SIBERIA S FUTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 28 September 1907, Page 3

SIBERIA S FUTURE.

ITS MARVELLOUS GROWTH. A POTENT DAIRY PRODUCE FACTOR. Much has been said and written of Siberia and its possibilities from an agricultural point of view. It lias been stated that so quickly is the country opening up, and so suitable is the country for farming, that in a few years it will put all other agricultural countries in the shade. An exchange recently interviewed Mr Turner, director of Messrs Wilier and Riley, on this subject, and as Mr Turner paid a visit to Siberia as early as I!KW to investigate the farming products of this country, and is the author of several articles on this very question which appeared in the English journal, The Grocer, as well as "Travel and Exploration in Siberia," his account of his journey through the country in March last, is of double interest. The following is Mr Turner's account of his voyage as he gave it with his calculation as to Siberia's future. In March, 1903, I mr.de a journey to Siberia with a feeling that I was going quite "a long, dreary journey,' where 1 might meet anything from a pack 'if wolves looking for feed, or a crowd of murderous exiles looking for travellers with money. I was impressed that it was rceessary to carry the law in my own hands—a good six-chambered revolver and a cartridge able to kill out. right. In March, 1:107, I took U'ree we°,ka and a day's journey t? Siiem, wliio gave me seven days at Kourgan, the most thriving West Siberian town, and when starting, instead of feeling I was in "for quite a long and dreary journey" with wolves, exiles, I felt I was going quite a short journey full of interest, seeing that in Russia the "Reign of Terror" exists according to some people's ideas. Instead of thinking of wolves and exiles prowling round, my thoughts dwelt on the enormous developments of the Siberian butter trade, and in my dreams (for six nights rocked in the sleeping carriage) I saw a ton of butter for every wolf, and quite a number of butter merchants for every exile. The old Siberia of my childhood was transformed into a land oi butter factories and coal mines.

Kourgan in 1903, and Kourgan in 1907, are two vastly different towns. There is such an enormous increase in

buildings and population that the oU' town of 30,000 population has doubled in four years, anil instead of a two-mile drive to reach the town as four years ago, the buildings cover that ground, and sonic of them are very handsome ones too. The butter merchants of Siberia ami two Government representatives from Siberia were in the middle of a foiir days' conference when 1 arrived, anl the particulars of shipment mid general increase in the butter trade were just out. I predicted in my book published in 1895 that we must expect a very large increase in Siberian butter, and, despite the war, that prediction is coming true. This last year shows 40 per cent, in-

crease over' the year before. The dairies have increased from 140 in 1808 to about 4000 in 1000, an enormous increase in nine years.

The' quantities show a still more striking increase: 48.360cwt in 1808, and allout O.W.DOOeyt in 1000, and Siberia

can produce five times as uiurh.aiid will revolutionise the butter supply of the world. Canada is being driven info making cheese, Xew Zealand is slowly following in (hat direction, and Australia will, no doubt, produce some cheese, while Finland, Sweden and Denma'k are practically at a standstill, and Ireland is steadily increasing in the creamery trade but seriously decreasing in cheap butters, so it will occur that there will be no room for any secondary butter from any country in any part of the world except Siberia. Having travelled extensively in Australia and New Zealand on my two journeys round the world, and also having been five times through the Irish creamers district and once in the Argentine, I have had an opportunity of seeing how the butter trade of the world is organised, and to my mind there arc only two countries where we may expect enormous supplies of butter. These are Silieria and Australia. The Argentine climatic conditions are too favorable to fat cattle rearing to allow a large butter industry in that country, while the lack of combination and cooperation of a large scale in Ireland will close many Irish factories if the price drops very much. The European countries, including Ireland, are only able to find a market for absolutely choicest quality. They cannot compete with Siberia for cheap quality, and later on a shade lielow choicest will feel the pinch. The colonies and Siberia will have a very severe fight during the next two or three years. It is the colonial's up-to-date wonderful organisation and combination on the, co-operative system versus the cheap labor and land, good combination and organisation developed by the Russian Government on the part of Siberia.

'i'he co-operative movement in Siberia is'only in its childhood, while tbe colonial co-operative movement is a grandfather, with the serious drawback that the directors are made, up of individualists who think (hey know hoiv to distribute their produce lietter than the Dane and they expect to get the best of the liondon importer who hnscthe information about the supplies from all parts of the world to guide him. The colonial weakness is the Stock Exchange kind of gamble in butter, with all the evils and drawbacks attendant on it. Our colonies once had the advantage of supplying us in the winter, when, owing to small supplies from the colonies (our only resource in winter time outside Kui'o|>can countries) made prices high, but Australia's wonderful increase, which has been about 40 per cent, in the last two years, has altered this, together with the large quantities of "badly-bought, over paid for Siberian butter" stored by the merchant., why,

like a famous Dickons-like character, is waiting for a good market to turn up. In any case, buyers of butter from Siberia and the Colonies must expect anything to turn up in the shape of enormous supplies of butter from those countries, and the cold stores will help in the deterioration in'price even if it stops deterioration in quality. The merchants in the Siberian and colonial trade to-day will be lookedupan as the pioneers of this business in a few yeais.and when they have lost the'-r little pile, owing to not counting tli» possibility of enormous supplies, then a few more careful men will step into the trade and make a fortune. With this 40 per cent, increase from Siberia in

one year, we may expect anything to turn up. It is calculated that Siberia's output will increase 20 per cent. % this year, and very much lower prices are already with us for this class of butter. But what looks cheap to-day is cheaper to-morrow, and it will take a good many factories turning out cheese instead of butter to stop low prices. Despite what mav be done in the shape of preferential' tariff, the leading agricultural country if the world will be tliat country most suited to supply us with agricultural produce,geographically and geologically as well as in many other ways. Siberia is, in my opinion, in the position to be able to play havoc with other countries, because tbe Siberian peasant lives so cheaply. Land and cattle are so cheap that he can live on a price for butter which would ruin.--y other country peasant or farmer. The colonial brains must be used in the culling and improving of their cattle. This, together wilh the nine months' dairving, is much in their favor. j There will always be room on the top

as regards ipiality. but countries producing second quality will close down, and lioforo long. too. If the political agitation could be turned into the develoiiineut of Siberia, we should see a second America in 25 years, and that is why the energetic are banished, as the Government know Siberia's possibility. The following particulars are most convincing arguments in favor of low prices, and enormous supplies from Siberia: Year. Exports in cwt. 18dS 48,:td0 18.0!) KIi.T.TO inOO 334.(170 1001 500,720 1002 085.500 10011 lios,|Sß 1004 0,81,807 1005 <;s:s.Bs7 1000 !)•">-',»•■« fit-cat Britain received about onethird: (iermany and Denmark, etc., two-thirds.