ever, that the majority of these are Russians. Thus, according to the statistics gathered by the Ministry of the Interior, the number of refugees who were out of work in October, 1915, was 225,000, of whom 142,000 were Russian, 35,000, Poles, 10,000, Germans, 10,000, Jews, 5,000, Lithuanians and Letts, etc.
Among the purely nationalistic organizations for rendering aid to the refugees, the most extended work is being accomplished by the Jewish committees. On November 8, 1915, a conference of Jewish engineers and "technologues" was held at Petrograd, and the question of the refugees was discussed there. It appeared from the report presented to the conference that by November 1, 1915, one hundred and forty-three Jewish committees were engaged, in all parts of the country, in the task of registering the refugees. Moreover, one hundred and sixty-one special committees were organized for the purpose of rendering aid. By November 3, 1915, the number of refugees who received aid from these committees reached 155,000. The money expended by the committee before that date amounted to 3,500,000.
The work of the All-Russian Zemstvo and Municipal Unions in rendering aid to the refugees has been truly enormous. These powerful organizations are, generally, doing efficient work in every phase of Russian life connected with the War. As for the co-operative organizations, we should keep in mind the fact that they are strong especially in the rural districts, in the villages and small towns, where, as we have already seen, over 85 per cent of the fugitives have setlled. These co-operative organizations, which comprise almost sixty million people, or one third of the country's population, are perhaps the most active force in rendering aid to the millions of bereaved and impoverished.
From what we have said, it is evident that the problem of the refugees is a very complicated and a very difficult one for Russia. Its difficulties are not lessened by the fact that Russia is rich in social forces whose activity towards a solution of the problem is enthusiastic, indeed. And it must be said that the progress heretofore achieved has been quite satisfactory under the circumstances.
But there is another phase of this problem which is of interest not to Russia alone, but to the United States as well. A very large proportion of the Russian emigration to the United States proceeded precisely from those portions of the Russian Empire which are now in the hands of the Germans, and from which came the bulk of the refugees. It was from Poland and
