Russian local government during the war and the Union of Zemstvos

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1794855874

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-179223

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Polner, Tichon I. http://d-nb.info/gnd/172311195

Title:: Russian local government during the war and the Union of Zemstvos

Place of publication:: New Haven

Publisher:: Yale Univ. Press

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: XXV, 317 S.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XII. The Central Committee of the union of Zemstvos in the third year of the war

Collection:: Economics Books

2 I= ig THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR Purchase of Horses. The department for the purchase of horses was appointed by the Central Committee of the Union at the close of 1914, at the time when the field detachments of the Zemstvo Union were being or- ganized. It gradually developed into a very large organization, operating not only in European Russia, but also in Siberia, Turkes- tan, and northern Caucasus. In the estimates of the department for October, 1916, mention is made even of China and Persia as sources of supply for horses. At first the Union’s demand for horses was very small, and during the retreat of the army from the German front it had dwindled to as little as 862, and in one instance to only 134 per month. Generally speaking, the monthly requirement dur- ing 1915 never exceeded 1,500 horses; at the end of that year, how- ever, it rose to the very impressive figure of 5,000 per month. The total number of horses purchased by the department was about 50,000 representing a value of about 12,000,000 rubles. The task of the department was by no means an easy one. Requi- sitions of horses by the Ministry of War went on almost without interruption and it was necessary therefore to discover territories where the Government was willing to permit private purchases. With each succeeding month of the War the number of such terri- tories dwindled and they became more and more remote from the headquarters of the purchasing agents of the department, which had been established at Moscow, Orel, and in northern Caucasus. Not only had a general authorization to be obtained to buy horses in a given district, but the consent of the local authorities was required for the dispatch of the horses when purchased. Lastly, and this was the most difficult part of the transaction, a sufficient quantity of rolling stock had to be found for the transport of horses. How much time had to be spent on these various steps may be gathered from the example of several large purchases made in Si- beria. In these instances it was found impossible to transport horses that had been bought at the beginning of July, 1916, until the close of September. In the meantime the animals had to be fed and cared for, with the result that there was a considerable increase in their total cost. The conveyance from such remote regions likewise in- volved heavy extra expense, but it proved nevertheless more profit- able to buy horses at this distance than nearer the center. Thus, in

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