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Show I RUSSIA'S MIGHTY STRETCH OF LAND Washington. D C. Dec 29 The Russian empire, covering one-seventn !of the land of the globe and only sparsely settled in spite of its nearly 170.000,000 inhabitants, offers an in tereBting subject for study for both business men and economics This country today presents a picture of economic development comparable with that of the United States or three or four generations ago, in that Rusia is now chiefly a producer oi the raw materials derived from na ture, such as grain, timber, hides, anti I minerals and Is just beginning to do velop manufacturing industries of lm 1 portance. Its exports are alraos! I entirely foodstuffs and raw and semi manufactured products, while it tm ports nearly all of the higher grade of manufactures which Its people re I quire. The total value of the foreign tradt of European, Russia, in 1912, according accord-ing to official figures, was more than $1,200000,600, in which the United States participated to V extent ot only $53,000,000. However, the Indirect Indi-rect trade between the two countries passing through foreign middlemen brlngB the value of the sales ol American Am-erican products to Russia to 180,000,-000, 180,000,-000, and the exports from Russia to the United States to $30,000,000. Largely owing to the lack of knowl edge among American business men of the possibilities of the Russian market, the trade between the two countries is on the threshold only of its possible deelopment, The monograph mon-ograph on Russia just published by the bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, of the department. of commerce, entitled "Handbook ou Russia," should therefore be of special spe-cial interest. This book contains nearly 260 pages, pa-ges, with two maps, and includes a comparative description of the economic eco-nomic situation in European Russia, by Consul General John H. Snod-gra?s, Snod-gra?s, stationed at Moscow, reviews of the commerce of various districts trV in 1912, by the American consuls stationed sta-tioned in Russia and a very' timely description of commercial and Indus trial conditions In Siberia, by Consul John F. Jewell, stationed at Vladivostok Vladi-vostok To those who still regard that coun try as a frozen waste, the picture presented pre-sented by Mr. Jewell will be a revela tlon. He compares Siberia today with Canada of a generation ago. and points out the possibilities of great trade development that lie In the I : great natural resources of the coun try. selves, but the Pan-American States Association will keep them under scrutiny. scru-tiny. When they have a fair knowledge knowl-edge of the business they have lcen studying, it is expected they will return re-turn to the Southern Hemisphere as representatives of American industrial establishments or with enough knowledge knowl-edge of American business to be of groat service in promoting trade relations rela-tions between the two Americas. oo |