SIBERIA AS AN ARMY FEEDER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1685, 15 June 1904, Page 74 (Supplement)

SIBERIA AS AN ARMY FEEDER.

(“New York Herald.’’)

Can Siberia feed the Russian hosts gathering on the Pacific frontier? Despatches from the seat of war manufactured in London have informed us that surely the Russian thousands of men in Siberia must starve when finally gathered under the Czar’s banner; that the railway cannot transport enough food, “because Siberia is a desolate waste." A schoolboy taking down the ninth edition of the “Encyclopaedia Britannica" would know that even as far back as 1886 Siberia could easily have fed the troops of both Russia and Japan. Since that time a railway has traversed the great empire, several millions of industrious colonists have been added to the population already gathered, mills, machines and manufactories have been intrpduced and agriculture has progressed on a vast scale. In brief, Siberia has become an empire, teeming with modern

cities and villages, supported by a vast productive environment.

Siberia was always a great exporter of products, but never so great as now. While it is true that its surplus of last year was largely exported before the war, yet the war cannot possibly alieot its productive areas or interrupt its industries during the coming summer and thereafter. Its crops are produced far to the west of the seat of war, while its furs anu fisheries are far to the north. Industrial and agricultural enterprises in Eastern Manchuria, however, will probably be suspended. 4,100,000 TONS OF CROPS.

The Chinese Eastern Railway took out of Siberia during 1903 4,100,000 tons of crops, besides beef, pork, nutter, leather, aides, wood, salt, wool, eggs, game, cattle, poultry, charcoal, fish and cedar nuts. More than 20,000,000 pounds of butter were exported. In 1900 the Special Commission announced that it had allotted 11,629,'/m acres to 2,871,039 colonists, or about 40i acres each, where were already 4,500,000 Russians and more than 2,500.000 natives, whicn is impressive as showing the attractiveness of Siberia to immigrants who could have settled in the Americas.

The census of January 27, 1898, gave Siberia a total of 7,091,244 souls, so that the population to-day is upward of 10,000,(1 people, it also showed that there were 4,830,629 horses, 10,361,847 cattle, 7,257.991 sheep, 344,931 swine, 379,914 goats, 182,369 camels. There were 270,351 reindeer counted and more than 3.000,000 estimated. One grain plain alone produces 32,000,000 puds of grain annually. One forest area alone produced 380,500 fur skins last year. During the first three years tne settler pays no taxes, and during the next three yeans only half the legal rate. Those w.inout resources are furnished with travelling expenses, and wood from me imperial forests is given them. The emigrants having resources were charged only one-fourtii the leguiar passenger and freight rates. The wisdom of the movement is shown in the result. The export of Siberian crops alone, increased from 87,662 tons in 1891 to 4,10u,000 last year. Of course, the bulk of emigration settled in Western and Central Siberia, which will form the real commissariat of the Russian troops duffing the war. To the above totals within the sphere of tne railway must be added the results of me sea service. This service landed 38,500 tons of tea in Dalny last year, which shows that Siberia already lias acquired a national beverage.

However, Siberia sent out by the same transport more than ten times as much tonnage. This tea service is now cut off, but what it did shows that even in the Eastern zone Siberia possesses a considerable commissariat for the Russian troops. FLOUR-MILLING INDUSTRY. The flour-milling industry has rapidly spread both in Siberia and Manchuria to the detriment, of course, of Minneapolis. The fact that it exsts shows that the Russian troops will not lack for a bread supply since cereals and mills are plentiful outside of tlie war area. It may be noted that Americans are prominent millers in Siberia. Clarkson and Co., of Portland, Oregon, are well established there, with mills, stores, lodging-houses and warehouses, having twenty-four year leases from the Government. The firm also has gold and coal mines, sash and blind factories granite works and leases of mineral lands. Its business just now is brisk, and no complaint lias been lodged by it of interference or menace at tbe State Deparment or request for protection. Siberia, cut off from the operations of the Standard Oil Company by the war, can supply itself and soldiers with its own illuminant. Just before the war the Rothschilds established a plant to exploit the naphtha springs on the shores of Lake Baikal, close to where the product will now bp needed for fuel and motor power, as well as light. The Russian association for breeding hogs and cattle has been operating both in Siberia and Manchuria for some time. The object was to improve the breed of neat cattle and the growth of Yorkshire hogs. When Che war broke out they hal 1009 hogs of high breed two. and a half miles from ITarhin. To say the least, thi officers mess at that point ought to have plenty of fresh pork. . The Russian Timber and Mining Company, composed of prominent inen in the Russian Government, and capitalised at 10,300,000 dollars, was engaged in extensive lumbering operations along the Yalu river prior to the war. It was this concern, headed by M. Besabrasoff, at one time tlie favourite of the Emperor, which largely comprised the war party at St. Petersburg, while at the same time its operations formed the main motive of Japan in commencing the war. As it operated not only in Korea and Manchuria, but in north-eastern Siberia, it has presumably transferred its plants to safer areas and is now supplying the Russian forces with materials needed. At any rate, its operations give some idea of the enormous forest wealth of Eastern Asia. It floated timber down the Falu river both from Korea and Manchuria, where the immense forests have the finest timber, which has in a way supplied Eastern Asiatic ports for ages. The ocean and river junks are made from the trees.