The Press Thursday, May 23, 1918. Help for Russia.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16219, 23 May 1918, Page 6

The Press Thursday, May 23, 1918. Help for Russia.

| iTt is becoming evident that unless the | • war is to drag on indefinitely, someI thing ought to bo done to stop the J merciless exploitation of Russia by | Germany. Had Russia stood firm the economic pressure on the Gorman Powers duo to the tightened blockade : and th 6 American embargo, would now : : bo' almost insupportable. It is true | that so far the Germans have been disj appointed' in the amount of grain they J have been able to secure from the ! Ukraine. In the first place, there has j been n. great fallmg-oif in production. | When the peasants seized the land- | owners' estatos, in many cases they did | not trouble to put in crops, and when they did, owing to the want of tho j machinery and tho improved methods j used by tho the results sej ourea by the peasants were very far ( below the average of previous years, i i Now a great part of the grain in store is in the hands of the peasants on widely "scattered farms, and they • tiro keoping it carefully concealed until they con either get gold or agricultural machinory for it in exchange. But before the end of this year German organisation will certainly bring about much better results from the Gorman point of view, and in tho meantime Gormany is certainly able to xolieve hei: most urgent military needs with Russian metals, oil, etc. The caso for sending assistance to ; Russia was most forcibly put in a speech delivered by Mr Balfour in tho House of Commons, on March 14th. He agreed that it was highly improbable that Germany was going to try to send groat organised military forces from Riga to Vladivostok. That would probably be an operation of great difficulty, and .certainly from a purely military point of view would bo a great waste. But, replying to a member who had spoken against Japanese intervention in Russia, Mr Balfour said:— Does the hon. gentleman not see that now that Russia lies absolutely dprelict upon the waters, now that it has no power of resistance at all, there can be a German penetration from end to end of liussia, which, I think, will bo absolutely disastrous for Russia itsolf, and certainly will bo very injurious to tho future of ' the Allies? Ido not believe that the ,hon. gentleman knows how far this kind of penetration has already gono on. I suspect that at this moment a German officer would bo much safer travelling at large through Ihissia than an Allied officer. Why? Not because the Russians lovo tho Germans, but. because, as a matter of fact the German penetration has really struck at the root of Russian power. I was informed the other day that only ono bank was allowea at Moscow. That bank is a German bank. The Bolshevist Government, I believe, sincerely desire— I hope not too late, though I fear it may be so— to resist this German penetration. How can they resist it when they themselves or their predecessors have destroyed every instrument which makes resistance possible? ;-The English Secretary for Foreign Affairs then went on to point out that inevitably Russia's allies had to ask themselves whether, if Russia herself had destroyed every instrument of selfprotection which blio once possessed, frb * 'i-qoold not themselves, among them-. A:

selves, supply that which she now J lacked. They did that in Russia's own , interests and for Russia's own sake, ii i it v.-as done. It v.-a - not- done to satisfy tho g reed of tin's or that Power. ""Good Heavens!"' exclaimed Mr Balfour. with telling force, '"our relations witi: Ru.-sia in this war do not sng-j-1 gain!" Obviously tiie ally which could most easily and mo-: cli'ectively come to the 1 hi lp of Ru>-:-ia is Japan. ft was undei'sioor! thr.i. rYa'iee and England were both c! Japanese intervention, bin that America's objection stood in the way. A cable message which we j publish ihis mornisiL' shows that in the J. nited Si::t ••• iiti'lucniial circles are itr.nng tile (<f/vernnvil to offer Red C'roa.s v.en-.er... mruiey, ;md troops to go to Russia, it bt ,ek that Russia must be iu-Ip".I to j-osiaf. Germany. The advantage oi' assist;;;;: e coming from ■Japan that :l is the nio.'-i ca:>i!y accessible, and while American troops can be, ai:d are lie':n;i sent to the AYostern front, the di-iance is too great an<l the .supply of shipping too small to ellable Japaiuv-e troops to render effective help in tiie Western theatre of war. • i fires:t pare oi .Mr Balfour's speech wa; devoted to showing that- the Japanese would be the friends, and not the enemies, of Russia. Ho declared that Japan had behaved throughout with pnrfcct loyalty to the Allies, and said that ii she gave promises with regard to Russian integrity on any question connected v.*ith Russia she would keep them as she has kept all promises she has niado to Great Britain and the Allies in connexion with this war, and with any other great public transaction. Probably the great difficulty which lias hitherto stood in the way has been Russia herself. Such help could hardly bo forced tipon her against her wish, and there has been no representative body of Russians with whom tho Allies could deal. There now seeins a )jossibilitv of a beginning being made in Siberia, arid if.once the Allies were given an opportunity of showing their willingness and their power to help, there is a great chance that all that is best in Russia might onco more be roused to an effort to shako off the crafty Hun, who is seeking to thrust his tentacles into every vital part of tho country. Ho Would at this moment gladly make peaeo with England and France if ho wero allowed to work his will with Russia. That would put him on the high road to his scheme of Eastern conquest, and apart from tho turpitude of tho transaction, would constitute a real defea.t for the Allies. Russia must be saved at all hazards, and the sooner the work is begun tho better.