Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1919-08-22
TRADE WITH SIBERIA
LOOMING FOR COAST

writes FRANK =. DViS III '"S S"'
Oregonian. Through this part the
rich products of that great land oil
Aladdin" as it has been called, will
pour into the markets of the occl-
dent. and into Vladlyostok will go
the manufactured articles which
factories of the United States are
destined to supply
Vladivostok today is bulglng with
goods. Warehouses and go-downs
are groaning under their weight Of
foreign products. so great is the
press for storage space that vast
piles of goods are stacked in the
open, covered only with tarpaulins.
Yet with all these stores in sigh.
The masses in Vladiyostok are pow
erty-stricken. Bread and meat lines
are formed daily py hundreds OF
Siberians seeking necessities of life.
This. too, in face Of the fact that
Siberia is one of the richest coun-
tries in the world Its natural re-
sources are almost unlimited.
Finances Are Chaotic
The reason for this strange situ-
alton is the lack Of an adequate or
stable foreign exchange system and
the utter disorganization Of the
Russian monetary system Many
kinds of money are in circulation.
While the ruble is supposed to be
the basis OF values the worth OF the
ruble varies daily and also varies
with the person or firm with whom
exchange is sought. The most COM
mon exchange value in Vladivostok
Is declared to be 25 rubles for 81,
though some changers give only IL
rubles for 81 and Others as high
as S3 for 81.
The store shelves in Vladivostok
are practically bare. Some stores
will have small supplies of old,
shopworn goods, for which there is
little demand; and some flimsy.
cheaply manufactured Japanese
goods.
Until the monetary system Is sta
bilizer in some way, the chief meth
cd OF dealing in Siberia will be by
barter, that is. exchanging manu-
factured goods of the occident for
the raw materials produced in such
abundance in Siberia. Already sew
eral American firms have grasped
this golden opportunity for acquir-
Ing valuable furs from northern ST.
IBERIA. At present furs, the most
beautiful and valuable found any
where in the world, are exceedingly
cheap in Siberia.
fur Trade i'rOfitaDie
Americans have fitted out vessels
with goods needed by Siberians and
have exchanged them for furs at
good profits. This fur trading Is
just one of the many opportunities
awaiting traders who take advan-
tage of the fact that rich market
is in the making in the far east
Just how the large stores of goods
in vladivostok will he handled is
still an international problem. There
is some discussion relative to the
Omsk government seizing these
stores and using them TO relieve
poverty among the masses of the
population. Eventually the owners
of the property would be paid for
the goods, as the government would
become responsible for the debt.
At present troops of the various
nations represented are guarding
the stores and properties of their re-
speotiye countries at Vladivostok.
These include the Japanese, Ameri-
can, British, French and other
forces
Vladlvostok has a fine harbor. Its
setting is not unlike that of San
Francisco, in that the city is built
on range of hills surrounding the
bay. The main bay is called the
Golden Horn" BECAUSE of its sim
ilarity to the harbor OF Constantlno-
pie. The length of this may is
about four miles and its width 5000,
feet.
Terminus OF Great Road
Yladivostok is the terminus of the
Ti'ans,S1berian railroad, THE city
is coI,neoted with western Siberia
by the Chinese Eastern railway,
leading directly across Manchuria
and thence into Siberia, and also
by the Amur railway. following the
line of the Amur river through Rus
sian territory and joining the main
line of the Siberian railroad at Chi
Ia. While connecting railroads run
from Corea and Port Arthur and
aDiren to connect with the Chinese
Eastep at Harbin, this line is
longer than the distance from Har-