Export of Wheat from Siberia. 



503 



of Western Siberia as a wheat exporting region, wheat grown 

 in that region has not made its appearance in any appreciable 

 quantities in European markets. It was found that high cost 

 of transit on the main lines of rail made it unprofitable 10 

 export Siberian grain to any distance in periods of low prices, 

 and the necessity of providing a new and cheaper route was 

 soon recognised. This difficulty has now been removed, it is 

 believed, by the completion of the Perm-Viatka-Kotlass Rail- 

 way, which was opened for traffic in September last. Accord- 

 ing to a report by Mr. Henry Cooke, H.M. Consul at 

 Archangel, this new route brings the produce o f the richest 

 grain growing provinces to the waters of the NortherniDwina. 

 It runs from Perm, on the one side, which is in direct railway 

 communication with Tiumen and the great Siberian line, to 

 Kotlass, a small village on the Northern Dwina, whence 

 communication is obtained by the river with Archangel, 

 about 400 miles distant. To facilitate the export of Siberian 

 grain by this rail and river route, agreements have been made 

 with various steamship owners for a regular service of vessels 

 between Archangel and the ports of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, 

 Bremen, Hamburg, London, Hull, Newcastle, and Leith. 



Commenting on the possibilities of the new line, Mr. Cooke 

 remarks that the difficulties to be experienced are many and 

 great, such as the insufficient quantity of river barges and 

 lighters ; the absence of granaries at Archangel, which will 

 delay the lighters there on their arrival from Kotlass on the 

 opening of navigation and before the White Sea is clear of 

 ice ; the shallowness of the river between Kotlass and Arch- 

 angel during July and August greatly limiting the loading 

 capacity of the river craft ; and the generally primitive and 

 incomplete arrangements so far made to meet the increased 

 traffic both at Kotlass and Archangel, together with the 

 lack, hitherto much felt, of working hands during the busy 

 timber shipping period. 



In 1898 the quantity of grain carried in transit by the 

 Siberian railways amounted to i2,oco,ooo bushels, of which 

 5,610,000 bushels were conveyed to the frontiers and ports of 

 Russia. Meanwhile, the supply of Siberian grain is stated to 

 be annually increasing, and it is estimated that the surplus 



