Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-06
FIELD FOR AMERICANS
IN RUSSIA AFTER WAR
Vice-President Of Duma Says They
Will BIO Wanted to Organs
lie Industries.
PRAISES WESTERN ALLIES
Nj. Protopopoff Believes Conflict VIII
Continue Some Time-Japanese
officers Arc Giving Instructions to
Cars Young Men.

49, A"NS va 'hSoC IMAM NJ. Pro-
topopoff, vice-president of the Dum...
who has just granted me an inte..
view. in which he said:
"Amcrica's greatest services to I'm,
manity Will come when peace regotia-
tons start. We shall never forget
tho splendid work done in tho interests
of peace at the time of the conference
at Portsmouth"
NJ. Protopopoff in his younger DAYS
| was Il general stan officer, but his
energy could not lind an outlet in the
routine work, which at that time was
all the Russian general staff was called
upon to perform. lie soon resigned.
devoting himself to the development
Of factory he had inherited. The
| beginning was very small, the obstacles
great but he ended by rcvolutioniZing
the system by applying the principle
that only skilled and well-paid labor
can give the maximum result, He is
now at the head of one of the biggest
textile producing factories in Russia
and probably the most powerful Of
| Russian manufacturers.
| Speaking of his Impressions in Eng
| land, France and Italy. he said:
| The more closely one examines tho
| task now before our western allies
the more one feels admiration for their
effort. To England especially the
| formidable task is allotted of being tho
treasurer of the war Not only is she
| helping her allies. but her military
successes have surprised the world. and
| surely not least the Germans.
Having acquired an intimate knowl-
edge OF the extent of this tremendous
effort. one gets a little anxious about
| the future financial possibilities. All
~ n1Iina I'm oh
Interstate balance sheets. striking out
mcrcilcssly most OF the items OF ex-
penditure which do not directly pertain
TO the war. But that is not all The
allies OF Great Britain must organize
| cooperation in the economic field AS
on the battle field. This concerns cs-
pecially Russia. which must do her
best 10 increase her exports.
One thing is now certain, and the
Germans should note it-that the
| longer the war lasts. the more formid-
| able Will be the industrial resources
| Of the allies think the war Will
| be a long on" and in preparing for
such. Great Iiritain is showing great
| political wisdom. During my visits TO
France and Italy / have become con-
v:nccd that both these countries are
| hShtinr for something much greater
than the ownership OF certain terri
tories. Germany will fight to the last
! In defending her dcformcd ideals To
destroy deeply rooted ideas is rather
Il difficult job. and that is why 1 do
not believe in speedy end of the
war"
THINKS MUCH CREDIT
IS DUE TO JAPAN
Mr.. Protopopoff said regarding the
successful Russian offensive against
the Austrians that considerable credit
was due not only TO Japan. which had
sent enormous quantities of guna and
ammunition. but also to France and
England, and particularly TO the many
French and English officers. who, dur
ing last year, came TO Russia. and
who had done admirable work as in
structors of the young men now max
Ing up the now armies Of Russia
These officers. and many japanese OIL
GERS with them, had not only been ac-
tive in the military colleges and train
ing camps behind the fronts. but had
| accompanied their pupils TO the firing
line.
1T was exactly this kind of as
sistance needed from our allies"
Mr.. Protopopon said, for Of ordinary
human material we have enough 20
carry on this war until every German
soldier has been put out OF action"
Speaking Of the sunerings of the
Russian people during the war, he
said words failed him to describe what
the refugees from the districts now in
the hands of the Germans have had
TO bear, and he regretted to say that
their cross had been made even heavier
through the arbitrary action OF Rus
sian bureaucracy. He added:
The war naturally has played havoc
with our industries, which mainly
hourished in the part OF the country
occupied by the Germans. AS you may
perhaps remember, thousands Of fac
tories were evacuated and stripped OF
all machinery IS soon as it was seen
that it was impossible temporarily to
stem the tide Of the German armies.
Many manufacturers have had the
energy to make fresh start in Pc
trograd and further east, but they will
not remain there after the war When
recently i asked manufacturer who
had moved his factory from Riga to
Petrograd If he would not settle down
there permanently, he replied most
emphatically: NO, thousand times, no!
Everything is wrong here. Tho people
~ 30 vi all iHey are clever ana smart
enough. but they are fatalists. The
proximity of Asia is felt too much-the
workers are all lazy, as lazy as ASH
atics. They will work two days, but
on the third day they will stay away.
In driving us out of the western prov
nccs the war has set back Russian
Industry at least century,
This is, of course. n very pessmis-
tic view to take. and one which am
far from sharing. hut 1t will take us
long time to recover, and what we
fear most is that it will prove impossi-
Bile to keep out the Germans. We want
energetic people from friendly coun-
tries to come to Russia and settle down.
and we would sooner have Americans
than anybody else. There Is going to
be practically unlimited field of OPP
portunities open to American business
mon and manufacturers in Russia after
the war. We shall need American ma
chinery and American products of all