262 SIBERIA, 



mad'! Ill' lliuiii lip to llie prc^eiil liiin'. Iidii aiiil dial, lln- Iwo f^riuit laclors uf irifliistrial de- 

 v<'lopnicnl, ail! loiiiiil nearly over all Sihrria and in vi-iy rirh veins. Tlic prijpr'r wnikiii;,' ol' 

 lli<!S<! liclios will ^'ivc a poworriil advanroinont lo tin; dcvolopnninl ul' progress in Siberia 

 TIk! conlif^iiily of veins ul' f:oal and iron ore in some places lias li-d to the establisliinenl of 

 a: lew iidn woiks, wliieli liavi; liinvever not been in a very iloll^i.^llin^' comlition on acconni ol 

 the small demand and their great distance lidm iIh; markets. These obstacles will disappear 

 when tlu! Siberian railway is constructed, as tin; railway itsell' will refiuire such an onornions 

 iinanlity of iron ami iidii goods that it can easily rurnisli enough work for several large iron 

 works besides inrreasing tlie output of these woiks by bringing theii' goods wiiliin the iva<di 

 of more distant markets. In sj)ite of the enormous prodiietion of the Ural iron works, they 

 will b<' unable to supply all the rc'iuircments of the Siberian line for iron goods; being compara- 

 tively cheap, thoy caniKjt be coiiV((yed very long distances by rail. The appearance of iron works 

 in Siberia, and more especially in the centre or the east, may be regarded therefore as a 

 very natural conclusion; and If in addition to this it be mentioned that in order to enliven 

 the native industry, the Government intends to render some assistance to private individuals 

 in erecting such works, the riitiue of the iron trade in Siberia may be considered quite assured. 

 As regards mineral fuel, which is of such great impoitancc in working a railway line, such 

 quantities of it have been discovered in the formations that have been investigated, that 

 the mad will he well supplied for very many years to come. Althongh coal is found scattered 

 along almost the whole line, wood is in many places so cheap that it can successfully 

 compete with it, especially in those parts of the route which are intersected by navigable 

 rivers, along which the wood may be floated from distant and wild places where vegetation 

 is so I'apidly ivnewed, and where there is no demand for it. 



The Great Siberian liailway will also have a great influence upon gold mining. Placed in 

 very diHicult economic circumstances, this industry has only prospered in those places where 

 very auriferous formations arc worked; many of them are now neglected only because the 

 present price of labour and machinery and the difficulty of obtaining credit upon easy terms do 

 not admit of their being worked with sufi'icient profit. In America and in other countries, where 

 gold mining is carried on, much poorer beds are worked, and therefore the output is larger 

 than in Siberia. The Siberian lailway should strive as far as possible to facilitate and 

 cheapen the carriage of stores and implements to the gold inines, and also increase the supply 

 of labour as many of the mines are suffering from an insuH'iciency of it. Under new condi- 

 tions the cost of gold mining would inevitably decrease and this would enable poorer deposits 

 to be worked. The output of gold would also considerably be increased and the industry 

 would acquire a firmer foothold. 



Turning to the question of the influence of the railway upon the extension of local 

 trade, it is beyond a doubt that this influence will be most considerable ; many articles or raw 

 materials, for which there is 'at present no local demand, will find a ready sale at more 

 distant markets; the rapid fluctuations in the prices of necessaries and the exceedingly high 

 prices current at present will no longer exist, thanks to the rapid transport of goods. 



All the above mentioned advantages which trade will derive from the Siberian railway 

 are only the most intimate changes which will result fiom the opening of "the line and the 



