RUSSIAN "HARES."

Press, Volume L, Issue 14987, 6 June 1914, Page 6

RUSSIAN "HARES."

FREE TRAVEL ON RUSSIAN RAILWAYS.

WIDESPREAD SYSTEM OF EVASION.

3 (TROII A COBEESPOVDENT.) * ST. PETERSBURG, May 4. I Niue hundred and eighty-four thoui sand one hundred and twenty people I were last year caught travelling on tbe > Russian State railroads with forged ' tickets or with no tickets at all. How ] many travelled in this way without being caught no man knows. Probably i several millions. At any rate, the legend is that one out of every five Russians travels without a ticket. It is so easy to do this successfully and elusively that ticketless travellers are known as "hares." . "iiaytsi" is the word. To travel as- a "hare" is tho ambition of every Russian; and it's a rare Russian who does not sUfcceed at least onco. Just before the former Premier, M. Koko - tseff. resigned, ho received the "Report of the Ministry of Communication's for 1912." Here is a statement about the 98-4,120 "hares"; and here also a statement that in 1912 18,703 railroad officials were prosecuted, dismissed, degraded, or punished with disciplinary lines for tolerating ox conniving at the free trips of tho "hares." Tnis shocked M. Kokovtscff. Not only did ho (though surrounded when in office by thieves) hate- dishonesty, but ne was also Jb'inanu Minister; and Russia's finances bauly need the money which is pocketed by the "hares" and their adies, tho grafter officials. Kokovtseff put on that blush which he always wears.when angry, and talked seriously to M. Riichloff, then Minister of Communications. But ikl. Ruchioff shrugged his shoulders, and said "nitchevo," which means that the million "hares" don't matter, and that all devices have been tried against them in vain. Ever since Nioholas 1. built the first short railroad from St. Petersburg to fjarskoe Selo sixty years ago, travelling as a "hare" has been the fashionable system. The system flourishes' because the railroad administration help> the "hares." The simplest way of travelling as a "hare" is to get into your car without a ticket and hand "the "konduktor' a reasonable fee. The ''konduktor" makes the military salute, and let* you travel free. 'If the "kontroller" who controls tho conductor, boards the train, the "konduktor" simply pushes you under a seat, or sell* you a ticket which he has in reserve. Or he takes the "kontroller" a-ido, and gently gives him half you r modest bribe. .

Railroads which are best for "hares" are the Moscow-St. Petersburg line, the long _ line to Archangel, the South Russian lines, and the Great Siberian. On the Aloscow-St. Petersburg line there is a/regular "hares" tariff, so" that no haro is swindled or charged tbo much. You cannot travel as a "hare" on the "courier train," which is the ..quickest.tram of the day. But you can easily travel on the slower "passenger and "post" trains. In a "post" tram as a se-ond-clnss "hare" you can travel the whole 400 miles on giving the "konduktor" 1&. This is the highest "hare" tariff in tho Empire. Un the Siberian railways you can travel lor two days for 'os, and some Peasant "hares" are allowed to travel II o-! 68 for 5d - T* l6 main «a«se why tho Siberian railway produces a large annual deficit is that there i- practically no naying local traffic. Travellers from Europe to China or Japan pay their fares, but on the local trains three-quarters of tho short,distance travellers do not pay at all. Former Minister of Communications Rnchloff tried hard to put down "hares." He first despatched a dozen minatory circulators, which had no effect. Lnst summer he tried a braver system. Other Russian Ministers kept their noses to their bureaucratic desks, and never saw the great world, but M. Ruchloff resolved to act liko C*"inb Haroun al-Reschid, and travel through his railroad empire incognito, so as to find out what people were saying, doing, and stealing. Ruchloff started operations on the:■ Moscow-Nijni railroad, luis is a ; moderately Busy "hare road." Posing ;-.

as an ordinary mortal, and without a ticket, ho entered a second-class compartment at Viasniki. The "konduktor" came to take his ticket. M. Ruchloff fumbled in his pocket, and looked earnestly at tho "konduktor." Tho "konduktor'' understood. Then M. Ruchloil gave him two roubles, which is about os. Before they got to Nijni along came the 'kontroller" to test the "koiidpktor's" honesty. "Now," said Ruchloff to himself, "the rascal will be found out." But the "konduktor" looked at the "kontroller" just as M. Ruchloff had looked at th© "konduktor," and the pair laughed. Then into the "koutroller's" hand slipped one of the Minister's two roubles. The pair saluted in the insinuating, cour- ■ teous way that you see in Russia only among successful thieves. M. Harouu al-Raschid Ruchloff was delighted. As tuey steamod into Nijni depot he lofiected triumphantly how ho would order the depot gendarmes to arrest both tho gratters. But ttxh two grafters suddenly began a whispered conversation, and M. Ruchloff began to see that they suspected him of spying. At Nijni before ho could get to the geudarmea the grafters had got to.them: and the gendarmes arrested the Minister. '"On what charge?" asked aug.y Ruchloff. "On too charge of travelling without a ticket, and trying to bnbo us." And they told tho gendarmes how the villainous second-class passenger had in j vain asked thorn to take a two roubles j bribe. Only when the stationmaster came was 11. Ruchloff released. I

M. Ruchloff, last summer, sent an agent to Siberia to report on the "uares." The agent reported that all peasants are "hares," or sympathise *rith "hares," and consider they have a grievance against tho Stato for not letting them travel gratis. This notion they inherit from p re-railroad days. Then, whenever going to weddings or 1 funerals, they had a right to free places in State post-cars or sledges. When the railroad was built they lost this privilege, but felt they had £ right to use the trains free of charge. Siberia's mnshik will travel under any conditions. Once a peasant got into "a refrigerator waggon, and froze to death- A wedditig couple had the saino fate some years back. Peasants travol on the car couplings, and sometimes fall oil. Ono man fell from a car coupling into the lattice work of the Yenesei bridae. The. railroad administration, in best Oriental' style, purposely lot his body hang there for a week "in order to frighten the i 'harea.' " -