EX-CZAR'S ESTATE.

North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 13975, 12 September 1917, Page 7

EX-CZAR'S ESTATE.

CONFISCATED TO REPUBLIC,

Property'valued at £140,000,000 from which Nicholas Uomanoff/ formerly Emperor of Russia, enjoyed the revenues fpr life,only, have been taken from him by the Provisional Government. A special commission of the Government I has been discussing whether landj paI laces, and oilier property owned by Nichojns, estimated to be worth £!),- 7(50,000 shall be • Sequestrated' by the State. . =-.);■•■

This eo'iiiuiisMon also consideretlwhether, the properly .of- the grand dukes and. duchesses, worth'about £42,000,000, should be seized for the benefit of the public. The value of all the property owned by tho former emperor or members of the formerly royal house of Russia is-estimated .by Professor Okunicff of Petrograd at £191,000^00.

In addition, the professor asserts Nicholas still has on. deposit in the Bank of England £7,000,000, placed there years ago in provision for thf. rainy day which now has come. The late Grand Duke Alexk uncle to. Ihe former Emperor Nicholas, left £2,000,000 on deposit in the Bank of Franco.

There are also two Romanoff family trust funds. One was founded by,. Alexander Ml. when on his deathbed in Livadia, which now' amounts to £1,500,000, is invested in Russia, and is within reach of ihe revolutionary government. Another, amounting to £4,800000, was derived by Alexander 11., when lie liberated 4.000,000 serfs for £1 5s each in ISGI,

Chief anion:,' the properties taken from tlie former emperor r.re the socalled "cabinet lands," These constituted one of, the largest private estates in the world, and included vast forests, gold; silver, platinum, and copper mines, 100 factories for making paper, textiles, glass, or porcelain, and 1,500 Hour mills. Nicholas derived £0,400,000 a year in profits from the rental of these properlies to pcasnnl-t or others. The former'Kmperor Nicholas' annual income when lie was deposed is estimated by Professor OkuniciV at £13,000,000. The Duma allowed him £1,700,000 a year to pay the expenses of the Imperial Court, but because of extravagance, mismanagement, and pilfering, the annual cost amounted to £4,000000, according to the statement of Znbatchcff, councillor of the empire. Besides the lands, the grand dukes and duchesse? owned, as private individuals, mere than .00 palaces or villas, estimated, to be worth £14,000,000. Some of these include the richest lands in the Crimea and the Caucasus. These estates were taken by (he Romanoffs after the conquest of the Crimea and the Caucn-i!~, and in most cases no .fompeiraliiw was pr.- 1 to the former owner?.