Trade and commerce--The only strictly Roumanian shops belong to
Princes--No English shops, though they would be welcomed--English
catalogues unintelligible--An English firm and its “standard”
colour--A successful English factory--The labour question, saints’
days and names-days--German factories--Beer taxed in the interests
of wine--Sugar and cheese factories--Sheep-milking--Petroleum
wells in Roumania--An influx of Americans--Rockefeller’s agent, Mr
Chamberlain and his family--How a man of gipsy origin “struck oil”
and became a millionaire--Paper-mills and coal-mines.
I remark elsewhere that the retail trade is principally in the hands
of the Jews, although of late years a few shops have been opened on
the Calea Victorie by some of the “upper ten.” There is, for example,
the shop of Prince Stirbey, another belonging to Prince Brancovan, and
still another to M. Bratiano. These gentlemen conceived the good idea
of cultivating various kinds of produce on their farms, thus giving
employment to a considerable number of people, and then sending it to
town to be sold. Stirbey’s butter is well known as the best to be had.
His preserved fruit and vegetables are excellent, and his wine bears
comparison with the produce of the best vineyards. All the appliances
necessary for the conduct of this really important enterprise, the
casks and bottles for the wines, the jars for the fruits, etc., are
manufactured on the estate, so that employment is given to many
workers in various fields of industry.
It seems curious that the only Roumanian shops in Bucarest should be
those belonging to Princes; but so it is. It is also true, however,
that these personages merely lend their names to the undertakings, and
leave them to be carried out by those whom they employ. Perhaps, as
an example has been set by these aristocratic traders, others lower
down in the scale of society may in time be tempted to follow suit and
discover that it is not really so very derogatory to their dignity to
keep a shop.
It is a great pity that there is no English shop in Bucarest. It is
also a pity that greater facilities are not offered to Roumanians to
trade with England. As a gentleman once remarked to me, “If only an
English shop were opened here the goods would command a ready sale,
and would oust the German-made articles from the market.” But there is
no shop, and before the war there were few commercial travellers from
England to offer English goods to a sympathetic market.[1] Roumanians
like English goods, and would be eager to buy them if it were an easy
matter for them to do so. Amongst the many obstacles in the way are our
curious monetary system, and our still more curious, and even archaic,
system of weights and measures, the latter with terms which are often
only intelligible to the trade expert.
The catalogues sent out from England by business firms are printed in
English only, and therefore can only be circulated among those people
who understand the language thoroughly. Even for them the difficulties
are great. How often I have been called upon to reduce shillings to
francs, and to explain the difference between “metre” and “yard”! Then
the various contractions in a catalogue!
There are no facilities for trade between Roumania and England such as
exist between Roumania and other countries. For instance, one sends an
order to Paris or Vienna, and on the arrival of the goods in Bucarest
is advised of the fact by the postal authorities. The consignee then
proceeds to the customhouse, inspects the goods, and if satisfactory
pays the price on the spot. If not, they are sent back. But in sending
to England for goods what a difficult business it is! Say a costume
is required. First of all the measurements have to be accurately
translated into English. Then the price has to be calculated and the
money forwarded at the same time as the order. Should there be even a
trifling error, some pence too few or too many, there is trouble and
delay and the matter is difficult to arrange. I believe, however, that
there is big business to be done not only with Roumania, but with other
of the Balkan States. English people do not readily put themselves out
of the way to capture trade, nor do they easily adapt themselves to the
tastes, wishes, or customs of foreigners. Since the war there has, of
course, been the exchange difficulty, but that will not always remain.
Let me give one example of English conservatism. A certain English firm
was approached as to the sending out of some agricultural machines.
Now the peasantry of the Near East are very fond of bright colours,
such as red, blue, and green, and the first machines which arrived,
painted in a uniform shade of ugly grey, failed to please. A suggestion
was forwarded to the firm regarding the colour of the machines, but
the reply received was that grey was the standard colour which had
been decided on by the firm for all their machines and it could not be
altered. The result was that the order was cancelled.
