登陆注册
5382300000227

第227章 CHAPTER XXXI(4)

On arriving at the country-house I told my friends what I had seen, and they explained it to me. Smolensk is no longer one of the poorer provinces; it has become comparatively prosperous. In two or three districts large quantities of flax are produced and give the cultivators a big revenue; in other districts plenty of remunerative work is supplied by the forests. Everywhere a considerable proportion of the younger men go regularly to the towns and bring home savings enough to pay the taxes and make a little surplus in the domestic budget. A few days afterwards the village secretary brought me his books, and showed me that there were practically no arrears of taxation.

Passing on to other provinces I found similar proofs of progress and prosperity, but at the same time not a few indications of impoverishment; and I was rapidly relapsing into my previous state of uncertainty as to whether any general conclusions could be drawn, when an old friend, himself a first-rate authority with many years of practical experience, came to my assistance. He informed me that a number of specialists had recently made detailed investigations into the present economic conditions of the rural population, and he kindly placed at my disposal, in his charming country-house near Moscow, the voluminous researches of these investigators. Here, during a good many weeks, I revelled in the statistical materials collected, and to the best of my ability I

tested the conclusions drawn from them. Many of these conclusions I had to dismiss with the Scotch verdict of "not proven," whilst others seemed to me worthy of acceptance. Of these latter the most important were those drawn from the arrears of taxation.

I hope I am committing no indiscretion when I say that the old friend in question was Prince Alexander Stcherbatof of Vasilefskoe.

The arrears in the payment of taxes may be regarded as a pretty safe barometer for testing the condition of the rural population, because the peasant habitually pays his rates and taxes when he has the means of doing so; when he falls seriously and permanently into arrears it may be assumed that he is becoming impoverished. If the arrears fluctuate from year to year, the causes of the impoverishment may be regarded as accidental and perhaps temporary, but if they steadily accumulate, we must conclude that there is something radically wrong. Bearing these facts in mind, let us hear what the statistics say.

During the first twenty years after the Emancipation (1861-81)

things went on in their old grooves. The poor provinces remained poor, and the fertile provinces showed no signs of distress.

During the next twenty years (1881-1901) the arrears of the whole of European Russia rose, roughly speaking, from 27 to 144 millions of roubles, and the increase, strange to say, took place in the fertile provinces. In 1890, for example, out of 52 millions, nearly 41 millions, or 78 per cent., fell to the share of the provinces of the Black-earth Zone. In seven of these the average arrears per male, which had been in 1882 only 90 kopeks, rose in 1893 to 600, and in 1899 to 2,200! And this accumulation had taken place in spite of reductions of taxation to the extent of 37

million roubles in 1881-83, and successive famine grants from the Treasury in 1891-99 to the amount of 203 millions. On the other hand, in the provinces with a poor soil the arrears had greatly decreased. In Smolensk, for example, they had sunk from 202 per cent, to 13 per cent. of the annual sum to be paid, and in nearly all the other provinces of the west and north a similar change for the better had taken place.

These and many other figures which I might quote show that a great and very curious economic revolution has been gradually effected.

The Black-earth Zone, which was formerly regarded as the inexhaustible granary of the Empire, has become impoverished, whilst the provinces which were formerly regarded as hopelessly poor are now in a comparatively flourishing condition. This fact has been officially recognised. In a classification of the provinces according to their degree of prosperity, drawn up by a special commission of experts in 1903, those with a poor light soil appear at the top, and those with the famous black earth are at the bottom of the list. In the deliberations of the commission many reasons for this extraordinary state of things are adduced. Most of them have merely a local significance. The big fact, taken as a whole, seems to me to show that, in consequence of certain changes of which I shall speak presently, the peasantry of European Russia can no longer live by the traditional modes of agriculture, even in the most fertile districts, and require for their support some subsidiary occupations such as are practised in the less fertile provinces.

In 1901 an additional famine grant of 33 1/2 million roubles had to be made by the Government.

