The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-04
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN, Diroc4ox.
WashtnEtan. D. C.
THE RUSSIAN OPPORTUNITY.
WashtnEtan. d G

| want to share in the greatest com
mercial and industrial development of
the immediate future, study the Rus
sian language, and also Russian geog-
raphy, resources and trade methods
This is the advice of the bureau of
education to young Americans. Rus
STA is in chaos now, but it can't af-
ford to stay in chaos much longer
And whether it emerges a socialist
state, a social or a repub-
lie, it's 1S0,00O,000 people must be sup
piled with the necessities of life; it
must be equipped with railroads and
factories; its forests and mines must
be utilized. And all or most of this
must be done by traders and engineers
and capitalists from the west, for Rus
STA has neither trained men, money
nor tools.
Russia is the worlds greatest op-
portunity, and the fact is apparent
to most of the world. England has
been preparing for years to regain the
dominance of Russian trade which she
enjoyed before Germany took it away
from her. 1t is said that the Germans
used Russian prisoners as teachers of
the Russian language.
Americans seem least aware of the
Russian opportunity; but the bureau
of education and the federal board
for vocational education have been do
ing what they can to overcome this
indifference. Surveys have been
made in ESQ American cities with a
view to establishing evening or day
classes in the Russian language. Spe-
cial text books have been prepared, in
which Russian banking, trade and
shipping terms take the place of the
hat of the gardener" and the green
umbrella of my aunt's grandfather"
These text books are to be sold at
minimum cost to schools and to bust
ness firms. A good many American
firms are already training young men
to go into Russia as soon as political
conditions will permit.
Russia presents an immediate COM
mercial opportunity of most unusual
character. The Russians are in des-
perate need of almost everything that
a human can need; and the very high
est prices prevail. These prices are
bound to continue for some time.
Forty dollars a pair for shoes; 500
for a very ordinary suit of clothes,
and so cents for a cake of soap are not
unusual prices in war time in Russia.
Naturally it is possible to make enor-
nous profits there; and undoubtedly
such profits now. 1t is well known
that various Russian interests are try
ing to buy in the United States. The
all Russian Consumers union, with
headquarters at Moscow, has organ
lied with a membership of ten, mil
lion, and is sending representatives to
the United States to buy goods and
borrow money. This organization pro-
poses to build pulp mills in some of
the great Russian forests and trade
paper pulp for the things which are
so badly needed in Russia.
But the chance to make big profits
out of the needs of the Russians now
or in the immediate future is the least
important part of the opportunity
which Russia offers The big thing
of the future is the development of
this country. A large part of Russia
is virgin territory for modern indus
trial development. Here is a country
five times the size of the United
States, a large part of which is as
undeveloped as our own west was fifty
years ago. There are other great un-
developed areas in Africa and in South
America, but most of these lie in the
tropics, where white men cannot live
permanently. But Russia is a cold and
temperate country-a congenial home
for the blonde Anglo-Saxon type of
man.
Russia contains a seventh part of
all the land in the world, and half of
this is agricultural land as rich as the
Mississippi valley. 1t is estimated that
Russia could support eight times the
present population of the United
States. Before the war, despite crude
agricultural conditions, Russia led the
world in the production of wheat and
was third in the production of cotton.
1t has more horses than any other
country in the world, and has some of
the best. Its climate covers such a
range of latitude that camels are bred
in the south and reindeer in the north.
Little Russia, or European Russia,
is a modern European country, well
developed and thickly settled; but the
great area of Asiatic Russia is a will
derness-what Americans call "a new
country" The comparatively unde-
veloped state of Russia as a whole
may be judged very well from the
state of its transportation facilities
With five times the area of the United
States. it has but 900 miles of rail-
road as compared with 260, 900 miles
in the United States. There are 49,
900 miles of navigable river in Russia
and less than a tenth of it is utilized
for transportation.
The basis of modern industrial civil
ization is the factory system, and the
factory system has not yet touched the
greater part of Russia. There are
modern factories, of course, in the
great SOulHSIA CllIeSs DuI Tie Dulh VI
Russia is still in the handicraft stage
of industry, from which western Eu-
rope emerged half a century ago.
Goods are still made in the homes of
the people or in little village shops.
Eighty-five per cent of the people are
agriculturists.
AS an opportunity for foreign trade,
Russia is almost a new field to Amer
leans. Before the war Germany had
As per cent of all the Russian bust
ness, and England a good part of the
rest. The United States had only 3
per cent, and half of this was con-
trolled by German agents. All of these
old trade relations hive been broken
up by war. 1t is estimated that as
soon as conditions in Russia become
settled, she will have $1,000, 100000
worth of trade to offer the world, and
the United States will have as good a
chance for this as any other country.
But the trade opportunity. it must
be emphasized. is not the only one.