Commerce and Business

In all Bulgaria, it’s believed, there will not be 5 millionaires. That’s, as every part right here is counted in francs, there will not be 5 individuals who possess a capital of over ^40,000. There are, it’s calculated, not fifty whose fortunes, if realized, would exceed £20,000; there will not be a few hundred whose heirs must pay legacy obligation on upwards of £5000. This was the estimate given me by one of many main enterprise males of Sofia. Alternatively, there’s hardly a Bulgarian who relies upon completely and completely for his livelihood upon his every day earnings, and who has not some small earnings of his personal, derived from land, or homes, or cattle. Roughly talking, subsequently, it could be stated that there are neither capitalists nor paupers in Bulgaria. Whether or not this state of issues is the best situation of humanity I don’t fake to determine. Upon this, as upon most different questions, there’s a whole lot to be stated on each side. In any respect occasions, it’s sure that the fabric improvement of the nation is retarded by the virtually full absence of native capital; and although non-public fortunes are starting to extend in quantity, it should be a very long time earlier than there’s any rich class in Bulgaria, in a position to make investments their very own surplus funds within the introduction of recent trades and the promotion of recent industries.

English mercantile companies complained

The agent of plenty of English mercantile companies complained to me lately that he discovered it not possible to push enterprise within the Principality. When requested for the explanation of his failure, his rationalization was that the good mass of the individuals had completely no desires which they may not fulfill for themselves. The Bulgarian peasant wants extraordinarily little, and that little he offers from the produce of his personal land. The typical value of a peasant’s every day sustenance doesn’t exceed two pence. Their meals, throughout the better a part of the yr, consists solely of bread and garlic. Their solely beverage is water; not that they’ve any objection to beer or spirits, however as a result of they object to paying for them. Sheepskins, offered typically from their very own flocks, type the common gown of the peasantry. The garments, each of women and men, are typically home-made. Generally, they solely possess one go well with, and so they sleep at evening in the identical garments as these which they put on throughout the day. Their beds are mattresses laid on the mud flooring of the rooms the place they’ve their meals. On these mattresses the entire household lie huddled collectively.