News From Russia.
The Census of 1897 was the only complete general census ever taken in Russia. During the two decades that have gone by since that time, Russia has undergone considerable changes, due to enormous emigration and internal migration, growth of cities, rapid industrial development, etc. Russia of to-day is, in many ways, a different Russia from what she was in the nineties, and yet there is no accurate statistical information about the country. Local census work was undertaken from time to time, but it did not extend over more than several provinces, and even there did not embrace more than a few districts. The data thus gathered were used largely as a basis for local Zemstvo studies and measures.
The need of a new national census was very prominently pointed out at a recent convention of the Russian statisticians, which was held at Moscow. It appears that just before the War broke out, the Russian Ministry of the Interior had under consideration a plan for a general census, and there seems to be no doubt that such a plan will be worked out and put into application just as soon as the War is over and the army demobilized.
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A group of social workers in the Government of Perms has sent a deputation to Petrograd for the purpose of petitioning the Ministry of Education for the establishment in Perm of a new university, or, at least, the removal to that city of the University of Yuriev, in the Baltic region. This university had to be moved to the interior of Russia on account of the German invasion. The deputation, which is headed by a local millionaire, Mr. Meshkov, was received by the Minister of Education, Count P. N. Ignatiev. The Minister asked the deputation for statistical data, which would prove the necessity of establishing a university in the city of Perm, and also for guarantees that the institution would be provided with sufficient funds to exist without government subsidies. He assured his visitors that the Ministry is ready to sanction the establishment of new universities in many parts of the country.
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Professor Pusyrevsky has worked out a plan of connecting the rivers Volga and Don by means of a canal. Such a connection between the two rivers would greatly facilitate the transportation of coal from the Donetz basin to the central parts of Russia.
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During the third week of January, direct railroad communication between Petrograd and Moscow over the Nikolaev route was discontinued. This was done in order to devote all available cars to supplying the capital with provisions, fuel, etc. The amount of these commodities transported lately has been very inadequate. The passenger and freight traffic had to be carried over the slow and round-about Moscow-Windau-Rybinsk line.
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The Ministry of Communication has under consideration a plan of providing the students of the universities and technical schools with preparation requisite to fitting them for positions as railway engineers and assistant-engineers. The Russian
