The Russian Review/Volume 1/March 1916/News from Russia
News From Russia.
The Census of 1897 was the only complete general census ever taken in Russia. During the two decades that have gone by since that time, Russia has undergone considerable changes, due to enormous emigration and internal migration, growth of cities, rapid industrial development, etc. Russia of to-day is, in many ways, a different Russia from what she was in the nineties, and yet there is no accurate statistical information about the country. Local census work was undertaken from time to time, but it did not extend over more than several provinces, and even there did not embrace more than a few districts. The data thus gathered were used largely as a basis for local Zemstvo studies and measures.
The need of a new national census was very prominently pointed out at a recent convention of the Russian statisticians, which was held at Moscow. It appears that just before the War broke out, the Russian Ministry of the Interior had under consideration a plan for a general census, and there seems to be no doubt that such a plan will be worked out and put into application just as soon as the War is over and the army demobilized.
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A group of social workers in the Government of Perms has sent a deputation to Petrograd for the purpose of petitioning the Ministry of Education for the establishment in Perm of a new university, or, at least, the removal to that city of the University of Yuriev, in the Baltic region. This university had to be moved to the interior of Russia on account of the German invasion. The deputation, which is headed by a local millionaire, Mr. Meshkov, was received by the Minister of Education, Count P. N. Ignatiev. The Minister asked the deputation for statistical data, which would prove the necessity of establishing a university in the city of Perm, and also for guarantees that the institution would be provided with sufficient funds to exist without government subsidies. He assured his visitors that the Ministry is ready to sanction the establishment of new universities in many parts of the country.
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Professor Pusyrevsky has worked out a plan of connecting the rivers Volga and Don by means of a canal. Such a connection between the two rivers would greatly facilitate the transportation of coal from the Donetz basin to the central parts of Russia.
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During the third week of January, direct railroad communication between Petrograd and Moscow over the Nikolaev route was discontinued. This was done in order to devote all available cars to supplying the capital with provisions, fuel, etc. The amount of these commodities transported lately has been very inadequate. The passenger and freight traffic had to be carried over the slow and round-about Moscow-Windau-Rybinsk line.
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The Ministry of Communication has under consideration a plan of providing the students of the universities and technical schools with preparation requisite to fitting them for positions as railway engineers and assistant-engineers. The Russian railroads are already short of engineers, and this shortage becomes more and more apparent, while the need for more engineers is constantly becoming more pressing. The present plan of relieving the situation has the indorsement of the Assistant-Minister, N. L. Shchukin.
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A representative of the Moscow newspaper, the "Outro Rossii" has recently performed a daring feat which almost cost him his life. Disguised as a "neutral traveller," he went to Germany and Austria-Hungary, visiting Berlin, Dresden, Vienna and Budapest. In the latter city he aroused the suspicion of the authorities, and decided to give up the projected trip to Sophia and Constantinople. Instead, he went to Bucharest, and thence wrote a series of articles for his newspaper, dealing with the political and economic situation in the Teuton countries. The man is a well-known journalist. His name is still withheld from publication.
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The Ministry of Interior has received the results of an investigation conducted by several governors concerning the question of the supply of provisions, high cost of living, sanitary conditions, etc. It has been announced that the results of this investigation will not be made public.
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A memorandum has been presented to the Council of Ministers by the Ministry of Communications, recommending that the firm of Gerhardt and Gei be permitted to organize a system of cart-service between several railroad stations in Finland and certain sea points in the North, which are ice-free in Winter. The cart-service is to be used for the transportation of merchandise, which is accumulating in great quantities on the northern seaboard of Russia.
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A Federation of the Grusin Educational Societies was recently organized in the city of Tiflis, in the Caucasus. This Federation embraces most of the educational societies in the Caucasus, each of which is represented by three delegates. The organization of the Federation has been sanctioned by the local government.
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Military training has been introduced in all secondary schools in Russia. Its aim is to prepare the students to enter war colleges upon their graduation. The measure, according to the Assistant-Minister of Education A. K. Rachinsky, is only temporary, and its application will be governed entirely by the events of the War.
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Representatives of the Russian fur industry recently held a conference at Moscow. The questions discussed were largely those concerned with the exportation of furs to Russia's allies and to America. It was pointed out that the export of fur increases very rapidly, due to the cheapness of furs in Russia and the advantages of export operations in view of the present low value of Russian money abroad.
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The Municipal Committe for Combating the High Cost of Living has opened ten storage houses and thirty-three retail stores, in which all articles are sold at cost price. This experiment has proved to be very successful as a means of combating inflation of prices. Within a very short time, the business done by the Committee has amounted to over one million roubles.