Harbin, Feb. 1.
Russia. has- followed the lead of the United States in'one capitalistic method. In fact she has gone the latter country one better, for instead of charging the equivalent of 10 American dollars for visaing the passport of a foreigner, she collects what is equal to 11. In the days of the Far Eastern Republic, one lady traveller en route to Chita asked the American Consulate here to remonstrate with the passport office of that country cover having had the temerity to charge her what amounted to 10 Yankee dollars for stamping her passport, but as the representative of the country that started the style in high-priced visas, he declined to act. The reason given for advancing the price of visas, is that a 10 per cent. tax has been levied on all official documents, the money raised therefrom to go to the Russian Red Cross.
Reports from sections of the United States that labour is plentiful, coupled with the conviction that there is at least no immediate prospect for the overthrow of the Bolsheviks, has started a heavy movement of Russians to that country. The applications on passport days run to an average to 200. There were 5,000 vacancies in the quota of Russians, according te the most recent advices, while the three per cent. allowable to the nation-ities has been used up in the instance of Poland and several other European countries. Working in conjunction with a students burceu, the American Y. M. C. A. sent a number of groups of young men and women to the United States last year, but when for the reason herein given, applications were received from "students" who had not. seen the inside of a schoo) of any kind for many years, the Y. M. C. A. withdrew from the movement.
Some of the students who are in Attendamece at American Universities, and who are working their way through, wrote to friends here, that, in the fruit-picking season, they had received as much as seven. dollars a day for picking apples. The receipt of these letters) by the Russians put them in the same position as an Irishman who boasted that he had the best job of his life, getting paid for tearing! down a Protestant church, as it was stated by more than one of the writers that there were no objections to eating all the fruit wanted.
Japanese match manufacturers are buying aspen logs at Vladivos tok, dealing with the Soviet monopoly, which puts the timber aboard ship for 60 kopecks, gold value, per cubic foot. About 800,000 cubic feet have been contracted for, with negotiations
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.