The Czar

Levin Daily Chronicle, 24 July 1917, Page 3

The Czar

ROMANOFF FAMILY'S TUNE.THE OZAII A POO 11 MAX. (London Times Correspondent) Petrograd. April 3. M. Titoflf, the commissary appointed by the Provisional Government to take charge of the ex-Czar and his family, has applied for a grant to cover their immediate expenses.

According to a 'rough estimate ol their private fortune it appears that Nicholas 11. owns not- more than riCO.OOO in cash and securities. His wile's fortune amounts to about £10,000. - Young Alexis is much wealthier, as his allowance has been accumulating. He possesses about £550,000. The fortunes of his sisters are estimated as follows: Olga £530,000; Tatiana £400,000; -Marie £370,000; Ana.tasia £330,000.

Since 1006 the Civil List has amounted to £1,(500,000 annually, hut enormous 'revenues were derived from mines, forests and lauds belonging to the Emperor's Cabinet. The expenditure of the Court swallowed up these vast sums on the maintenance of Imperial residences, shooting boxes, and a whole host of retainers. Hence in spite of his great possessions, the Czar appears to be a poor man inasmuch as the real estate belonging to the Cabinet will become State propev-

ty. The position of the Grand Dukes and other members of the Romanoff family will also have to be considered. Some of them, like Nicholas Nicolaiveteh, and the heirs of the late Grand Duke Constantino, own large private properties. The other kinsmen had little besides an annual grant from the revenue of the Imperial Appanages, which will also revert to the State.

Daily accumulating revelations regarding the private life of ex-Sover-eigns in connection with the Rasputin scandal have brough about an almost sweeping change of feeling against the

re-establishment ol the \1 ou;i reliy. Practically all the newspapers now entertain the possibility of adapting the Republican form of Government, and if the constituent assembly could by any means be convoked within the nest few months the result would unquestionably be in favor of a Republic. But, as Mr. Iverensky remarked some days ago at Mohileff, a Constituent Assembly is impossible without victory over the Germans, for th<? .simple reason that so long as Russia -remains under the threat- of invasion a Constituent Assembly could not deliberate with the requisite freedom. Moreover, the actual holding of the elections involves preliminary work requiring at least nine months. If women also arc to have the vote, the electoral mechanism would be all the more complicated. Petrograd has witnessed a huge -succession of demonstrations during the past few days. Chief among them was a demonstration in favor (if female suffrage. Although police arc non-existent, wonderful older was maintained.