ANCIENT TUSKS

Grey River Argus, 27 April 1910, Page 7

ANCIENT TUSKS

TRAFFIC IN MAMMOTH IYOIIIES. Tiie Russo-Biytish Chamber of Commerce having received several enquiries from Engknd. regarding tho trade in Siberian mammc-t.r tui/^s, which are found especially in YaiurLkj applied co the Governor of that province for information en the subject. ; His Excellency has replied that QUO to 650 cwt JJr mammoth tusks are found yearly in the Government of Yakutsk.,' A very small proportion of this quantity remains, in the Government for the inhabitants to carve: The rest is sent away in it:vra\y state, chiefly to Moscow, from which centre Jt is distributed over the markets of AVesterii Europe. In Yakutsk the 'people make al! kinds of objects out of. this substance, 6uch as pipes, ' conlh;, paper-knives, boxes, etc. but -owing to the crudeness of the work they seldom find tlieir way. beyond the local markets, and possess an ethnological rather than a commercial value. Three natives of the Government have now been £<ent to learn the trade of carving arid turning from specialists in Moscow. ' •,' An annual fair is held at Yakutsk from 14th July 'to 14th' August, at which the price of mammoth ivory varies between £12 arid £13 per cwt.