Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-09-16
Soviet Issues
Paper Money
In Bale Lots

- z bait Of paper money two yards
lido and long enough to go around
me earth twice at the equator.
This helps to give some idea of
me amount OF paper money issued
~ the boisheviks during the first
iyear ana naif OF their regime.
The soviet government is now is
suing it's money in notes of 5000
md 10000 roubles, because 1t has
- greatly deprecated that about
1xhe only thing possible to purchase
for 100 roubles Is box Of matches.
When It is remembered that the
Mominal value of 100 roubles is $50
mume idea can be gained Of the tre-
mendOus depreciation that has
tfaken place in Russian money.
Those who have recently arrived
here from Russia tell amusing, all
though ut the same. time pathetic,
stories about the difficulties which
the Russians are having with
money.
It sounds like a paradox, but 1t is
- fact thatt here is altogether too
much money in Russia just now
sand too many different kinds.
One OF the surprising facts is that
the most valuable Of all Russian
money at the present time is the
note issued by the government of
the late czar. This money still re-
tains a fairly high value--as COM
pared with the other many issues
and is eagerly sought for and
hidden away when obtained.
The next in value is the Dunn
nlxiya," issued by the duma right
4fter the revolution. Following
that is the "Kerenski," issued by
Kerenski. This money is very in
significant. looking more like
stamps than real money, as it
comes in large, perforated sheets Of
twenty notes. each valued at five
Eoubles. The people have long
Sfnce ceased tearing off one or two
notes when they make a purchase.
They hand out the whole sheet and
speak Of 1t as yard of Kerenski."
Money Is being printed in soviet
Russia in six different cities. and
zach day three milfiards worth of
roubles are printed. Even this is
NOT sufficient to supply the. many
soviet institutions and measures are
now being taken to increase the
Saaily output to five milliards.
The bolsheviks are not at all en-
kArrassed by the, enormous amount
~ money with which they have
Hooded the country. On the other
Aand, they are printing millions Of
roubles every day and the conse-
S4uent result is that it is daily be-
coming more and more valueless.
AT the last session of the central
sexecutive committee it was decided
10 take measures toward the imme.
afate establishment of an exchange
system whereby goods would be sx-
changed for other goods or labor,
md thus completely abolish money
- a medium of barter altogether.
The various types of monies mem
Efoned do not by any means consti-
khte all the varieties now in circula-
Mon in Russia. In the Don region
~ found the money issued by Dene-
Kin. IN the Crimea the notes hand
"a out by the short rt-lived Crimea
republic, In Siberia the promises
- pay OF Semenoff. Kolchak and
Horvat, together with the "Ost-
Itouble" issued at the time of the
German occupation, and the "aKr-
novanetz" and "Grivna,' issued in
the Ukraine. just to mention few
ssf the varieties.
Each regime ais it came into be-
<nv~- 60 xyfn, Of Nh q
1articular region 1t was deliver
6ng,, at the time-needed money.
what was more simple than to
print some? After that it was very
Easy to put 1t into circulation for
the inhabitants could either accept
IL In payment for their goods, or see
me goods taken without payment
IT all. 1t was also very dangerous
Ho even suggest that the. money
znight not be Of any value later and
would very likely result in the critic
decorating a tree at the end Of q
rope or facing a. firing party.
All this money gets mixed up and
asst he exchange rate for each is diff
ferent the ordinary citizen who
wanted to estimate his wealth
would find himself involved in q
snaxe OF calculations sufficient to
make the ordinary mathematical
expert dizzy.
Taking as a suggestion that he
Figured himself to be worth about
800. At the present rate of ex
change he would be in possession
~ about $4,000 roubles in soviet
money, 100000 roubles of Kol'
rhak's, Semenoffs and Denekin':
-shinplasters.' 100000 in Crimean
KIorvat's and .Yudenich promises te
nay, a few thousand in the .ukrain'
inn Korbovanetzes and Grivnas, .
xew more thousands in Kerensk
iaid Dumski and few---a very few
lin the still most precious czal
s~aIaBlas< - 80