'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia: About 1889-1890' [‎605v] (1231/1486)

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RUSSIA.
Ministry of
War.
the purely strategical lines which have been constructed of late
years, would show a steady increase of mileage receipts on the
majority of Russian railways.
The necessary limits of the present report preclude the possi
bility of any detailed study of the railway question which so
formidably affects the whole'system of Russian finance, but its
serious bearing is fully recognized by M. Wishnegradsky, who has
fortunately in former times had much experience as a railway
administrator. His policy tends towards increasing the amount
of railway property directly held by the State, and also towards
strengthening the control of the Government over the working of
private companies. During the past year about 1,100 miles of
railways have been acquired by the State, and, taking advantage
of the indebtedness of private companies, the affairs of a large
number of nominally independent concerns have been overhauled
by the Ministry of Finance. The whole question of railway
tariffs is being searchingly investigated by a commission speciallv
appointed for the purpose, and every effort is being made to
ntroduce a harmony of rates, and "to facilitate the export of
produce, whilst inward freights, from the western land frontier,
are being generally raised to the disadvantage of Austrian, Polish,
and German manufacturers. This official control of railway
tariffs will certainly effect an improvement, in checking the short'
sighted policy of many of the private companies, and also in
encouraging the all-important agricultural industry for the benefit
of the country at large. On the other hand, the manufacturers in
Russian Poland appear to have solid grounds for their loud com
plaints, as to the manner in which their interests are sacrificed for
the benefit of Moscow rivals, and the value of private railway
property has been greatly prejudiced by the realisation of the fact
that this property is completely at the mercy of the Finance
Minister, who may see fit to virtually tax private companies for
the furtherance of any special policy he may have in view.
I now pass to a brief consideration of the budget for the
Ministry of War, and of the progressive increase of expenditure
in that department. According to the figures shown in Table A.,
it will be seen that the greatest increase in the military budget,
during the last five years, is to be found in the estimates for 1890,
which show an excess of approximately 6,500,000 r. over the
calculated expenditure for 1889. This considerable increase
appears extraordinary when we read in the Minister’s official report
on the budget such emphatic declarations of the peaceful policy of
the Empire, and when we note the urgent insistance on the
necessity of economy in every branch. Further, it cannot escape
observation that by the Imperial Decree published May 12 , 1889,
the expenditure for the War Department, was, except under
specified and exceptional circumstances, fixed for five years at a
maximum annual amount of approximately 215,500,000 r., or some
6,500,000 r. less than the sum now provided. In his remark on
the different changes in this year’s budget as compared with the
figures for 1889 M. Wishnegradsky states that the augmentation