when the grain just taken off the field is brought straight to the market and sold at a very low price in order to pay the taxes, even a medium harvest may not be sufficient to avert a famine. This calamity has this year visited the same localities as the famine of 1891. The whole of the governments of Voronezsh, Kaluga, Kursk, Orel, Penza, Riazan, Samara, Saratov, Simbirsk, Tambov, Tula, and Astrakhan, and some parts of the governments of Nizhni Novgorod, Kazan, Ufa, Perm, Stavropol, and Orenburg, are again stricken, not only with the same distress, but even with a still greater one, as there is also a deficiency of fodder. The conditions under which this famine first manifested itself were more favorable than those of 1891. The great disaster of this latter famine consisted in the fact that all the public granaries were nearly empty, containing only one-fourth of the amount of grain which should have been kept there; in consequence of which, as soon as the first symptoms of the coming famine were observed, a dreadful panic set in, and was followed by grain speculation. This lesson was very hard, and caused larger quantities of grain to be kept in the granaries, so that when, in 1897, it was ascertained that a famine might be expected, the granaries contained threefourths of the obligatory supplies-i. e., on January 1, 1897, there were in the granaries of the eighteen governments 68,000,000 poods (1,224,000 tons) of different cereals. These supplies were very beneficial; they prevented panic during the first period of the famine, furnished the seed for sowing the winter fields in all the governments where the crops had failed, and prevented grain speculation. Owing to this fact, the famine in the eighteen governments has had no influence on the prices of grain in the Russian market. On the other hand, the present famine has occurred under very unfavorable conditions, so far as the public funds are concerned. The local and the general alimentation capitals were spent during the famine of 1891, and the money has been repaid very slowly. Up to the present day, only 8,500,000 rubles ($4,377,500) in grain and money have been distributed to the famished governments from the public fund. The Red Cross Society, other benevolent institutions, and private persons are doing their utmost to help the needy. A reduced railroad tariff was established on May 7 for grain going to the famished governments. This tariff will continue until September 13. Grain paying this rate has to be accompanied by a certificate from the Russian Red Cross Society. ST. PETERSBURG, May 13, 1898. W. R. HOLLOWAY, Consul-General. PROPOSITION TO PROHIBIT EXPORT OF GRAIN FROM RUSSIA. A Russian civil engineer, in a recent lecture on the scarcity of grain, urged that measures should be taken to avoid distress. He suggested the prohibition of the export of grain, hay, and straw, as in 1891. Strict measures are more indispensable at the present time than in that year, in the first place, because the principal grainbearing provinces have had a poor harvest, and, second, on account. of the Spanish-American war. From data collected, it appears that West Europe has now but a small supply of grain in stock, which may last only about a month. The Government in 1891, continued the lecturer, made an expenditure in aiding the distressed districts of $63,000,000, and also made an extra allowance of $5,000,000 to construct public works and highways, for the sole purpose of giving employment to the workmen. He added that a proposition should be made to the Government to adopt similar measures in this crisis. Roads are needed all over Russia to enable farmers to bring their grain to the railways; in this way thousands would be given employment. Moscow, June 2, 1898. THOMAS SMITH, Consul. REDUCTION OF DUTY ON AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY IN RUSSIA.* During the years 1895-96, the Ministry of Finance and also the Ministry of Agriculture and Crown Domains received applications from several agricultural associations and private persons, interceding for an improvement in economical conditions of the agricultural industry, as the prices of farm products in the international market were rapidly falling. This, they claimed, could be facilitated by reduction of the price of agricultural machinery, implements, and manure. Owing to the present condition of agriculture and of the machine-building industry in Russia, the duty on foreign agricultural machinery, amounting to 35 cents per 36 pounds, is excessive and prevents the general use in Russia of the latest improved implements. The manufacture of agricultural machinery in this country has made considerable progress, owing to the protective tariff, but is still unable to satisfy the requirements of the agricultural industry, as many machines and implements, especially complicated and patented apparatus, are not manufactured in Russia. In view of these facts, the farmers and agricultural associations have requested a material reduction or entire suspension of the duty on such machinery and manure. Furthermore, in order to assist the home production of wine and enable it to resist the various diseases of the vine and other plants, the Ministry of Agriculture and Crown Domains has considered the question of importing, duty free, chemical products and apparatus to be used for this purpose. In transmitting the requests to the Ministry of Finance, the Minister of Agriculture said that it would be too much to put all agri * See "Changes of customs duties in Russia, "CONSULAR REPORTS NO, 215 (August, 1898), p. 524. cultural implements on the free list, but that it would benefit the agricultural classes to remove the duty from implements and machinery not manufactured in Russia. In view of these recommendations, the Minister of Finance appointed a commission consisting of representatives of the departments of Finance, Agriculture, and Interior, as well as of farmers and manufacturers, to consider the subjects in detail. This resulted in a recommendation that agricultural implements and fertilizing substances be admitted free of duty into Russia, as follows: (1) Such agricultural