WATER AND OVEELAND COMMUNICATION. 231 



The number of steamers was not to be less than 12, and when tlie company was 

 started the Government made over to it 9 steamers which belonged to the Naval Depart- 

 ment. The passenger and goods freights were fixed by a special tariff and the Government 

 besides guaranteeing a fixed amount of Government freights also agreed to pay a subsidy 

 during the whole stipulated period of 20 years in the shape of a payment of 2 roubles 

 15 kopecks for every verst of each voyage on the rivers Shilka^ Amour, Ussuri and lake Khanka 

 during the first 10 years with a reduction of 5 per cent per annum during the next 10 years. 

 The highest limit of this scale was fixed at 245,000 roubles a year. Without dwelling upon 

 the other details of the agreement between the Government and the Amour Steamboat Comp- 

 any, it may be mentioned that the latter pledged itself to erect engineering workshops at 

 Khabarovka for repairing the Government steamers, and to provide its own boats with the 

 necessary means for executing small repairs. 



Thanks to the institution of regular steam navigation on the Amour basin, the inter- 

 course between the various points of Eastern Siberia became so animated that private individ- 

 uals were able to start their own steamers and barges without Government assistance. Fifteen 

 years after the formation of the Amour Steamship Company, iji 1885, there were 4-4 steamers 

 owned by various imlividuals and companies cruising on the waters of the Amour basin as 

 seen below: 



1. The Amour Steamship Company possessed 17 steamers of 1,107 aggregate horse power, 

 and also 18 iron and 8 wooden barges, carrying altogether 161,000 pouds. 



2. The merchant Pakholkov possessed 2 steamers of 120 horse power and 2 barges. 



3. The Hamburg merchant Dickman owned 5 steamers of 265 total horse power and 

 4 barges. 



4. The Kiakhla Company owned 2 steamers of 180 total horse power and 3 barges. 



5. The mercant Loukine was running 3 steamers of 190 total horse power. 



6. The merchant Boutine owned 5 steamers of 205 total horse power and 6 barges 

 carrying altogether 57,000 pouds. 



7. The Upper Amour Gold-digging Company had 2 steamers of 160 total horse power. 



8. The Telegraph Department was running one steamer of 15 horse power. 



9. The Engineering Department owned one steamer of 40 horse power. 



10. The Zeisk Company o\vned 3 steamers with an aggregate of 267 horse power. 



11. The Nieman Company owned one steamboat of 12 horse power. 



12. The merchant Etkine was running 2 steamers of 80 total horse power. 



Of all the above mentioned shipowners only the Amour Steamship Company and the 

 Kiakhta Steamboat Company received assistance from the Government; the former during the 

 20 years of the original concession received 245,000 roubles mileage and 75,000 roubles guar- 

 antee for can-ying Government freights, altogether 258,750 roubles; and after the expiration 

 of this concession, in 1891. a temporary agreement was made with the company insuring it a 

 yearly Government subsidy of 183,000 roubles until the present year 1893. The latter company 

 receives a mileage in the same proportion, amounting to 33,938 roubles per annum, for roguhir 

 steam service on lake Baikal and the passenger and goods freights have been fixed at a rathm- 

 high tariff. For instance, the charge for conveying tea, furs and manufactured goods between 



