Evening journal., 1916-06-20
RUSSIA PROSPERS
WITHOUT ALCOHOL
MouiikS Are 90 Per Cent.
More Efficient Since
Cars Vodka Edict
NEW BANKS BETTER
CONDITION OF Jews
BY IVAN NARODNY.
tsecretary the Russian-America


Asiatic Corporation)
The abolition of alcohol in Russia
has increased the wealth Of the peas
ant communities 65 per cent. The de-
posits OF the peasant communities have
Increased TO 1,OOO.e00,OOO rubies;
criminality has decreased SS per
cent; the moujiks have suddenly been
Transformed into civilized men, and
the general welfare OF the masses is
90 per cent better than ever before.
The Russian people have become
overnight Industrious, Independent
and strong.
"As long as I am ruler Of Russia
vodka will never be sold in my em-
pire again" said the Car recently TO
a delegation OF peasants who had
come to es5ure their ruler how beneh-
cial the abolition had been to them.
Despite war, bad crops increased
taxes and lack OF commodities Rus
STA was never so prosperous, so CON
scious of her power and so united
from the last moujik to the Gar. as
now. The Russian village during the
two years of abolition has changed so
much that you would not recognize H.
Famine has disappeared altogether.
slovenly children and women are
dressed neatly. beggars have vanish
ed with the pilgrim monks, with the
picturesque vagabonds and 'bassaks. d
Peasant Banks.
In eighteen months OF "watewagon'
life there have been founded $4,000
peasant cooperative banks and $4,000
peasant cooperative supply stations
or stores. These peasant banks are
Just now forming a central admins
tration, a bank of banks. I'm Moscow,
composed OF delegates from provin-
cial banks. The government has not
yet been able 70 grasp the whole eX-
tent Of these peculiar institutions of
the people, both sporadically and sud
denly looming up as something gigan-
tic in national economic life. The
cash capital Of these peasant banks
amounts 10 500 100000 rubies while
the value Of their accessories, real es-
tate. securities. etc, reaches 1000
O00.0 900.
The banks are great rivals 10 city
institutions, and more so 10 the gov
ernment treasury banks They keer
money in the village. encourage
peasants to save and work and make
them more or less independent oi
bureaucrats and professional money
lenders While a peasant never coulC
he induced TO bring his savings 10 Tho
~ CITY bank. he Is absolutely willing II
leave II in a bank whose members h'
knows. Formerly most rich peasants
village merchants. inn-keepers. land
owners and local contractors kept
their savings inactive in their homes.
Half a billion roubles, II was esti-
mated. was tied up in this way. With
the establishment Of peasant banks
this money Immediately became
available.
Furthermore. most Of the hatred
the Russian Jew originated In the
lending OF money by Jews to peasants.
The peasant banks abolish automat-
ically all Russian Jewish troubles.
Earning Capacity Doubled.
The earning capacity Of Russian
families Is 20 per cent. higher than
before the war. Although the young
men are UIhWn AlI AnN army nhN -
per cent. OF the fields Of large land
owners are uncultivated. vet this does
not affect general productivity. as
now, instead OF old-fashioned farm
ing. intensive scientific means are
applied.
The big land owners suffers more
man the peasant More soldiers have
been drawn from the urban than the
rural population. more from laborer.
on large estates than from small
farmers. An acre that yielded mr.
Teen bushels 81 rye before the wal
now Yields twenty-five
The Russian national budget during
fhe year 1915 was s50.o0O.0oo rubie'
from direct revenue. s13.000.000 rubie'
from indirect revenue. 513,000,O0C
rubies from the taxes, 1.033.OO0. 1000
r7ibIes from the imperial domain, 1l2.-
600 600 rubles from the Imperial Bank
earnings and 251 100000 rtIbles from
the imperial concessions and mines
And. incidentally. the abolition OF al
cohol has had no effect whatsoever on
The budget. although liquor supplied