THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Thursday, February 10, 1910. BRITAIN, FRANCE AND RUSSIA.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12769, 10 February 1910, Page 2

THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Thursday, February 10, 1910. BRITAIN, FRANCE AND RUSSIA.

The subject of French loans to Russia assumes an interesting phase in relation to the possibility of war. In any future European war, a writer in a French review points out, nob only millions of men but millions of money would nave to be mobilised. What would be the position of France on the declaration of war? The French army is stronger, than is usually believed, and the navy, united with that of Britain, would be able to cope with the enemy. But the French, army .would require son:© assistance from Russia, yet Russia would be unable either to send reinforcements, or even keep Germany in check on the frontier. Russia's help in case of war would in fact be of no practical use to France. Again, Franco in the event of war would have double need of her money, What would be the position of the country repil.ed to be the richest in the world on the outbreak of war ? At the present moment Russia owes Franco about 625 millions sterling — a sum of doubtful value to-day, and which it would be impossible to realise during a Europeancouflicfc. French capitalists hav-j also made loans to innumerable ••<■'..•• countries without troubling about me possibility of war, vet with the e?.i tption of England all Mies© other allies are but poor relations. The writer regrets that the French war-budget takes no account of the possible necessity of mobilis- I ing millions for war. In tho case of. Russia', France is compromising her wealth without rendering Russia any real service. Very much to the contrary has been the result. Nevertheless Russia's imperial needs return periodically, and appeals are made to the friendship of France, sometimes gentle, sometimes insinuating, and cometimes even violent. One loan was effected ui.'der a threat from Rus- 1 sia to cease t« ♦» payment of the coupons, and an« ifcer to enable Russia to pay the -'lueipst on previous and future loans. From the financial point of. view *.! c Russian Government is quite mediaeval; it has a profound contempt for the money of other people, and especially' for those who lent it.- Left to the biireaticracy it will be always impossible for Russia to escape from • the impasse in which ' she is at present vegetating. She will not be able to break with her past habits, so prejudicial to her evolution and to the security of the ; capital confided to her. Her civil and commercial codes are quite out of date, and her railways, instead of furnishing the State with a good reveniie^ are. worked at an, enormous loss. It is the alcohol monopoly which an-! 1 nwaliy provides the agreeable surprises to the-Treasury, and it forgets:, that the poorer a nation is, the more Is the alcohol consumed. While the receipts, are increasing the misery of the people increases in frightful pro-

portion. The mission of the Duma was to purify the air. It should at any rate have put an end to the j squandering of public funds by compelling the bureaucracy to render an account of all the sums passing through its hands ; instead of which there is a report of the State Controller naming fabulous sums as extra, unforeseen or secret expenditure. How is such a course to be stopped? The writer alluded to contends there is no. other means than the elaboration of a system of control and of security by Franco-Brit-ish collaboration. England might introduce a little order into the troubled situation. She has equal need with France of a strong Russia, and she too must concern herself with the fate of her ally. The case of the French millions confided to tho improvidence of Russia is not reassuring, but it is not quite desperate. If a deoision to consider frankly the reciprocal interests of the. allied countries was arrived at, Russia might be made most prosperous and her debt one of the best of securities. But to obtain such a result the present system of loans at irregular intervals must be broken with ; it lacks both dignity and security. No State can keep up the plan of paying the interest oh old debts by now loans.