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SECTION IX. 

 TRUST RUSSIA. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

 The Outlook before Lenin's Supremacy. 



Writing in Twentieth Century Russia, as far back as Sep- 

 tember, 19x5, on " Tlie Future of Russia as a Trade Centre," 

 1 then claimed that Russia and Latin America have two 

 points in common, viz. : tliat to the ordinary Englishman, 

 or Britisher, and his cousin in America, both countries — one 

 could well bay both continents — are an almost unknown 

 quantity so far as their history, people and trade possibili- 

 ties are concerned. Yet both the ex-Empire of the Slavs 

 and the Republics of the Latin-American people undeni- 

 ably offer inexhaustible opportunities for trade, for the 

 export of almost everythinj^ made in the British Empire 

 and America, and the import of many of the foodstuffs, raw 

 material, and indeed, many other things, of which we are 

 badly in need. 



The possibilities of expanding the trade between the 

 English-speaking people and Russia were emphasized by 

 the principal speakers at the inaugural meeting of the 

 Russia Society in London which 1 had the pleasure of 

 attending. This was held on March 10, at the Speaker's 

 House in the Houses of Parliament, and since then the 

 Speaker (Rt. Hon. J. W. Lowther, M.P.) has consented 

 to become the first President of the Society. Among those 

 present who spoke was the late Mr. Neil Primrose, M.P., 

 who told us that " You cannot expect a great country like 

 Russia, with unlimited wealth which as yet has hardly 

 been touched, to feel satisfied with her present arrange- 

 ments for the circulation of her products throughout the 

 world. We must, then, learn to sympathize with and 

 understand her legitimate aspirations." It is agreed that 

 Russia's rupture with Germany will leave an enormous 

 gap in her trade connections which we Englishmen are 

 well able to fill if we will only take the trouble to study 

 what Russia wants, as our Teutonic rivals have done so 



