The Washington times., 1922-09-03
VEAL TIL WATTS
|NMOSCOWFOR
. SMALL CAPITAL
Opportunities In = i;ustry Lie
On Every Hand If One
Has Cash.
3v NINA LOUISE STRONG,
..... ..u.ruattouaI News Service.

convinced" said an American
business man to me recently in
the streets Of Moscow, ''that If q
man came in here with a little
capital, say $25, 900 to $4,000 in
cash, and just sat tight and looked
around he could make the biggest
killing" -
"In speculation" asked, for
I knew that small fortunes change
hands daily on the unrecognized
but still operating Bourse, by
speculating in foreign exchange.
"No, by legitimate business
investment that would help build
up Russia. I never saw so many
business opportunities in my life."
l asked IL could 60 around with
him one day and listen in. We met
first an energetic youth represent
ing the Educational Productive As.
sociation. I'VE are an organization
of the youth Of Russia for physical
training" he said. There are five
million people of the eligible age and
we have nearly two million enrolled.
Staggering Monopolies
"our head office in Moscow sup
ports itself with concessions which 1t
gets from the government. We have,
among others, the monopoly Tor sup
plying sporting goods in Russia.
was staggered. You must have
something?" ! said.
I'VE are" he admitted modestly.
But what I want to talk about Ia
the concession we have for running
autobusses In Moscow. We have only
one autobus now, brought in from
Germany. 1t holds twenty people.
and II makes a profit OF about 800
day and $500 on Sunday. Can't
you get some maker Of autobusses to
go in with US, he to furnish the autos
and we to furnish gasoline and do
the operating?
Before / completely grasped the
possibilities l was hurried to another.
A young mechanic, working in the
Supreme Council of Public Economy,
the highest economic organ of Rus
sia, showed me samples Of electric
light bulbs. They are made" he
said, "by a factory in Petrograd. and
the government department stores
contract to take all their output.
They can only make 1000 a day. but
engineers say the factory could easily
produce 100000 a day. II 1t had
proper machinery. That would cost
about two hundred thousand dollars.
No Electric Bulbs.
, But the thing that interests me
is the metal part of the electric bulb.
These are made nowhere in Russi.l.
The Petrograd factory makes only
the glass and imports the metal
parts from Germany. II we only
had three or four thousand dollars
there are seven Of US boys, mechan-
les. who would put in our labor and
set up a little shop to make those
little parts. They have already
promised, as soon as we have our
dies and make our samples. to give
us contracts for all we can make"
Look here" said, suppose you
find that you cannot make those
metal parts as cheaply as Germany?
Will that factory buy from you
then7"
Sure" he said; "the government
is interested in having those things
made in our country. They will put
on q duty to protect our develop
ment. Infant industries" he grinned,
for he had been in the States.
Sockets, But No Lights.
remembered the conditions Of
lighting in Moscow; every room has
half a dozen sockets and only one
bulb! Electric light lamps do not
| survive seven years of war and
blockade. They are simply non-eA-
istent, and there is a great demand.
bought cne decent bulb for IS cents,
and when brought II home my Rus
sian roommate said: How cheapr'
And that was the kind of market
those boys had to supply!
We talked after this to somebody
higher up. He had documents all
ready for a Russo.American trading
company. which should be given the
monopoly Of exports and imports for
the Russian government.
There are private trading COM
panies already operating on a shoe
string" he said, "and they are maxi
ing money. But a company in which
the government had a personal in
terest, owning half the stock, while
American capitalists owned the other
half-a company with the monopoly
for supplying government institu-
tions and exporting government
products-would there be money IN
that?"
The amount Of capital he men.
toned for such a company was so
small that I'm not going to tell II.
For II gave me wild dreams of get
ting together few friends and going
into the business myself!
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