DIFFICULTIES OF THE POSITION 201 



local communes, and are regarded as communal 

 property. 



There are, however, in Siberia, special diffi- 

 culties in the way of developing the industry 

 along such lines as these. The peasantry have 

 not yet risen out of the depths of ignorance in 

 which they have so long been steeped ; their 

 tendency to herd together in villages is prejudicial 

 to real agricultural development, and constitutes, 

 together with drunkenness and corruption, one 

 of the curses of the country ; while their eager- 

 ness for money, combined with the keen com- 

 petition between the butter merchants, makes 

 them more disposed to sell their milk to the 

 highest bidder than to co-operate for the working 

 of it up on their own account. The allegation 

 is even made against some of them that they 

 are so ready to dispose of all their available 

 supplies that they do not keep back sufficient 

 milk to provide for the wants of their own fami- 

 lies. Another impediment to the formation of 

 co-operative dairies in Siberia is the difficulty of 

 finding disinterested and honest managers. 



The Imperial authorities arc doing all they can 

 to promote the movement, for, in addition to 

 advancing loans, and helping in other ways, they 

 have appointed official dairy instructors, each of 

 whom has a group of dairies under his super- 