Another sign of impoverishment is the decrease in the quantity of live stock. According to the very imperfect statistics available, for every hundred inhabitants the number of horses has decreased from 26 to 17, the number of cattle from 36 to 25, and the number of sheep from 73 to 40. This is a serious matter, because it means that the land is not so well manured and cultivated as formerly, and is consequently not so productive. Several economists have attempted to fix precisely to what extent the productivity has decreased, but I confess I have little faith in the accuracy of their conclusions. M. Polenof, for example, a most able and conscientious investigator, calculates that between 1861 and 1895, all over Russia, the amount of food produced, in relation to the number of the population, has decreased by seven per cent. His methods of calculation are ingenious, but the statistical data with which he operates are so far from accurate that his conclusions on this point have, in my opinion, little or no scientific value.

同类推荐
  • 毓麟验方

    毓麟验方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 瑜伽集要施食仪轨

    瑜伽集要施食仪轨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 小儿唇口齿舌喉病胸背手足病门

    小儿唇口齿舌喉病胸背手足病门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 解惑篇

    解惑篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 唐人万首绝句选

    唐人万首绝句选

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • Robinson Crusoe

    Robinson Crusoe

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 强身健体的健康习惯

    强身健体的健康习惯

    本书主要介绍了上网要有度、睡前洗脚好处多、读书不忘讲卫生、瓜子好吃应适量、夏季多喝茶等在日常生活应该养成的好习惯。本书语言通俗易懂,图文并茂,可读性强,适合青少年阅读。
  • 我在世界之巅等你

    我在世界之巅等你

    “我叫赵煜城,从现在起担任新训队队长。听说各位很有个性,我很高兴,因为我更有个性,不服的,欢迎来挑战,挑战失败的,请滚回队伍乖乖训练。”新训队,刚刚大学毕业入伍的女学员艾昕不慎撞见室友古晶晶与教官罗正豪在树林里约会,尴尬跑开。第二天,古晶晶与教官罗正豪因恋爱被处分,罗正豪提前离队,古晶晶认为是艾昕告密,带领女学员们一起排斥艾昕……与此同时,因为罗正豪提前离队,魔鬼教官赵煜城空降新训队,一进队就目睹艾昕“披头散发”、甩水带出错、“跑步偷懒”,由此认定艾昕就是“顽劣学员”代表,迫切需要被改造的典型!可怜的艾昕一面忍受着古晶晶的排挤,一面“享受”着魔鬼教官的“特别优待”,还能否实现加入消防队的梦想……赵煜城:新官上任,杀鸡儆猴。艾昕:意思……我是鸡???
  • 哲理故事

    哲理故事

    无数事实、经验和理性已经证明:好故事可以影响人的一生。而以我们之见,所谓好故事,在内容上讲述的应是做人与处世的道理,在形式上也应听得进、记得住、讲得出、传得开,而且不会因时代的变迁而失去她的本质特征和艺术光彩。为了让更多的读者走进好故事,阅读好故事,欣赏好故事,珍藏好故事,传播好故事,我们特编选了一套“故事会5元精品系列”以飨之。其选择标准主要有以下三点:一、在《故事会》杂志上发表的作品。二、有过目不忘的艺术感染力。三、有恒久的趣味,对今天的读者仍有启迪作用。愿好故事伴随你的一生!
  • 无敌后娘

    无敌后娘

    卖身系列之后娘文案:她何其有幸得天宠三岁,不识父母面,一座采光绝佳的玻璃房是她仅有的世界七岁,痛恨她的外公将她卖给亚比士研究院做专职白老鼠十三岁,特殊的才能让她有幸能从白老鼠进化为“人”十七岁,她成为医学界的闪亮新星,身价百倍十八岁,她被“借”到爱尔兰考古队,专职抢救,兼职跑腿十九岁,她被那根莫名其妙的挂链弄到莫名其妙的地方二十岁,她可谓精彩的人生再添一笔,再一次被卖她不曾怨过天,不曾恨过地,却不得不服上天的倦顾让她的小日子,一天比一天精彩她年仅二十,无意结婚,无意生子,毕生最大的志愿就是当个单身贵族,无牵无挂战天,一个五岁的小家伙,他叫她娘她,是他爹给他买回来的后娘银战,一个如战神一般的男人银狼族,一个团结而又强大的族群战天,一个内敛怕生的小男孩,朗衣,一个天才医学博士(一个可怜的女人)卖身系列之后娘,一个精彩的故事稳住脚,千万别走开哦!************************************************零八年书院七位作者倾心打造卖身系列走过路过,千万不要错过卖身系列群:8427942以下是其他六位作者卖身系列文址,记得从头看到尾哦:《卖身—风定江山》(孟琴)《卖身系列之祸妃》(夜恋凝)《卖身系列之妖姬》(花前月下)《卖身系列之怜婢》(春日晨光)《卖身—无心童谣》(ray)《卖身系列之哑丫》(木棉花)
  • 邪尊帝王卿儿要抱抱

