The sun., 1919-09-10
TRANSPORT BETTER
| IN EAST SIBERIA
Average Shipments in June
From Vladivostok Amount
to 600 Tons O. Day.
SERVICE STILL LACKING
Ruble Exchange Situation,
With Steady Declines, Called
Discouraging.
BY E. I. omELToHENKo,

BY r. I. OMELTCHENKO,
American Representative, RusstaH-Amor-
lean Committee for the Far Edst IN
Vlddipostok.
The conditions of transportation and
of ruble exchange form the key to the
business situation in eastern Siberia
The transport conditions on the Trans
Siberian Railroad seem to be improving.
The average daily shipments from Vladi-
vostok terminal via Manchuria in June
amounted to about 500 tons, while in
January only 30 tons were shipped daily.
This Improvement Is due mainly to the
natural conditions Of weather. to tho
coming of the warm and hot season.
when the percentage Of disabled locomo-
tives usually decreases. From a broader
point of view, however, the service OF the
Trans Siberian Railroad must still be
considered as very far from It's normal
efficiency. Under the Gar and Keren-
sky Government. and even under the
Bolshevik rule, the Trans-Siberian Rail-
road was operated better than II IL oper-
ated now, after six months work of tho
Interallied Railroad Commission; as for
example: In 1916 the average daily ship
ment from Vladivostok terminal was about
1000 Ions, while at present the average
daily shipment Is only about 600 tons
Still more important Is the fact that
there<is but little hope for better eff
cheney in the near future.
l. A. Oustrugoff, Minister Of Ways and
Communications of the Kolchak Govern
ment, has recently assured the news
paper men that 1t will take an indefl-
nitely long time before the Trans-Sibe
rian Railroad will have resumed the
carrying of normal traffic
Under such circumstances ono cannot
expect speedy relief for the freight con-
gestion In Vladivostok- The conserva-
tive Siberian authors have calculated
that 1t would take about three and a
half years to rid the Vladivostok harbor
Of its tremendous stock of goods. pro
vided the present conditions of trans
portation do not become worse.
The ruble exchange situation Is also
dlscouraging. The rates of rubles are
steadily going down. In Vladivostok. in
the month of April of this year. one dol
lar bought 10 to 20 rubles. Late in July
this rate declined to As rubles per dollar.
There were some days when the rate of
exchange went down to 60 rubles and
even in some private transactions to 30
rlibles per dollar. These rates were not
steady but subject to frequent ductua-
ton.
Causes for Decline.
There are many causes for such a de-
cline of ruble exchange, apart from pure
ly political considerations.
The prohibition of the importation
of rubles by France, England, and the
United States is one of them. II
created an artificial isolation of the
Siberian money market, deprecated the
Russian currency. established two abb
solutely different rates for rubles: one,
within the above-named countries: the
other. in Siberia. Tho latest quotation
OF rubles in vladivostok was about 81
s1.25 per 100. while in New York Il
was quoted as $500 to $3.50 per 100
rubles.
The wrong financial policy of the Kol-
chalk Government also contributed great
deal toward the decline of rubles. The
Bank of State undertook such measures
as could be successful only under a
very strong and settled government
Siberia had three main types OF paper
currency: Gar rubles, KerenslS1
rubles, and Siberian rubles The Car
and part of the Kerensky bank note!
were recognized in the foreign mar.
kets, but Siberian rubles were not
They were circulated only In Siberia
and with a large discount, when com
pared with Gar and Kerensky cur
rency. The Ministry of Finance of the
Omsk Government undertook the re-
demption of the Kerensky\ rubles OF
small denominations, and carried on thi!
measure on conditions which were prac.
tically equivalent to the con1scation Of
Kerensky currency from the holders
As a result of this reform confidence In
Kerensky currency was lost, the Keren.
sky bank notes declined and the Czal
rubles went down In sympathy, not only
In Siberia, but In all markets
Tho effect of such a declining rate
of exchange upon importation canno
be underestimated- On July 20 of thi,
year. one of the Vladivostok newspa
pers was being sold at newsstands a
OTIS ruble per copy. and on July 80
the very next day. the price was raised
| to 200 rubles per copy, which means al
increase OF 1853 per cent The publisher
| explained this raising OF the price. b,
the sudden increase in the cost of Jap
anese paper The importers OF othe
goods are in the same position the.
| are forced to raise the prices almost 10t
per cent within a short time. Tha
| is in the country which Is under mar
| tial law. and where capital punishment
| for speculation has been established
| The congestion of the main terminal
| the traffic difficulties and the decline o
rubles make the commercial expansion Il
| Siberia hardly to be expected. Never
| theless the fact Is that very large for
eigr commerce has recently develop
through Vladivostok; larger than on
usually imagines In America. The grea
economic forces of Siberia are continuin
\ to work out their own means OF attract
ing foreign goods and OF exporting Rus
sian merchandise, regardless OF man
embarrassments.
| According to recently published fig
ures, importation to eastern Siberia
now carried on on a larger scale than 4
1914, when the influence of war was fe,
In the Vladivostok harbor, During tn
first quarter OF 1919 about 10000 ton
OF different goods were imported; tn
main articles were sugar, railroad equip
ment, coal, textiles, lubricating oil.
foodstufrs. shoes and leather. fresh fruit
paper and paper goods, metal manufac
lures, chemicals, machinery and agricul
tural implements and liquors
Principal Export Articles.
Sttll more interesting is the quite cor
siderable export from Siberia. Duri1
the first quarter OF this year Vladivosto
shipped about 10000 tons of differeL
materials for export. partly OF Siberia
origin, partly of Manchurian origin, an
partly from the stores and warehouses (
Vladivostok. The chief export article
were lumber, chemicals, beans. fish. o
cakes. fertilizers. linseed. raw material
| So, h..Nt