WHAT RUSSIA IS DOING.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15459, 11 December 1915, Page 12

WHAT RUSSIA IS DOING.

DRAIN OP ENORMOUS ARMIES

THE FINANCIAL PROBLEM".

(By Stephen Graham in ''The Time*.")

One of the things that struck me most this time in Russia was distance that England seemed to be away. ,Tho two countries seemed separated by muoh more than the geographical extent of Germany and the sea. An impermeable veil separated the two nations. and it was impossible to realise what was going on on this side. The news that canio over was of tho most

meagre kind and was printed small. No large live impressions of Western activity came over, and it is safe to say that even now tho Russians have

no adequate picture of the idealism and

passion with which we in the West are fighting. Turning from the devastating intelligence of fortresses and territory lost in Poland to the news from France and England one reads merely of artillery duels or of mysterious crise.s within the British Cabinet. On the other band, now that I have returned to

England I find that there is very little suotion of the present aspect of the war on the Eastern front and in the Rus-

sian capitals. Above all things it is valuable to have a clear and, true picture in our minds, and not jump at every hope or dive into every portent of despair. Truth is valuable in war because ignorance is liable to terrifying surprises, and a terrifying surprise is tho enemy's opportunity. Hence I would nlead for an abandonment of contentious optimism and of "\vanting to feel that all is gping splendidly whether it. is or not," and that we should claim to live in daylight rather than in darkness, and that we should stand on the rock of truth rather than on the shifting sands of "may-be" and ''hope so." - As regards our nicture of 'Russia and what Russia means, we may note that she is no longer regarded as "the steam-roller," nor is she expected to "march on Berlin," nor to be a menace to European liberty after the Avar is over—a«s the Union of Democratic Con-1 trol has striven to teach. The despicablo whisper of "'Russia next" has ceased. _ Poor Russia! Prophecies hnvc failed. Tongues have, ceased, and over and above that, alas! knowledge also ha* vanished away.

/ THE FUNDAMENTAL POINT. I have myself just returned from Russia, and 1 would like to write down clearly what I know of her u&ilst the remembrance is fresh. In mjropinion tho fundamental point .in the consideration of the present and future in Russia is tho fact that peace-loving Russia has never anticipated a long war. The aggression of Austria in tho Balkans has always made war* a possible conjuncture, but Russia would have accounted for unassisted Austria in six months. She would have beaten her utterly; of that thero can bp. no doubt. At the outspt of the war, Russia ljad abundanco of munitions for a six months' campaign, she • had just the amount of money for such a period, and she had, of course, a superfluity of men.

But the war has now gone on more thnn twice- that period, and Russia has been fighting all tho tiino with great vigour. Her enormous armies havq been ever in action, and there has been a consumption of ammunition on an f unexampled scale. The retreat of. the Russians from the Carpathians t<r Dvinsk was necessitated by tho exhaustion of supplies: There waa a munitions scandal. Tho Government was blamed «by tho poople for the shortage. The lack of supplies was as inexcusable in Russia as it was hero in the West, but' ; then it must bo remembered that Russia was as much deceived as to the extent of German supplies as wo were here. They thought, also, that Germany had shot her bolt and was going to l>e beaten thiough sheer internal exhaustion.

In the matter ,of making good the I supply of munitions, Russia has striven to' follow our example, and there is ! 110w a feverish activity in the organis- | ing of the civil population f or the manufacture of shells. Russia, however, has neither the industrial background nor the skilled hands . nor the industrial mobility to support her Army adequately. She depends, and must depend, on outside help. She must import from Japan and America and from us. She has to buy in 'foreign markets, and the problem becomes partly a financial one. If we bear in mind the fact that she had money for a six months' war, that the value of the rouble has depreciated 40 per cent., that Russia raises nothing by the sale of spirits, and scarcely raises anything by her tariff on imports, the increasing difficulty will 'be evident. She has. it is true, imposed an income tax, but, compared with ours, a very i|\june and unproductivo income tax. She has also greater difficulty in borrowing in Amcrica. For the time being she continues to hold her own: the waccs of the soldiers *aT>r] the hills of the Army are paid with admirable n uri"tiinlity. _ rmd there is the feeling all sujv>lie» will b" obtained easily

if once tho Dardanelles should be taken.

MUNITIONS AND MEN,

These,,, however, who know the true inwardness of the situation know how much the finance difficulty stands in the way of Russia catching up the lost Pfound and entering once moro on a vigorous offensive. As regards munitions. peace of mind can only be established when there is tho consciousness that each day without any hitch or hint of "cessation there flows to the

front from the factories just as much material as lias ben destroyed in al! the military actions of the day. The test for peace of mind as regards men is simildr. There can only be ealm when there flows from the nation to tho Army »s many new recruits or reservists as each day have been lost. Russia, as I have said before, is the men-millionaire, and perhaps I and all of us think rather vaguely of Russia's background of men. Or lieu losses ! have been inadequately stated. Undoubtedly she has suffered more than i lias been thought).' There was dreadful carnnge ■'.) the Russo-Japanese War, but .everything in this war has been on five times the scale of that conflict. No

lists, alas! are published of the losses in tho ranks, and it is difficult to gauge the extent of the daily calamity. Russia does not grudpe her manhood in the war. She has cast all in the scale and she awaits the issue with a marvellous patience; she i s silent in her grief. Almost everyonti lias lost some one, or worse than lost. Nothing is more terrible than the backward tide of cripples or more affecting than their cheerfulness and other people's gentleness towards them. Thero is something most poignant in the appearance of these legless or armless people back in civilian attire, their khaki handed on to one not yet wounded. Many of them are penniless already, and in the trams tho people pay for them. Just before I left Russia the only sons were called cut and with them militiamen up to 57 years of age. Enormous numbers of young meri who never expected to serve iii the Army, whose parents Jiad trusted ir: that immun'ty. are now being trained and will shortly be advanced to the fighting line. The act of calling them out synchronised with tho Tsar's taking the command, and it was in a way a further example of Russia's whole-

heartodnes:; and her cast eve'rything on the altar o f^|raH Nothing ooo'.s the Russian not tho tale of suffering brought by tho wounded, nor the loss Polish capita] and fair lands, terrible; inrush of-fugitives and beffijttrafiM nor the fortunes .lost, nor tho o- financial, governmental, or chuoji. If tho pcoplo manifesfc?isl|ii generosity tho ruling classes «nvf &aS»5| aristocracy aro not backward. VTk3@| know that Orthodoxy and ■ autotaSSllfi and aristocracy, art and manners, are thrown into the may be lost if Germany wins,' "%YjX|i§j they will not make peace enemy or strive to save Anything might justifiably bo done, save Russia from the mob-rule chaos winch might follow if th&'jJjjfrSSp sian armies were scattered in coirfu*Ws|| into the depths of Russia. stand as Russia stands, bravely, fronted with great odds, holding :f|Ajp§g destiny in their hands. 111 1 —— :