PETROGRAD’S AWFUL STATE

Evening Star, Issue 17325, 13 April 1920, Page 8

PETROGRAD’S AWFUL STATE

WITHOUT FOOD AND FUEL. Interesting facts concerning the chaos 1 and deplorable conditions existing inPetrograd- in a letter received from that city by the Finnish Consul in Australia. The • letter states:— “ You can hardly form an idea, of how we are living here at the present time. It would be impossible to recognise Petrograd—the city of two million people, which was effervescent with life in the old days, but is now dead. In the daytime one * sees only pale and haggard faces in the* streets —starving people in search* of something to eat. After 6 p.m. even this little sign of life dies down, and the whole city is enveloped in darkness. Electric light is not used for more than a couple of hours during tho day. and then only in a few parts of the townmany places having no light at all, and the people there compelled to live in darkness- the whole of the time One candle

posts from 200 to 500 roubles—if procurai>l£. The price of kerosene is from 4CO to 500 roubles per lb, ami it is almost unobtainable owing to the restrictions on the sale of- this commodity. , “ In addition to . all this there is the cold, which is terriKe just now. because .the whole city is without fuel We fortunately have been able to get hold ot some, and can in this way at least keep ourselves slightly warm. Sometimes wo are able to heat our rooms to about 50deg Fahr., and many people envy us this comfort, as the majority of them can only raise the temperature up to about 40deg Fahr,, and even this Is only the lot of the Hit*)ro fortunate, as the temperature of the most, of the people is as low as 4deg to Bdgg below zero, and even lower, and yet these people are still living. I would never have believed it possible that human beings could endure such hardships. The death-rate is. of course, very high, and thousands die of starvation, disease, and cold. Typhus is i ampant. and claims innumerable victims. You cannot imagine how miserable and cr'tpl the struggle is here even to maintain an existence. Tt is heartrending to

see all this indescribable suffering everywhere. The poor starving and frozen people sell their last possession in order to keep themselves alive. They are compelled to utilise, all the furniture, such as tables, chairs, and cupboards as fuel f or .cooking their food. Many houses are without water, because the water-pipe. 3 im> broken owing to the extreme cold, and in one house where there are about 100 people residing the sanitary arrangements are out of order. Perhaps you can realise the state of things there. The same conditions exist* in many houses. “ Food is at a fabulous price. The greatest, trial is the cold We sit. in murooms in our overcoats and furs, hut our hands are most affected. The misery anti chaos in this city are awful bevond all description, and ‘if we do not' receive assistance very soon the greater part of the population will be wiped out.”