region and the south-western steppes pass on their way to European Russia. In return there also pass from Europe through these points numerous manufactured articles and other imports into Siberia. These are the points where foreign trade is likely to develop in the near future, and where agricultural implement manufacturers, dairy produce importers, and mining syndicates are now stationing their agents and representatives. Until recently English firms had no one to refer to at these places. Now, however, there is a British vice-consul (unpaid) at Omsk and recently one has been appointed at Krasnoyarsk, the only two in the whole of the vast territories of Western and Central Siberia. If anything is done to improve British consular representation in Russia, it is advisable that attention should be turned to Western Siberia especially, and it is indispensable that there should be at least one paid consul, who should also be in touch with two or three subordinate vice-consuls in the more outlying centres.
As a central spot, Omsk would be a suitable place where a paid consul for Western Siberia might reside, while Kurgan, Novo-nikolaevsk, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk and Petropavlovsk would be suitable places for the subordinate unpaid vice-consuls. The towns of Tiumen, Tobolsk and Tomsk, although they are the seats of considerable local industry, besides being centres of administrative areas, are not likely to develop with such rapidity as the towns mentioned above along the main Siberian railway. The economic importance of Tiumen and Tobolsk, however, will probably be increased when the Omsk-Tiumen railway is completed, but for the present it will probably remain secondary to that of those growing
