288 SIBERIA 



capable of accepting bribes he must be morally, 

 and probably financially, bankrupt, and the few men 

 who answer to this description may be looked upon 

 as akin to the common thief who commences pilfering 

 to regain his lost position. There is very little 

 doubt that the Russian Government were robbed in 

 a wholesale fashion in this manner in the construction 

 of the Siberian railway. Being on the Siberian 

 steppes they had a splendid chance, and they took 

 full advantage of it, but robbery of this description 

 is not confined to Siberia. 



I have read articles by men who pretend to know 

 the reason for the Siberian railway being built, who 

 freely express their opinion that it would not act 

 for military work, it being liable to all kinds of 

 break-downs. As my business has, in the main, 

 been dependent upon the Great Siberian railway 

 carrying butter during the war, a few remarks from 

 me on this head may to some extent be valuable. 

 Having examined the line with some care, I came 

 to the conclusion that the Great Siberian railway 

 is well entitled to rank with the seven wonders of 

 the world, being, in fact, a stupendous undertaking, 

 and that its chief object was not to menace Japan but 

 simply to develop the country. We must remember 

 that in sparsely-populated countries railways are built 

 primarily to increase the population of that country, 

 whilst in thickly-populated countries the railway is 

 built to benefit the people. One very strong proof 

 that the Trans-Siberian railway was not built for 

 war purposes is the fact that when General Koura- 

 patkin went over it to Manchuria in 1903 he did 

 not alter or relay any of the numerous curves, while, 

 in addition, there are places on the line where the 

 work of the jobber and plundering railway contractors 

 can very easily be seen. In times of war, these 

 unnecessary curves are a very serious matter, and 



