The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-08

A46yacaal Business Men In
veshe1tins Con1rAeFcial.
Possibilities.

stockheim.-t Correspondence Of The
Associdtsd FrssSo More and more the
American business men appear to be
Investigating commercial possibilities
IN RUSSIA. Every steamer from Amer
lea brings steadily incrcasinu,numbefs
OF them. and Americans are confirm.
any streaming in from Pctroarad ana
Moscow with their pockets fllled with
contracts or the proceeds Of sales.
There is however, u very consider
cble number who either 60 NO farther
than Stockholm or who reach their
aims only after many weeks OF weary
waiting here. These are the men who
neglected before shipping their goods
70 inform themselves of the conditions
70 DO met or reutss. or things essen
tial to tho safe and delivery Of goods
in Russia.
a typical case is that Of the repre-
sentative of certain automobile firms
" America. WHO came to stockholm
With sonic motor trucks intended for
Russia dcspste the fact that it is nearly
Two years since the Swedish parlia.
nlcnt enacted a law refusing transit
g motor vehicles In any ana all cir
camstances. This law. enacted on
January >. 1915, ptohibits' absolutely
and unqualifiedly the transit through
Sweden to Russia Of arms or parts
thereof. ammunition, war material not
specially mentioned. lead in all forms
ana ~a6tof vchiciS6 Of any KIND.
The shtppcr OF the motor trucks was
inclined to reproach the British ON
oassy In Washington for having issued
to him letters Of assurance on articles
which coustf not he transited through
Swcdcn r. may be- that the men in
the dcpxttnsent OF theS embassy that
issues these letters were not familiar
with the Swedish law. quite apart.
however. from, the question Of whether
they.kh or should have given warn.
Ing American shippers should UNDER
stand that letters OF assurance are in
no way guaranty that the goods
covered are wanted by or can enter
Russia, or that they can cross Sweden.
Russia. in common with all other
bcliigerent countries. has prohibited
the importation of certain goods and
closely restricted the importation of
others. Generally speaking, all lux
uries may not be brought into the |
empire.
The list Of things wanted is subject |
to frequent alteration; conditions out |
side Russia may make it impossible |
at given moment to seid certain |
articles thither. At present, for in |
stance, 1T appears impossible to get
any coffee across Sweden. At least |
one big shipment from an American,
firm has been held UP for months be. |
cause the Swedish government de- |
mands, as q condition precedent to |
permitting 1t to be taken across the
that a third of the quantity |
be sold in Sweden. The British gov
eminent refuses to consent,
Another detail in which American
shippers appear often. uniformed is
the matter of routes, which now, with |
the approach of winter, becomes i'm
portant. German submarines have re. |
Gently been marrying shipping in the
Gulf of Bothnia to such an extent that |
1t has been seriously restricted. The
result has naturally boon accumulation
Of goods In Swedish ports on the gulf.
The freezing up of the Gulf of Both.
MA, which may como now at any time,
will close all water connection between
Sweden and Finnish ports until next
April There will rcu,ain %hcn or,,,
the overland route via Haparanda and
Tonea. This is single-t track road.
both in Sweden and In Finland, there
~ any thing but a surplus Of locomo-
ttvss and other rolling stock on the
Swedish end, and the routes Transport
tation facilities are in general SO lin
ited that delays of weeks and even of
months are possible in the case Of
goods not wanted with great urgency.