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

246 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR tables. But in spite of this extensive killing of cattle, a great short- age of leather and hides indispensable to the army made itself every- where felt at the very beginning of the War. The collection of hides was in no way regulated, and the tanning of leather was left imper- iled, since previous to the War the bulk of the tanning extracts used to be imported from Germany. At the front, the hides of slaughtered animals were either thrown away or sold by the troops to casual buyers. The result was a wild speculation in hides, and there were even instances of Russian hides being sold to the enemy. In the meantime the Union’s committee of the southwestern front became aware that Galicia produced a considerable portion of the boots used in Austria-Hungary. The manufacturing of boots was a popular form of cottage industry. The Russian troops, on occupy- ing the country, found about 190 tanneries where a certain quantity of tanning extracts had been left behind by the Austrians. With proper organization, it should have been possible to resume produc- tion in these factories and thus assure a monthly supply of 100,000 to 150,000 pair of boots for the army. The Zemstvo Union offered its services to the Army Supply De- partment for the collection of hides on the southwestern front, and undertook to guarantee the subsequent distribution of hides wher- ever needed by the army. The negotiations were concluded at the end of January, 1915, and the Union was granted a monopoly of the collection of hides at the front. During the month of February the organization was completed and a hundred expert tanners were hired by the Union and were distributed along the front. They at- tended to the reception of the freshly salted hides at the depots of the Army Supply Department, sorted and loaded them, and sent them on to the warehouses of the Zemstvo Union. During the first months of 1915 about 50,000 hides were received every month; for each hide the Union paid to the Army Supply Department from 2.50 rubles to 8.50 rubles. With the accumulation of hides in the warehouses the problem of their further disposal had to be considered. The supplies of tanning extracts were inadequate. The only large tanning extract factory in Russia, owned by a French company, was situated in Kiev; but on the outbreak of the War the factory had been closed by the owners, who had returned to France. The director of the factory refused to entertain the suggestion that operations should be resumed, protest-

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