Kovaleff P. The iron industry in Russia

New York: 1919. — 16 p.Whatever economic subject pertaining to Russia is dealt with, we of necessity—such are the present conditions —have to resort to a nundber of conjectural assumptions. In my report I shall consider Russia as a political unit in its former boundaries, excepting only Poland, the separation of which from Russia in the form of an independent state presents itself as an accomplished fact. Most of the numerical data which I utilize in my report date back to the year 1913, as the last year in which conditions were normal and as the one that had reflected in the most striking manner the productive capacities of the various iron-manufacturing districts of Russia, because that was the record year for the iron industry of Russia. Notwithstanding the rapid development of the iron industry in Russia during recent years, especially during the period from 1909 to 1913, when the output of pig iron increased from 3,240,000 tons to 5,040,000 tons, the per capita consumption of iron in Russia was considerably behind that of the other European countries. While for Germany this amount was 319.8 lbs., for Great Britain 269.1 lbs., for France 246.7 lbs., the corresponding figure for Russia was even in the record year only 62.4 lbs. The reason for this is known to all : the lack of development of industries in general, the small activity in railroad building, and particularly the ingnificant consumptioni of iron by the general mass of the populaticm owmg to their ladc of sufficient purchasing power.