I must not forget to mention that there is one English factory in
Roumania for the making of calico and linen. It was established some
years ago by a well-known Manchester merchant, Mr Lamb, who found it
decidedly more advantageous to have the yarn sent out from England,
and to manufacture it in the country where it was to be sold. By so
doing he escaped the enormous tax on all manufactured goods imported
into the country. The factory is a fine building, lighted throughout by
electricity. The manager’s house, a most comfortable residence, is only
a short distance away. Cottages for the workpeople, and a canteen where
food can be purchased at a reasonable rate, are also situated near the
factory. These buildings cover a quite respectable area.
It is the law in Roumania that every foreign factory must employ a
certain number of Roumanian workers--two-thirds of the whole. Therefore
only skilled workmen were brought from England, the unskilled labour
being provided in the country. Lack of skill, however, was not the
only difficulty which had to be contended with. The native workers
were unreliable and indolent--let us say at once, lazy. In going
over the factory, I was told by the foreman that even the unskilled
worker could earn from twenty to twenty-five francs weekly if he were
industrious; and one must remember that twenty-five francs (£1) counts
for considerably more in Roumania with such a class than in England, as
food is so very much cheaper. But the trouble was the indolence of the
people and the oft-recurring saints’ days. As soon as the worker had a
little money in hand he felt that he had earned the right to rest from
his labour, for a time at any rate. As for the idea that work might
be done on a saint’s day, that could not be entertained for a moment.
Naturally, under such conditions it is most difficult to carry on work
in the factory, or even to maintain a proper discipline.
I regret to learn that this factory was badly damaged during the war.
There is also an English bank in Bucarest--the old-established Bank of
Roumania, Ltd., which has always been held in the highest esteem by the
Roumanians, and serves a very important purpose in the trade relations
between the two countries.
At Azuga, on the way from Sinaia to Predeal, there are a few factories,
for the most part controlled by Germans. The glass factory is the most
interesting one to visit, as one can follow the whole process from the
mixing of the sand, potash, etc., to the turning out of the perfect
bottles and glasses. For the most part the articles turned out are of
an inferior quality, but a superior class of goods is manufactured from
time to time. For instance, some very artistic glass cups and saucers
are turned out at Azuga. They are made of fairly thick glass, quite
smooth, and finished off with a gilt band round the edge of the cup.
Wash-hand basins and jugs made of similar glass, and various little
accessories for the toilet table, are also manufactured here. A dainty
little cake-stand for afternoon tea with glass plates instead of china
on each _étage_ is a novelty that I have seen nowhere else.
A cloth manufactory in the same village turns out quite respectable
goods. The texture and finish of the material are not what could be
termed first class, but for its durability I can vouch. A cycling
costume that I had made of cloth manufactured at Azuga wore well for
years; in fact, I could not wear it out, and finally gave it away.
There are a few breweries in Roumania, and one of the best known
is at Azuga. Azuga beer is very light, not heady at all. It bears
some resemblance to Munich beer in quality but not in price. Beer in
Roumania is very expensive, a bottle about the size of a “small Bass”
costing one franc. The reason for this is the enormous tax imposed on
the output, which is at the rate of 50 per cent. The tax is imposed by
the Government in the interest of the wine-growing industry, which is
the national industry of the country.
There are a few beer-gardens in Bucarest where a military band is
engaged once or twice a week, but they are not by any means so
frequented as they would be, say, in Germany, partly owing to the cost
of the beer, and partly because it is not considered _chic_ to be
seen in a beer-garden. What a delight it is when travelling in summer
to remember that, once over the frontier, one can indulge in a cool,
foaming glass of beer at a moderate cost, the beverage being so very
much cheaper both in Hungary and Austria!
Roumania is, in parts, a wine-growing country. The grapes, although
small, have a very fine flavour. The wine is light in quality, the best
kinds being Cotnar, which resembles Tokay, the delicious Hungarian
wine, and Dragașani, a white wine with an excellent taste. Roumanian
wines are by no means expensive; one could buy a bottle of quite good
wine for one franc before the war.
Sugar factories have also been established in the country, beetroot
being of course employed in its manufacture. The sugar looks all
right; it is beautifully white, but it is very hard, takes a very long
time to melt, and does not sweeten as much as cane-sugar. It is also
rather expensive, and cost no less than 6d. per pound before the war.
A curious thing is that over the frontier, in Bulgaria or Serbia,
Roumanian sugar could be bought at a much cheaper rate than in the
country.
