There are no railroads, tramways, electric light or gas plants, public telephones, places of amusement, automobiles, or newspapers in the entire district. The lack of means of transportation is the greatest hindrance to the development of the country. There are not even any navigable rivers in the district. The distance to any seaport is 200 to 400 miles, and all goods have to be brought here over extremely rough, mountainous roads, which are never kept in repair. In times of peace some goods are transported in crude carts, but at all times the greater part is carried on the backs of camels or donkeys. Transportation is thus always a matter of many weeks and often of months, especially in the winter, when the roads are frequently blocked by snow for two or three months. The principal trade route in the district begins at Samsun on the Black Sea and runs southeast to Bagdad, passing through Sivas, Harput, and Diarbekir. Goods destined for this Vilayet usually come via Samsun, which is about 372 miles from Harput. This port being inaccessible at the present time, the few articles that come here are brought overland from Constantinople via Angora and Sivas or by mule trail from Alexandretta. Little merchandise has been received during the last few months. Freight rates are, of course, extremely high at all times, being many times greater than the rate from the country of export to the port of arrival in Turkey and often amounting to much more than the original cost of the goods. This region can never make much progress commercially until transportation conditions are remedied by the building of railroads, and this is not likely to be done except with foreign capital and assistance. +Housing Conditions--Military Exoneration Tax.+ Owing to the lack of building stone and almost total lack of wood of any kind in this part of Turkey, all houses in both town and country are built of mud bricks called "kerpitch," which is a mixture of mud and straw. The houses are not large and part of them is always used for the stable, one or two rooms only being reserved for the use of the family, which lives in the simplest and most primitive manner. Every one sleeps rolled up in a blanket on the earth floor. The only fuel used by the majority of the population is manure dried in the sun. Among people accustomed to this manner of living it can not be expected that there will be much market for foreign goods. The lot of the people is made worse by uncertain economic conditions and recent political unrest. The exoneration tax of 43 Turkish pounds gold ($189.20) levied on those who have been excused from military service in the present war represents the life savings of the majority of the people who have paid it.