COMPETITIVE CONDITIONS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE. 155
OTHER COUNTRIES.

In addition to the countries discussed above, several others are
worthy of serious discussion, such as Russia, Austria-Hungary,
Sweden, Holland, Australia, Canada, etc. The limits of this report,
however, make it impossible to describe the industrial organization
of these countries in detail. Only brief mention is made here, therefore,
 of some of their salient characteristics, though im the later
discussion of competitive conditions in particular industries, such as
iron and steel, some further details are given concerning a few of
them. Moreover, in the special reports of United States consuls, published
 in Part IT of this report, excellent information is contained
for some of these countries and for a number of others not referred
to in this volume.
Russia.—Russia is still largely an agricultural nation and its
manufacturing is in its infancy. Accordingly, Russia is an importer
of manufactured articles and an exporter of food supplies and raw
materials. Prior to the war Germany was the principal exporter
into Russia. This was due in part to favorable commercial treaties
and in part to proximity and knowledge of the market.
In 1912 the number of combinations in Russia was estimated® at
82, and the total number of syndicate agreements .at from 140 to
150. These syndicates included both incorporated and unincorporated
 selling agencies, export syndicates, combinations for the apportionment
 of Government orders and international cartels. Purely
local agreements among dealers were not included in this number.
Although the Russian law? is unfavorable to combinations, yet
the administration has in certain instances encouraged the organization
 of industrial combinations, especially for the purposes of fostering
 export trade and eliminating competition in placing Government
 orders when this is considered to the national interest. The
Ministry of Finance advised the sugar producers to form a syndicate
 in 1885, it approved of the petroleum refiners’ syndicate in
1893, and in 1902 it encouraged the organization of the iron and
steel combination “Prodameta.” In a special report of June 14,
1916, on sales organizations and trade combinations in Russia, Commercial
 Attaché Henry D. Baker stated that the Government makes
no interference whatever with the holding of meetings by the various
community of interest organizations and does not require any official
scrutiny of the records kept by the secretaries of such meetings.
In the iron and steel industry effective combinations, such as the
Prodameta, have been developed, financed by groups of Russian,
1 J. M. Goldstein, Ekonomicheskaia politika, 2d ed., Moscow, 1918, p. 253.
2 Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on Trust Laws and Unfair Competition.
Washington. March 15, 1915, p. 287.