNtuut btillilE part
of the czar's wealth cannot even he
estimated in value \ great share of it
consists of priceless crown Jewels, co...
fers laden with the Tarpst gems. vault,
croaning with art works Of priceless
value and the art collections and treas
ures Of his 115 chateaux and palaces
If Russia's hour approaches: If the
people. drained of their last coppk. cam
not respond with another cent of taxes:
.l. -,
stripped of their last golden ruble: if
the imperial armies arc backed up to
the gates OF Petrograd and Moscow. with
the allies unable TO respond: II the grand
ducal party Ohstinately refuses to grant
the SPnarate peace SO ardprtlv h0Ded for
in Germany. then tho RomanoTs will be
called on to deliver up. in tho hour Of
Russia's need. part Of the wealth seized
from church. state and peoples during
the paSt two centuries
Nicholas II. as head of the Romsno1
family, will he called on to open tho i'm
peria1 treasure boxes. hand over tba
product of Siberian mines. melt into coin
the centuries old golden and silver reIica
of past barhaTic ages. And if the car
responds and the other members of tbs
imperial household respond. Russia can
wage the fight for many more months.
For the wealth of the Romanoffs is fabu-
IouS DeSOHu lHe dreams OF mllllOnalreS,
wealth that no Midas could create with
magic touch, no Croesus accumulate in
a golden age. wealth that towers over
the family accnmulations of the Roths-
childs through centuries, and makes
puny the hoardings Of Rockefellers. Nor
gans and Carnegies.
Car Nicholas income of Approximate
ly $3.50. a day has never been sur
passed in history, and assuredly never
will be surpassed until a money-making
institution is founded that will relegate
an oil or steel trust to the financial
status Of Q popcorn stand.