The Absolute Necessity of Opening up the River Traffic and Removing Impossible Regulations From Our Own Correspondent, Haxbin, Mar. 10.
What are the prospects of har. bin being able to trade with the Amur as soon og navigation re: opens this year? This is a vital question for Harbin business the" routes" 10" Blagorestehensk, during the coming' season it}
Habarovsk and Nikolaievskon Amur remain so firmly barred as they have Geen during the past fow years, The export of soya beans rid Nikolaievsk attracts first vf sll one's attention. The first exper!- monte in this direction were made by the Amur Steamship & trad: ing Ca, as long ago as 1910 when some 760,000 ponds of beans frou various river places on the Sun-Cee experiment the riverine ex:
were. exported. After the] port of beans showed, voir by Year, & constant increase, amount: Tag in 1914 to 2,100,000 ponds notwithstanding the feb that spect compoting freight rates were it: troduced by the Chinese Easier Railway, who by their own ste ers brought beans from the Suagari,, transhipping them by cars at' Harbin and quoting i elusive water and rail freights Dairen. rom 1914, owing to, th World War followed by the Rus-sina revolution, there was a sud den decrease in exports of beans.
Last year a now exports move meat was initiated by thd Koss Government Amur Fleet, but. fortunately in the very height the navigation season it had sudden stab owing to tha Russo Chinese conflict at Aigun.
Russian revolution his driven many riverine craft trot the Amur to the Stingari, the total amount of tonnage of the Iaiter is. stated to be 987,00 ponds for steamers and 2,795,009 for barges. 'The estimated amy of cargo available for the coming' season is 18,000,000 ponds. year with the exception of the ONE. 'R. steamers and the Meet owned by Soakin & Ca. all er owners suffered severe tores fand many vessels remained idle the whole of the season. The Chineee company Ssu-tung which fow na the Mirgest fleet on the Sungari was hit harder than any thor concern and was forced rent cub some 10 of its steame at an absurdly low figure, finding
which were engaged in carrying aly, work for four of its fet firewood from the lower reaches of the Sungari to Harbin at freight rates. It is imperatt that if commercial relations are be restored with the Amur district nad if the resumption of the natural export route for ect. cals vid Nikolaiovsk is to take place this year, the Chinceo on: thorities should excerciso the re: quicad initiative, without futher jolay, other the coming} navigation season may hurt Harbin commercial circles even more heavily tha they were hurt. last year.
Tie SMUNOLING BOOM, 'Though the Chinese merchants ing on the Chincee bank of the mur during the height of na vigation wore at variance with! the Soviet Government owing to} high taxation introduced by' the, latter, and the Russian Amur districts, were actually boycotted by the Chinese, final to the activities of smugglers, ego quantities goods beth entered and. felt Russian territory. The high cost commodities sold by the Soviet Sommercial departments andthe Groperativo sopiotioe "drove: the Russian population into" the ands. of the vamuggiers, This
merchants hi, afte' starting wat oon sealed by th Cite fogcote and. having strict stporvision against, ealing goods, Smugglers, sow thas thor, policy tras actually playing into. the hands of the Soviet Government the tore able to expend tho-actiy-Ieies of their own' storen no to Russian, "people had: "no "other source trot which to dbtein ne cession, The Chinese tactics underwent a sudden chnogo and. emugelers waa actually encouraged and faci Miated im crery, direction, "Unine tre merchants éstended consider. thio. credit. to. smugglers. and foods rare given on cousigtiment, fie lege trade soon deluging the Amur district ea, auger printed calico and ull sort of Sther dry" goods Were. smuggled into Russian territory and sold. 40 per cent, lees than wee being Charged by ce-operative stores The Smugglers united theaselvos into Sever "orgnaizotions, keeping careful watch over the movement of the Russian frontier gundry and carried on. Wir. operations.
minimum rik, nab more led. goods falling into the BFP Than "s percent. of the smug: sh the Catone urd Contry irand trade moved fron the ughs to the eft bank of the Amur and icerrron Evom Russian. torr: tory were smuggled grain und live stock into China, especially horses, The number of here Russian farms is said to educed to 60 per cent, held up to, the time of redueing of the slew farm Russia. As only, 6 per cent. of the estimated tax wai collected in order to cover the 1 mainder of the tox live stock and grain had to be wold, MAPLE WITN MONGOLIA, The Sevice Government have davided to catablish direct trate with Mongolia and link up coo hexious that countr; with points in the Russian East. For this special purpose the Amur River Goverament Trwispert together with the Chita: Railway is about to open aa Agency at Urga, and will ae. cept cargo for direct tiver and railway. transportation at excep: tional freight rates. Cargo, is to be accepted at Urga for" Vindli-Visto ae well am, of diferent points along the Selouga Rior, Which links up Mongolia with Verkhoe-Oudinsk. It will be cat ried from hero to Stretinsk by' rail and then by the riverine: route to, Hubarovele and thence rail again to Viedivostok, or even to Nikolaievsk should shippers require it, 'This government transport concern will likewise arrange for transfer of cargo 0 ocean steamers tt ship pore' reguest and will accept cargo 10r Russia and even to Europe. One of the most important features this scheme, is the full respon he cargo taken over bythe above bility for delivery and_safety of
mentioned Transport Company.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.