Corruption in the Russian Army

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1204, 19 December 1904, Page 2

Corruption in the Russian Army

I Thk Eussian authorities have boon careful of late to prevent the publication in nampapers under their control of stories of oormption in connection with army con. traots. But it must not be supposod thaf tho supply system is not satisfactory, 0 course h was itupossiblo to hush up the tremendous scandal of tho hospital stores, and when a flagrant pieoe of corruption was exposed in St. Petersburg itself, storiea of similar incidents in other • centres naturally got into circulation, Gradually correspondents of French and British nowspapors in Moscow, Odessa, and the capital gathered information from authoritativo sources which showed the onormous oxtont of the discovered frauds. Tho naval and military authorities took prompt action to punish some of tho offenders, and it was givon out that tho departments affected had been thoroughly reorganised, A recently reported Moscow incident shows, howovor, that tho pecuk ; on has not owed, A warm dispute betwoon the Grand Duko Serge, tho Military Governor of Moscow, and JVI. Morezoff, a millionaire manufaoiuror, took snoh a Bbape that secrecy was r>bsolutoly impossible, and the • whole siory was soon public property. The Grand Duke summoned M. Morozoff, who is probably die largest employer of labour in the country, mid others of tho rich merchant class to Iho Governor's palaco, iwd told thorn it was necessary for them to subscribe moro gonorously to die army and othor war reqnircnunts. M. Morozoff replied that in ihat caso they must havo thoir own repreNcniittives on the administration fund, to ensure that nil subscriptions woro applied to patriotic purposes only, The Grand Dnlto Surge ilcmnnded what he meant, whereupon M Momzoff retorted that ho had given a million roubles worth of hii cloth for the uso of tho army in ManI churia, and had einco seen it on Bale in the shops of Moscow, r.io Grand Duke the angrily ordered him to apologise, or would bo given his passport and conduct- •' od to tho frontier. As M. Morozoff refused to apologise, bis passport wasgivon to him, Ho first nsked permission to give some final instructions to his factories, and then gave orders that all his works should bo closed, thus throwing 65,000 people out of employment. In spite of all the Grand Duko's efforts, the necessary notices weropostod in tho workshops. At this point, howevor, the Government intervened, and the Graud Duko had to withdraw his order, M. Morozoff cancelling his notices and re» mainiog in Moscow,