﻿THE 
  FAR 
  EASTERN 
  REPUBLIC 
  

  

  581 
  

  

  CHITA 
  S 
  SUBSTITUTE 
  FOR 
  A 
  PLAYGROUND 
  

  

  Children 
  whose 
  only 
  homes 
  for 
  months 
  have 
  been 
  box-cars 
  at 
  Verkhne-Udinsk 
  still 
  smile 
  

   and 
  play 
  their 
  games 
  like 
  children 
  the 
  world 
  over. 
  The 
  boy 
  in 
  the 
  foreground 
  wears 
  only 
  a 
  

   wool-padded 
  winter 
  overcoat 
  and 
  cap. 
  

  

  merit 
  were 
  sufficiently 
  practical 
  to 
  decide 
  

   that 
  a 
  gold 
  coin, 
  even 
  with 
  the 
  reliefs 
  of 
  

   eagle 
  and 
  Tsar 
  on 
  its 
  faces, 
  was 
  better 
  

   for 
  the 
  republic 
  than 
  the 
  gorgeous 
  paper 
  

   notes 
  of 
  Moscow, 
  with 
  the 
  stirring 
  admo- 
  

   nition, 
  "Poor 
  workers 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  

   unite 
  !" 
  in 
  several 
  languages. 
  

  

  Even 
  though 
  their 
  philosophy 
  was 
  out- 
  

   raged, 
  a 
  gold 
  coin 
  did 
  not 
  depreciate 
  over 
  

   night 
  and 
  no 
  communist 
  faithful 
  has 
  

   ever 
  carried 
  his 
  hatred 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  

   refusing 
  one. 
  

  

  A 
  new 
  depreciated 
  silver 
  coinage 
  — 
  5, 
  

   10, 
  15, 
  and 
  20 
  kopeck 
  pieces 
  — 
  minted 
  in 
  

   Japan, 
  was 
  put 
  into 
  circulation 
  to 
  supple- 
  

   ment 
  the 
  gold. 
  A 
  gold 
  5-rouble 
  coin 
  ex- 
  

   changes 
  for 
  5.10 
  yen, 
  while 
  the 
  silver 
  

   small 
  change 
  is 
  worth 
  only 
  28 
  4/7 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  its 
  face 
  value. 
  

  

  A 
  traveler's 
  difficulties 
  in 
  shopping 
  in 
  

   Siberia 
  are 
  in 
  discovering 
  whether 
  prices 
  

   are 
  in 
  silver 
  or 
  gold. 
  In 
  general, 
  any 
  

   price 
  under 
  5 
  roubles 
  gold 
  is 
  quoted 
  in 
  

   silver. 
  

  

  Railroad 
  fares 
  are 
  collected 
  in 
  gold, 
  

   and 
  as 
  the 
  trains 
  move 
  with 
  uncertainty 
  

   and 
  deliberation, 
  there 
  is 
  ample 
  time 
  to 
  

  

  figure 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  rate 
  is 
  equivalent 
  to 
  

   between 
  6 
  and 
  7 
  cents 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  American 
  

   money. 
  On 
  one 
  semi-weekly 
  train, 
  where 
  

   a 
  check-up 
  of 
  the 
  passengers 
  was 
  made, 
  

   four 
  had 
  paid 
  first-class 
  fare, 
  14 
  second 
  

   class, 
  and 
  34 
  third 
  class, 
  while 
  56 
  were 
  

   riding 
  on 
  civilian 
  passes 
  and 
  97 
  on 
  mili- 
  

   tary 
  passes. 
  On 
  a 
  railroad 
  where 
  only 
  

   25 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  its 
  passengers 
  pay 
  fare 
  

   and 
  the 
  balance 
  ride 
  free, 
  the 
  tariffs 
  must 
  

   be 
  high. 
  

  

  POVERTY 
  HAS 
  OVERWHELMED 
  THE 
  REPUB- 
  

   LICS 
  RAIEROAD 
  

  

  The 
  railroad 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   public 
  utility 
  of 
  the 
  republic. 
  Poverty 
  

   and 
  dilapidation 
  have 
  overwhelmed 
  it, 
  

   just 
  as 
  they 
  have 
  gripped 
  the 
  fallen 
  gen- 
  

   teel 
  of 
  the 
  barakholka. 
  It 
  keeps 
  running, 
  

   which 
  is 
  about 
  all. 
  With 
  the 
  obstacles 
  

   which 
  must 
  be 
  overcome, 
  the 
  marvel 
  is 
  

   that 
  even 
  that 
  is 
  accomplished. 
  

  

  Taking 
  the 
  cars 
  on 
  which 
  we 
  rode 
  as 
  

   examples, 
  the 
  passenger 
  coaches 
  are 
  un- 
  

   heated 
  in 
  winter, 
  windows 
  dirty 
  and 
  

   broken, 
  electric 
  light 
  fixtures 
  wrenched 
  

   out 
  bodily, 
  lavatories 
  filled 
  with 
  dirt, 
  

  

  