TRAVELLING IN THE EAST.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3372, 11 November 1911, Page 9

TRAVELLING IN THE EAST.

AN AUSTRALIAN’S IMPRESSIONS.

EASY TIMES INY RUSSIA

Well,' what struck me most- during my travels in tine East was that Asiatic Russia is just as unpopulated as Australia,” says Mr. E. de Berr, an Australian, who has spent the ' last 12 months in Russia and Siberia. “The country is almost devoid ot population, although there are fine agricultural districts there. _ But few Europeans are to- be seen in Asiatic Russia, and the whole country is undeveloped * ' «■ “Trouble travelling in Russia? No, none at all. The Russian passport system is a grand one. You simply hand it over whenever you arrive in & town, and it is given back to you immediately you are about to leave. It is useful, too, for tracing anyone, as records are kept . of strangers passing through the country. You need never touch your luggage at all there, as it is transferred practically from steamer cabin to train berth before you can arrive at the train. “I must tell you about the trans-Si-berian railroad. “It carries enormous traffic in the shape of passengers and merchandise, and many Europeans use the route in the summer season. Every train is crowded, and it is hard to get a berth at all. Mind you, it is only 14 days from Yokohama to London by the trans-Siberian railroad, and you can get a saloon trip all the way for £4B, whereas it takes you something like six weeks to journey between the two ports bv steamer. ‘“Of course I travelled through not only Asiatic Russia, hut Sil>eria and China. I visited Yladivostock, and was surprised at the enormous standing army stationed there. The official report says there are but 65,000 troops there, but from my observations I consider there must be fully 100,000. It is purely a military town, although it is the distributing centre for a very large part of Siberia. “The fisheries industry on the Siberian coast is a marvellous one. I never saw so many fish in my life. In tact, you get tired of looking at fish there. “Yes, there is gold in Siberia, too, without a doubt. I met a large party of Americans at Vladivostock who were going right away to the north to tho gold-bearing country. They had sent an expert on some three years ago, and he reported the prospects as excellent. The machinery for dealing with the ore lias preceded the party. . “Navigation—and consequently fishing—is only possiblo six months out of the year, as they experience a very severe winter in Siberia. I found little , about Australia known in either Siberia or Russia, still the influx of Russian immigrants by every Japanese steamer speaks for itself. “No, I can tell you little or nothing about the Chinese rebellion; but when I was at Canton there was some talk of an uprising there, but hostilities had not actually begun before I left China.”