Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1287

 PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY 1235

ending August was: 1916-17, 194 million pouls ; 1917-1?. 30 million \ 1918-19, 110 million poods; 1919-20, 260 million pouls ; and 192 montns), 275 million ponds.

Tobacco production, in tons: 1914, 112,400; 1915, 122,000; 1910, 17,533 ; 1920 (11 months), 19,467 ; 1921 (estimate), 30,000.


 * i->er of horses, < in 1919: horses, 6.214,000 6,517,000 in

1917>: homed cattle, 9,483,000 (10.313,000 in 1917 15,910,000

^16,005.000 iu 1917) ; and pigs, 1.5S4.O0O .2.393,000 in 191

The cotton production of Central Asia and Caucasus during four years was, in thousands of pouds : 1916-17, 14,579; 1919, 2,000; 1920, 847; 1921 (estimated), 1,500.

In European Russia forests cover a territory of 474 millions of acres, and in the Caucasus, 18 7 millions. In the two Ural mountain provinces, forests cover 70 per cent, of total area ; in the two northern provinces, 63 per cent.

The soil of Russia is rich in ores of all kinds, and mining industry is steadily increasing.

The following table gives the production of pig-iron in Russia for five years in thousands of pouds (1,000 pouds = 16121 tons): 1913, 257,398; 1915, 225,210 ; 1917, 190,445 ; 1919, 1,500 ; 1920 (9 months), 3,786.

The quantities ot iron and steel worked in Russia in thousands of pouds were: 1914, 222,700; 1915, 199,423 ; 1916, 206,033 ; 1917, 155,474; 1918, 6,842 ; 1919, 1,600.

The output of coal in Russia wa3 (in millions of metric tons), 1913, 25-7 ; 1914, 28 : 1913, 12 2 ; 1919, 82 ; 1920, 7 6.

Production of the oil fields for five years, in millions of pouds (1000 poud3 = 16 tons) :—

-

1913

lvu

1915

1916

1917

Baku district

Ferphana

Uralsk (Emba)

462 74 13

1

98

5 4

o

16

451 8S

4 4

17

47«

102

3 16

403 94

1

o IS

Total

b<>:

550

566

•500

517

Reduced to barrels of 42 gallons the oil production of the Baku district in 1913 was 56,640,000 ; in 1914, 50,928,000 ; in 1916, 57,180,000 ; and in 1917, 48,276,000.

Salt production in Russia for fire years, in thousands of ponds : — 1916, 144,400 ; 1919, 13,500 ; 1920, 40,000.

Production of peat, in millions of pouds :— 1913, 80 ; 1914, 95 ; 1915, 84 ; 1916, 83 ; 1917, 71 ; 1918, 58 ; 1919, 67 ; 1920, 82.

The number of persons engaged in the making and working of metals was 530,165 in 1910: 343,850 in 1915; 427,502 in 1916; 221,544 in 1919; 227,000 in 1920.

The economic system inaugurated by the Soviet Government is based on the conception of State ownership and control of the principal means of pro- duction, distribution and exchange. During the first eight months after the November revolution the nationalisation of various industrial and trading enterprises was effected largely by local Soviets, which followed no definite plan, and were inclined to nationalise every private undertaking within the territory they ruled. This led to a number of working under- takings being brought to a standstill, as the neceisary administrative