Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-08
ENORMOUS RISE IN PRICES
OF NECESSARIES IN RUSSIA
This. IN Connection With Increased
'CsNcs. TX Producing Economic
CrlNlN IL C0untrS

Especial C;rble to Tho Times Dispatch
PETROGRAD. October 7.-Enormous
rise in the prices Of food and other
neccssarics. and increased taxes are
producing an economic crisis in Rus
sla.
The statistical department of the
Moscow City Council has presented to
the Ministry of the Interior n mem
"rnndum comparing the prices of the
chief commodities for July of this
year with those for the month previous
To- the outbreak OF war.
FROM thiS memorandum ii is seen
that the price of bread has increased
by from iS TO IS per cent: OF millct, %
per cent; Of buckwhcat, l3l per cent
The dnirv products show an average
increase of 100 per cent. Cream but
ter has increased by lo3 per cent:
cheese. $50 per cont: Dutch cheese, 3it
per cent. Rice has increased $50 per
cent: coffee. $50 per cent: mucaroni. 30
per cent. The price OF vegetables has
increased from 40 to 100 per cent. and
meat is marked by an increase OF
from 200 20 800 per cent Fish now
| costs twice as much as before the war.
and with the Introduction of meatless
days shows tendency to rise still
more. llcrringS are already five
times the price they were before the
war.
Manufactured articles, such as shoes,
hosiery, have increased TO four or five
ana In some cases eight to ten times
as much rs they were when the war
commenced. Muroff. writing i'm the
Russkoe Slovo, calculates that the cost
Of living generally has Increased by
200 per cent. lie also gives an interest
Ing table showing the Increase of
prices In Berlin and Moscow.
Only five items out Of seventeen
lard. eggs. ham. potatoes and rice
have Increased more in Berlin than in
MOSCOW. Moscow is the largest rail
way junction in Russia and is espe-
cialiy advantageously situated with
regard to the inner market.
In Pctrograd the situation is worse.
and in many provincial towns things
are almost, II not quite. us bad Wages
have not even Approximately kept pace
with the increased cost of living, an
increase partly due to speculation and
tho underground methods of some un-
scrupulous trades. but chiefly owing to
inertia on the part OF the government.
At their various congresses. public
hodies have indicated II series of prac-
Teal measures. the adoption of which
would go long way towards lessen
ing the evil. But the first attempt
made by the Minister OF Agriculture
in Naumoff to realize such measures
by fixing the price OF broadstufrs. cost
MN his position. With government
composed almost entirely OF large land
owners. there is not tho slightest pos
S'oiii'S OF cn"cRlns tho upward tend
cncy of prices.
Germany Is not slow to realize her
possibilities In this Russian crisis.
Recently. overtllres and suggestions
with regard Ia peace have been made
through various channels. Ono OF
these proposals has now come to light
as having been made to the vice prcsi-
dent Of the Russian Duma A. H.
Protopopon. during his short stay in
Stockholm on HIS return Journey from
England. by the secretary OF the Ger
man embassy In Sweden, who spoke
with the authority os the German am
haHsador. Baron Won Lucius de stoad-
ton. 4