machinery and implements as are not produced in Russia, and the production of which requires special technical facilities, or which are patented, and therefore can not be established in the near future, viz: Harvesting and stacking machines, sheaf binders, steam plows, complex thrashing machines with double drums, tedders, horserakes, assorting machines for grass seeds, assorting machines for potatoes, manure spreaders, pulverizers for sprinkling vines and trees, injectors for sprinkling sulphurous carbon under the roots of the vines in order to destroy the phylloxera, uninterrupted grape pressers, centrifugal cream separators and their parts, etc. (2) Cloth for sheaf binders, stackers, and assorting machines. (3) Special twine for stackers, made of manila hemp. This twine formerly paid a duty of 522 cents per 36 pounds, and the import of it duty free is even more desirable than the import of the stackers or sheaf binders themselves, as these latter, weighing about 1,080 pounds each, paid a duty of $11.25, whereas the 3,600 pounds of twine necessary for the working of the machine during eight years paid a duty of $52.50. But taking into consideration that the manila twine can be also used for other purposes, and that the import of it duty free would be detrimental to the Russian production of twine, especially as trials have been made to produce. such twine in Russia from hemp imported from Manila, it was found necessary to limit the duty-free import of said twine to an amount not exceeding 1,080 pounds per machine-i. e., the quantity necessary for the working of the machine during three years. Further recommendations were made as follows: Duty on steam locomotives, imported together with thrashing machines and steam plows, to be lowered to 35 cents per 36 pounds. Duty on reserve parts of agricultural machinery and implements, imported together with the machines, to be lowered to 35 cents per 36 pounds, when the machines imported have also to pay that duty; but when the machinery imported is duty free, then its reserve parts, coming at the same time, are also to pay no duty. In order to acquaint landowners and manufacturers with the most recent inventions in that branch of industry, all kinds of new agricultural machinery and implements, imported for experimental stations and museums, to be admitted duty free. The following products used as manure and for exterminating noxious insects to be imported free of duty: Strassfurt salts, chloride of potassium, sulphate of magnesium, kainite (mixture of chloride of potassium and sulphate of magnesium), saltpeter of Chile, sulphuric acid, copper-arsenic salts, the so-called caterpillar glue, and all other apparatus for the purpose of preventing or destroying the diseases of the vine and fruit trees. The recommendations have been adopted, and the regulations. will come into force for locomotives, agricultural machinery, and parts of same, on September 1-13, 1898. For the other articles mentioned above, the regulations came into force June 6-18, 1898, and will apply to all machinery, implements, and other articles mentioned herein, up to December 18-30, 1903. ST. PETERSBURG, June 20, 1898. W. R. HOLLOWAY, CAST-IRON INDUSTRY OF RUSSIA IN 1897. According to data received from all the Russian foundries in 1897, 2,053,422 tons of cast iron were melted in Russia during last year-i. e., 459,000 tons more than in 1896. This quantity was divided as follows: At the northern foundries 6,264 tons were melted, 162 tons less than in 1896; at the Ural foundries, 733,878 tons, 95,652 tons more than in 1896; at the Moscow foundries, 186,966 tons, 38,898 tons more than in 1896; at the southern foundries, 831,276 tons, 129,366 tons more than in 1896; at the Polish foundries, 251,820 tons, 10,782 tons more than in 1896; in the southwestern foundries 3,006 tons, 126 tons more than in 1896; and at the Siberian private foundries, 8,892 tons, 1,116 tons more than in 1896. The import from abroad of cast iron, iron, steel, and machinery increased in 1897 by 2 per cent. The import during the last three From this table it is seen that, compared with 1896, the import of cast iron has increased in 1897 by 29, 268 tons, and of iron and steel by 23,292 tons; whereas the import of iron and steel articles and of machinery has decreased, the former by 16,380 tons and the latter by 13,032 tons. A careful examination of these figures will show that the import of unwrought iron and steel increases from year to year, and the import of machinery and apparatus decreases. The total import of cast iron was as follows: Cast iron, 112,644 tons; iron, steel, and manufactures of same, 552,114 tons, which would represent 828,162 tons of cast iron, and by adding to this the 112,644 tons mentioned before, the total will amount to 940,806 tons—i. e., 18,000 tons more than in 1896. Consequently Russia required, in 1897, 2,994,228 tons of cast iron in order to supply her home demands. The following table shows the quantity of cast-iron produced in Russia and the amount consumed during the last five years: Including cast iron, iron, steel, and articles of same imported from abroad. 2,994,228 The production during the four years from 1893 to 1896 increased about 180,000 tons per annum, and in 1897 it increased 281,970 tons; whereas the consumption increased very irregularly, viz: In 1894 the increase amounted to 453,000 tons; in 1895, 155, 268 tons; in 1896, 238,662 tons; in 1897, 302,508 tons. The increase during the four years was 1,149,438 tons, or 62.7 per cent. ST. PETERSBURG, June 7, 1898. W. R. HOLLOWAY, Consul-General. IMPORTS INTO SOUTH AFRICA. Trade in South Africa has untold possibilities, but one of its obvious features at present is the foothold gained by United States goods. While our trade is mainly in food stuffs, other lines have been rapidly coming to the front, and with proper effort the market can be retained. In electrical goods and appliances, articles of iron and steel, galvanized iron, steam and water piping, tools, shovels, hoes, forks, silver-plated ware, hardware, furniture, house furnishings, and window glass the trade has held its own during the past year. An |