Evening star., 1915-01-03

For frances population of 100000
Moreover. in the analysis of the Russ
sian budget it should be remarked that
taxation furnishes only
Russian one-third of the receipts,
| or 1,196,000,000. of the
1sesouAees' 3.55S.0Q0.00o rublcs Tho
| remainder. in fact. Is obtained from tho
| domain lands, including government
| railways. The Russian contributor is
| thus taxed lightly. since 1.196,00o,000
| rubles represents about - per capita.
Only societies by industrial and finan.
| cial joint stock pay very heavy taxes
on their earnings. But the landed con-
| tribution is light, that of improved
buildings is still at moderate rates; tho
\ different stamp taxes are nothing like
| as heavy as those in France.
The government, as we have seen,
has decreed the closing of shops for
the retail of vodka. This was early
Petrograd dated December 29 says that
an order has been issued prohibiting
the sale of all alcoholic drinks in tho
city. including beer. This order, II Is
|high-grade restaurants.
| In the commencement of 1914 En-
peror Nicholas IL complained that the
minister of finances. Kokovtzoff. had
considered too exclusively the fiscal
side of the problem. He replaced him
by NJ. Bark, who carried out the wishes
of the emperor falling of In the
receipts is expected to follow. but il
| will be amply compensated not only by
the better health of a great number OF
peasants who will no longer be drunk
with vodka. but by the augmentation
OF contributive forces of the nation.
The laborer who is sober produces
more and better than the drunken.
also this laborer will produce moro
from the fields: then it wilr be easy to
exact from these men higher taxes.
The Russian press welcomed with
JOY the reform, and 1t characterized
drunkenness as an evil as dangerous
as an armed foe. At the same time
that NJ Bark renounced the 'formi-
dable receipts" received from alcohol
he announced the taxes he proposed to
place upon certain articles-tax on
country property, rents, industrial
tax, tax on spirits. on cigarette paper.
on assurance against fire, on the trans
port of travellers and merchandise, on
plays and shows; stamps of diverse
nature. postal and telegraphic corre-
spondence..
\
military tax to be paid by those who
are liberated from the
| War Revenue service or who pass
| from the reserve or
/ s3essa4eR' territorial without
passing by the active army. M Bark
demanded the vote on the project of
the tax on revenue submitted to the
;duma in 1913, and from which he ex-
n nnn
Ibles. The augmentations 1t is under
stood are war measures. and will dis
lappear after the war. and are proposed
only for 1915. Due to the resources here
indicated the ordinary budget will be
balanced. AS for the extraordinary ex-
lpenses, they will be raised first upon
the cash in the treasury, which Will be
reimbursed later by loans At this mo-
ment the state has issued S00,000,0o0
of rubIes of treasury notes. at s per
cent, which have been entirely sub
scribed at Moscow.
/ One of the particular characteristics
of the Russian political financial policy
is the constant aim to accumulate con-
siderable sums of money for an emer-
tgency that is entirely free. Under the
lautocratic regime the czar was sup
posed to have always at hand a sort
of war treasure which would permit
him to act in certain urgent cases.
The parliamentary regime has not mod
flied that tradition. Russians believe
that it is better to contract loans for
the treasury in time of peace rather
than wait for troublous times. which
render credit operations more difficult.
Not only the minister of finances has
constantly hundreds of millions to his
credit in the Bank Of Russia. but he
has deposits in foreign countries
which amount to considerable sums.
From August 1, 1914. Russias credit
at the bank was 517.OoO.O0O rubles.
1t fell to 231,o0O,o00 after the expense
of mobilization.
! From July 11-24, 1914, when Austria
sent the historical note to Servia which
| fired all Europe, NJ. Bark sent imme-
\ diately to Berlin orders Withdrawing
| from the banks there the bonds that
government had deposited to the value
of 20.00o000 rubles; at the same time
| the minister telegraphed to German
bankers and correspondents of the
treasury to place the Russian govern
ment funds with his correspondents at
Paris. London and Petrograd. At Ber-
lin alone Russia had 10000 900 rubles
| France and England there were more,
| January /, 1914, Russia had in the
| banks at London and Paris q total of
half million rubles
*
| 1t was with prophetic view of the fu-
ture that the minister of finances invit-
| ed the attention of the
Free Credits duma and the council Of
| r.. the empire in submit
*sSeSsSoAJ' ting the budget of 1914,
on the Importance to the treasury to
have free reserves in such quantity that
| he could face unexpected expenses:
| those which could not have been con-
| sidered when the budget was estab-
, lished should nevertheless be urgently
| effected in the interest of government.
THE possession of free credits added
| NJ. Kokovtzoff, (which consolidates the
| financial situation and avoids the
necessity of proceeding TO loans at
times that are unfavor3b BILE to credit
! operations. is specially opportune be-
| cause of the actual situation of politi
cal interests of divers states"
This expression should have been
meditated at the Palace Bourbon In
December. 1913. when the chamber re-
jected the loan presented by the minis
try Barthou. whose successor declared
| in January following that he had no
need of money and that the French
| treasury was amply filled. The contrast
| between the two policies is sufficiently
| marked to preclude comment.
RuSsia'S finances are brilliant The