Evening star., 1915-01-03
FRENCH AND RUSSIAN FINANCES

The chamber of deputies. assembled
In Paris the 23d, voted unanimously an
appr opriation
Temperance Reforms Of sI.7oo.ooo 600
IN Both Countries. expenses az % o, the
nsxt six months. including the cost of
| the war. In the afternoon Of the same
day the senate concurred unanimously
| in the appropriations voted by the
| chamber.
A previous dispatch from Petrograd
| reported that the Russian minister Of
finance. In q report appended to the
1918 budget, estimated the cost of the
war to Russia up to the end Of Octo-
Der. old style, or November IS, as $780,
100000.
1t is highly interesting at the mo-
! ment. whom France has checked the
consumption OF absinthe, to mark the
prohibition against the sale of vodka
(brandy) in all Russia, by order of tho
| car.
Tho Russian minister Of finance,
while confessing that vodka constitut-
| ed one of Its most important sources
Of revenue. said that he felt tho Gre
ative power of the sober Russian peo-
pie. applied to the enormous natural
| riches Of the country, would enable fu-
ture budgets Of the empire to be based
| on new principles.
| Thus. in France and in Russia, re-
forms have been achieved without
shock and without bitter discussion.
| and at moment, too, when the in
| terested governments were jealously
guarding every avenue OF taxation with
the capital view Of meeting tho exi-
gencies Of war budgets
NJ Alexandra Ribot. French minister
| OF finance. in his explanations to the
appropriations committee Of the cham
Der of deputies in the matter of the
budget for 1915, said, in substance:
The interests Of all peoples are SO in
| tterwoven that the nations not actually
engaged in the hostilities are deeply
| affected by the war"
and Industrial credit brought to perfec-
| tion after centuries Of labor had been
| stunned for the moment by the outbreak
OF unexpected war. but was recovering.
| continue the war which she did not
seek. said M. Ribot, but which she was
resolved to pursue to the finish without
faitering. From a financial viewpoint
could regard without anxiety the pros
pect Of a prolongation of hosti1ities
The end Of the war would not depend
at any time on the status Of her finan.
cial power.
M. Ribot Informed the appropriations
committee that France had advanced to
! allied or friendly countries
Advances the following sums: To
IL a,,:.. Belgium, $5o.o00.ooo; to
w aiAAes. Servia, $1s,0O0,0 900; to
Greece, $4,0o0.000, and to the Bank OF
Montenegro, 100000. The treasury had
in circulation September $s5,400.0OG
Of treasury bonds. This was increased
before the end Of November to $1Ss,000,.
900, the total authorized under the gov.
ernment's decree Of October 1. The
government on December authorized
The total national defense per cent
| bonds subscribed for now surpass
$500, 1000. 900.
| The Bank Of France had advanced the
| government for mobilization expenses
| $5S0,000,000; to the Bank of Algeria,
mate total to 81 00,000.080. The min
! lister requested that parliament SANCTION
| this agreement with the Bank Of France
decreased In every direction. stamp
taxes, bourse transfers. customs and
| various indirect revenues, such as those
from sugar receipts and spirits. had
tributed to the large number Of con-
| sumers called to the colors. voluntary
restraint of the. people, early closing
hours and prohibition of the sale OF
ished 16 per cent
| Russia, Of ali countries, suffers far
less economically than others. There
are many reasons for that situation:
! n1R, ~ H. =, iVh
serves her even in case of a sudden
reverse by invasion from serious harm
| the rigor OF climate renders the move
ments of armies dthcult-at times i'm
possible; the number of her population
and the rapidity of growth of popula-
ton easily repairs losses. Even after
mobilization Russia provides abundant
ly for her agricultural wants, SO that
her natural life is little disturbed by
war, and labor in the fields and in the
tain cases the electives are diminished
the workmen are still sufficiently nu-
merous to assure a normal condition.
| In 1904 ono was astonished to see
how little the country appeared to be
modified by the Japa-
Present War nese war. The calm
| of Petrograd and Mos
Ii 1Vpu1aI. COW was attributed to
their distance from the theater of hos
| tilities. Nevertheless. the campaign at
that time was antipathetic to the Rus
sian population, whereas today the war
has aroused the population to the high
est point of enthusiasm. There is
| unanimity in the people, and the coun-
try, there is no doubt, will continue
to show the same fire and spirit as
that manifested from the first day.
The revolutionary spirit that marked
the first days of the struggle against
Japan is absent. Then, too, the effort
of the government bears no comparison
with that of 1904. Russia was ac-
tually in a state of revolution in 1904;
in 1914 Russia could not restrain her
people if she would.
II being granted that Russia pos
sesses q sufficient Quantum OF moral
energy, it Is first necessary to consider
her means of action. The crisis in
Russia passed the morning after the
czar accorded the constitution. Rus
sia's unity was accomplished. and yet
Europe appeared to take little note Of
the event. A Moscovite writer only re-