The Minister of Marine dwelt on the successful achieve- ments
of the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets against superior numbers and the increased activity of the workshops and factories. Equally reassuring was the statement of M. Bark, the Minister of Finance, who declared that, in spite of the enormous expenditure entailed by the war, Russia had not only derived the necessary resources from the national wealth, but had been able to fill the gap caused by the stoppage of the sale of alcohol, which brought almost £100,000,000 to the Treasury per annum. To meet the war expenses, which would at the end of the present year reach a sum of £724,200,000, the Government contemplated a series of credit operations, the success of which was beyond doubt, because the total national savings had increased by 2180,000,000. This proved that the country possessed adequate resources for carrying out these operations, resources which ought to be entirely attributed to the temperance of the people.
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