Rockefeller" is in Shanghai.' Before the Revolution it was he who started the unification of Russian industry into cartels and trusts. Working in conjunction with Stakheev, he owned forests, cotton-fields in Turkestan, fisheries in Kamchatka, oil-folds, railways, windmills, steamships, controlled banks and was half-owner of the most widely-circulated newspaper in all Russia When during the civil war he went on a trip to Japan he was guest of the venerable Baron Okuma, while before that he was entertained at tiffin by David Lloyd George, then Prime Minister, and carried away with him the most pleasant impressions of Mr. Mac-Kenna, with whom he was carrying on negotiations. Dr. Wirt, Chancellor of Germany in 1922, the period of the new economic policy, proposed Batolin as the economic dictator of Russia, and Kremlin gave attentive ear to his suggestions The commissers Rykov and Krasin were even sent specially to Berlin, and American capitalists favoured the plan and were willing to support it. Mr. Batolin has just returned from a trip to Harbin, Mukden and Hsinking. He has stayed in Tientsin for over six months, and is at present en route to Tokyo.
Last Friday the three foremost Russian actresses in Shanghai, Mme. L. Kniajevitch, Mme. V. V. Panova and Mme. M. Kokoreva, left for Harbin to join a troupe headed by Mr. V. I Tomsky. The theatrical season in Harbin begins on February 10. It is held possible that the troupe may later make a tour of Japan. The Bohemian Club "Khlam" gave a farewell evening to Mme. Panova, who is not thinking of returning to Shanghai for quite a long time. Included in the varied programme was a sketch entitled "The Soothsayer" written specially. for the occasion by Mr. J. Miller and participated in by the actresses leaving for Harbin.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.