182 MANUFACTrEES OF EUSSIA. 



the taxes levied on locomotives to 1.25 roubles per poud, about 40 dollars per ton, 

 and to 50 kopecks per poud, or 16 dollars per ton, on tenders, and that issued in 

 1879, ordering that duties be levied iu gold instead of paper roubles, the nominal 

 tariff remaining unchanged, thus considerably increasing the duties and leading to 

 a better protection of the home production, as the paper rouble was depreciated. 



In 1880 according to official data there were in European Eussia already 

 237 factories, employing 56,105 hands, and their output was estimated at 72,289,200 

 roubles, or according to the exchange of the paper rouble of that year, 51.46 cents, 

 at 37,228,938 dollars yearly; the import of foreign machinery, although there were 

 some fluctuations during the decade, amounted at the same time to 67,345,477 roubles, 

 or 34,682,900 dollars. 



From 1881, machine building in Eussia was under still more favourable condi- 

 tions, greatly protecting its development. The unsatisfactory state of the finances 

 compelled the Government to seek new means of income, among which attention 

 Avas drawn to the customhouse revenues. The tariff of that year raised the duty 

 levied on machinery; on the machines formerly imported duty free, such as spinning 

 and weaving machines, printing presses and paper mill machinery, the same duty was 

 levied as on all other kinds; only farming machines and implements were admitted 

 free, it being considered undesirable to impose such a tax upon agriculture. 



With the raising, in 1881, of the customs duties on iron and cast iron machi- 

 nery to 80 kopecks in gold per poud, 25.52 dollars per ton, the franchise given 

 to the machine works to import iron and cast iron duty free was also abolished, this 

 measure extending equally to the factories producing agricultural machines, and sacri- 

 ficing the industry still more to such macliinery of foreign make as were imported 

 free of duty. The import of such goods increased, of course, and in 1884 was over 

 one million of pouds, or 25,000 tons. Such an unfavourable condition of the manufacture 

 of machines of husbandry in Eussia compelled many of the larger firms to renounce the 

 production of such goods and to turn their attention to other channels. 



Further measures of the Eussian Government in favour of the development of 

 machine building consisted of a series of orders tending to increase the duties levied 

 on imported machinery and unwrought metals, the latter measure being considered as 

 indispensible for the furthering of the development of the home production. Seeing the 

 increase of duty upon unwrought metals, and taking into consideration the petition 

 of the manufacturers engaged in the making of farming machines, the Eussian Gov- 

 ernment decided at last to install, in 1885, for the first time, a customs duty upon 

 such machines, of 50 kopecks in gold per poud, 20.90 dollars per ton, this duty 

 being later on raised to 70 kopecks in gold per poud, 33.52 dollars per ton. Of course, 

 so small a duty could not have much protective influence; it only prevented the 

 complete ruin of those small manufacturers of this kind of machines whose welfare 

 depended upon the production of such goods, and who owing to local conditions and 

 poor technical means were unable to begin more profitable undertakings. Although 

 these modest workmen, compensating themselves to some extent by the repair of 

 machinery, produce new macliines, which find a ready market due to the high price 

 at which foreign makes are sold in Eussia, still they are unable to establish the 

 building of agricultural machines upon a firm basis in Eussia so long as the import 

 of foreign manufactures is practically free. 



