TOMSK 119 



He drove over to lunch with me at my hotel and, 

 in the course of further conversation, told me that he 

 had been amongst the mountains of Turkestan, some 

 of which were over 16,000 feet in height with 

 magnificent glaciers, which he intended visiting again. 

 From exploration the conversation drifted to the 

 Siberian conference of butter merchants which had 

 taken place a few days before I arrived. Mr. 

 Sapozhnikoff presided over the conference, acting as 

 the representative of the Government. Butter 

 merchants from England, Germany, France and 

 Denmark, and the Chinese Railway Legation, were 

 represented there. The trade was discussed, par- 

 ticularly with reference to the East. Freights to 

 Kharbin, Dalney, and thence to Japanese and Chinese 

 ports, were considered, and through rates quoted. 

 From the special cheap rates and the number of 

 refrigerator wagons and other encouragements 

 supplied by the Government it was clearly shown that 

 the latter had but one aim in building the commercial 

 towns of Dalney and Vladivostock. This will be the 

 more readily understood if we consider that for butter 

 alone, by being able to ship it through Japan and 

 China, the merchants can get two to three times the 

 price that it will fetch on the West European 

 markets. Prices were studied, but these details cover 

 too much ground to be mentioned here. Over 1,1 16 

 tons of butter were shipped to the Far East in 1902, 

 and it was expected that three times that quantity 

 would be shipped in 1903. Six years ago only about 

 4,000 tons were shipped to Great Britain, whereas 

 to-day we import nine times as much. The markets 

 of the East have previously been supplied from 

 Europe with very dear butter, preserved in tins. 

 Since the commencement of the Russo-Japanese War 

 the importation of this latter article from Europe has 

 increased, and the exportation of Siberian butter to 



