KAINSK 101 



owing to the drinking water being taken from the 

 river, which receives the town refuse. This could 

 be prevented by sinking wells, at a cost of £3 each, 

 to a depth of .24 to 28 feet, where there is plenty of 

 good water. This water, which is kept at ^ low 

 temperature by the frozen earth, being only a shade 

 above freezing-point, is cold enough to save ice at 

 the creamery and would be excellent for the cattle. 

 Fever is also prevalent near the lakes. One great 

 loss to the country is through the burning of manure 

 for fuel, which appears to 'be general. This custom 

 is a very serious matter and should be discouraged. 



We enjoyed a cup of tea and a long chat with the 

 English lady and her German husband. My friend 

 made several serious charges against the Jews of 

 Kainsk and Siberia generally. He said, " Kainsk 

 is called the ' Jews' Paradise,' " and that the Jews 

 were the curse of Siberia. His complaints, however, 

 like the complaints of others I have met in Siberia, 

 summed up, mean that the Jew is a very keen 

 business man, and as such is too keen for the easy- 

 going Russian. 



On my return to the hotel I was approached by a 

 beggar in rags. I gave him a rouble and took a 

 photograph of him. The hotel people informed me 

 that he was an escaped exile and would not dare 

 to show his face anywhere else but in Kainsk. Pass^ 

 ports are not examined at the hotel in Kainsk. This 

 hotel is the meeting-place for the officials and 

 peasants of the town and its environs and gambling 

 is engaged in at night. At every other hotel I 

 stopped at in Russia and Siberia they demanded my 

 passport, which was sent to the police, and was 

 handed back to me on the day of my departure 

 endorsed with a stamp to the value of 5 to 20 

 kopecks, which I had to pay. I was glad to settle 

 my bill and feel I was going away from the place. 