    邪尊帝王卿儿要抱抱

    夜鱼村的村名是妖物所化,一渔夫看见了,赶忙去朝廷办案,皇上膝下最疼爱的两子欧阳岚辰和欧阳雨翊想借此机会出去猎物。那夜,欧阳卿儀的父母被杀,只留下了嗷嗷待哺的她,不停的啼哭,欧阳岚辰满满的嫌弃,最后还是抱起了她。欧阳卿儀天天在王府里横行霸道,谁都不怕就怕王爷,每天亲亲抱抱举高高。【孕期】,今天月亮不圆,哭;糕点不好吃;哭。肚子里的包子还在踢她,哭。一言不合就哭【孕后】:欧阳岚辰:卿儿还是你最美,那俩包子好丑,还和我抢你,我们不要他们了好不好。身后的俩包子很无语,我们长的丑还不是妈妈生的,丑也随你们。
  • 狼女独尊

    狼女独尊

    被人遗弃的弃婴被狼群所抚养长大,十六岁被青衣男子捡回家。小女孩因为从小和狼群长大,所以行为习惯异于常人。经过青衣男子的精心指导,她成为了一把最锋利的宝剑。
  • 笑面罗刹

    笑面罗刹

    姿色平平的女子,恬淡的笑容,司马家没脾气的三小姐。不显山,不显水,她是天山上雪老的关门弟子。“一个月内,把为师教的都学会,知道了吗?”仙风道骨的雪老刻意板着脸吩咐下面的弟子。“是,师傅”如出一辙的抬头,斜眼,懒懒的回答,准备散开,不想理会这个闲得无聊的老头子。“笑儿”古怪的撒娇声出自雪老之口,对象却是一个稚龄女童,淡淡的微笑挂在嘴角。“听到师傅的话了吗?”温柔的语气像是在询问。“是,师妹”整齐而洪亮的回答,却让一旁的雪老再一次的暗自落泪,师傅竟然不如徒弟有威信。不胆怯,不畏惧,面上依然是淡淡的微笑,她是幽萝谷谷主的唯一传人。“禀谷主,叛徒已捉拿回谷,请谷主明示”蒙面的黑衣人指着同时被扔在地上跪着的几个男子,恭敬的等候幽萝谷谷主吩咐。“背叛我的人,从来就只有死路一条”谷主阴沉的吐出,却见下面跪着的人反而露出了解脱的神色。“笑儿,交给你了”同样蒙面的黑衣谷主看向这里唯一的一个露出真面目的少女。“请谷主饶命啊,小的一定知无不言言无不尽“此起彼伏的求饶声顿时响彻了整个幽萝谷。新文:《嚣张宝贝黑道妈》完结经典文:《大良凰后》《笑面罗刹》《随心皇妃》《玉面狐狸》
  • 福尔摩斯探案全集:巴斯克维尔的猎犬

    福尔摩斯探案全集:巴斯克维尔的猎犬

    《福尔摩斯探案全集之巴斯克维尔的猎犬》是福尔摩斯探案全集系列中最为光彩四射、引人入胜的巅峰之作。小说围绕英格兰乡下一个偏僻荒凉的庄园中流传的一个古老家族与一只充满灵异的猎犬之间的宿命传说铺叙情节,刻画了人对财富的贪欲和费尽心机图谋占有的阴险毒辣手段,并有亲情善恶爱恨的交织表现。
  • 大唐纵横

    大唐纵横

    (书友群QQ:970340282)天下英雄出我辈,戎马倥偬岁月催,王图霸业谈笑间,不胜美人依偎酔……纵马大漠与草原,横舟蜀地和江南,大闹长安与洛阳,醉酒安西之唐地……尽在大唐纵横。