Cheese factories are numerous throughout the country, and in addition
to the production of the national cheeses many foreign cheeses, such as
Emmenthaler, Roquefort, etc., are fairly well imitated. Sheep’s cheese,
unknown in this country, is one of the best of the Roumanian products.
It is very white in appearance, mild to the taste, not at all piquant.
One peculiarity of sheep’s cheese is that it is made in an oblong shape
and then packed in bark. When served at table slices are cut right
through the bark. The cheese has rather a peculiar flavour from its
contact with the bark, but this is not at all disagreeable, indeed,
rather the contrary. It is sold in very small quantities, as sheep give
so little milk.
I was present once at sheep-milking time, and found it a most
entertaining sight. The sheep were driven into a small enclosure at
one corner of which was a flap-door. When the flap was raised, the
sheep nearest the door saw a means of escape from its uncomfortable
surroundings and made a dash for it, only to be caught by the hind
leg by the man seated near, who did not let go till he had got every
available drop of milk from the animal. On an average one could count
upon half a glass of milk from each sheep. But the dexterity of the man
in catching his prey, his skill in the quick milking of the animal in
spite of its struggles, then its final rush for freedom, were all very
amusing to witness.
The petrol wells of Roumania are, I should think, well known by this
time. Different companies have been formed for the working of the
wells, but the best known is the Steaua Romana, in which since the
war British capital has become largely interested. Rockefeller made a
great bid in order to get full control of the oil-fields, as Roumanian
petrol is of decidedly better quality than any other, not excluding
that of America. The negotiations were the cause of much discussion
and difference of opinion--one party wishing to accept Rockefeller’s
proposals, the other saying they were traitors to their country, and
were selling themselves and what they possessed to the Americans.
I once said to a Roumanian gentleman, “Why not form companies of
your own and work the oil-fields in your own interests?” “Oh no,” he
replied; “in selling them to the foreigners we get the money and they
do the work.” The reply may have been an indication of the natural
indolence of an eastern nation, but it was also, I think, prompted by
consideration of capital.
The discovery and consequent exploitation of petroleum in the country
caused a great influx of Americans, and therefore our British colony
was increased to a considerable extent, as Britishers and Americans
naturally hung together. As Rockefeller, in spite of obstacles, finally
succeeded in getting very large interests in the oil-fields, his agent,
Mr Chamberlain, and family resided for a considerable time in Bucarest.
The most important oil-field is that of Campina, on the way to Sinaia.
The district seems to be so saturated with oil that it has rendered
the whole countryside intolerable. One begins to smell it on leaving
Ploesti. Luckily it does not extend so far as Sinaia, otherwise that
charming resort would be rendered uninhabitable.
The discovery of petroleum has made the fortunes of many people in
Roumania. There was M. M----, for instance, who was, I believe, of
gipsy origin, as he did not even possess a surname when he began life.
By dint of industry he managed to become possessor of a small estate,
and one fine day when petrol was discovered on it he realised that he
could count himself a millionaire. He immediately took the name of his
land for his own, built a magnificent residence in the Calea Victorie,
and later on his youngest daughter formed a matrimonial alliance with a
member of the aristocracy.
A few paper-mills are to be found in the country, and a walk through
one or other of them is very interesting. Nothing but wood is employed
in the factory. The great logs are brought in direct from the
neighbouring forests, then cut up, pressed, reduced to a pulp, and
finally turned out as sheets of paper. It is chiefly paper for packing
that is made, but a certain quantity of notepaper is also made. I was
presented with a box of it, but it is of very inferior quality, and
does not possess the gloss or finish of our own.
Coal has been found in Roumania, though not in any great quantity. I
was told, however, that the quality was very good. Roumania is more an
agricultural than an industrial country, and wheat is the great source
of income. Everything, trips to Paris or Monte Carlo, new clothes,
opera-boxes, etc., turns upon the question, “Will there be a good
harvest?” When snow begins to fall early in winter, farmers are very
pleased; they say snow means gold for the country, as it protects the
seed from the severe cold and from the frost which is sure to follow.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] I am glad to learn that this reproach is no longer deserved. I am
informed that since the war a number of British firms have, by means of
wisely-selected representatives, taken advantage of the ready market,
and a profusion of British goods, notably woollens and linens, are now
to be seen in Bucarest.