IN RUSSIA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 15 May 1922, Page 5

IN RUSSIA.

♦ TRADE WEAKNESS IS EVIDENT. WHAT A BRITISH BUSINESS MAI* I FOUND.- I Writing a few weeks ago, the special ' correspondent m .Lonuon or an American journal stated: —in view of the Soviet Government's oner co recognise pre-war debts on condition that a general treaty of peace is arranged with other Powers, the views of an English business man, who is chairman of a company which has large properties in Russia and who has just returned from a visit to that country, have special importance at this time. Speaking to a representative of the Christian Science Monitor recently on the famine difficulty, he said that the peasants needed up to 4,000,000 tons of food to satisfy requirements. Transport facilities, however, were so bad that there was no possibility of currying that amount of food to the stricken areas, even though it were sent into the country, hi August, the amount of coal available was 70,000 tons; to-day there was none. Only 30 per cent, of the miners were at work, and these produced an insufficient quantity for their own requirements. Wood fuel was also very scarce, as the peasants would not work for nothing, and in any : ease the wood took a year's preparation before it was of use as fuel. | Very few trains, the repre^eiitati^e 1 of _ the Christian Science Monitor was informed, were running in the country, 1 aud thosS chi&ny for Government Smciais. If fooi was landed at. Riga for transport to the Volga districts the journey would occupy three week's, and ' the amount of food carried would be only 250 tons. Divide that into 4,000,000 and some idea >?ould be obtained of how long it would take to \ relieve the famine. Mr. Hoover was able to make certain that all food from ! America went to those for whom it was intended, but the quality was very small in comparison with the needs. i In 1913 Russia exported 142,000,000 tons of foodstuffs, and to-day she could' not feed herself. All the Government was able to offer in response to the trade treaty with England, he affirmed, had been some scrap iron and goods stolen from foreigners. Furthermore, the country was producing nothing under Communism, and if industry were restarted everything would have to be imported. There was no pig iron, no copper, no lead, no silver, and no gold being produced. The recognition of the Soviet Govern- ■ ment would, it is considered, enable it to-claim deposits of about £30,000.000, which were in foreign banks. There was, however, not the least doubt that- .. this money would be used for propa- : ganda purposes. The offer to acknowledge pre-war debts was considered a ' sign of weakness, which really meant that the Government had come to the end of its resources. The Bolsheviks always replied that the Government could not restore the right to private property as the peasants had taken the land. But although there ■ were certainly more people on ,the land than before the revolution they were subsisting on an acreage that was insufficient for a living. The Bolsheviks, it was stated, were still hoping that the Governments of the world would be undermined, and they would, not admit that the presentmethods of government in she country ;, were an absolute failure. It was impos- '! sible, the Christian Science Monitor • was informed, for the British nation to ; | render unaided any help to Russia. The i only way was to establish a common ' j policy among the nations. The credits L ■ required by the country were beyond 1 , the capacity of ordinary commercial * consideration. It was stated that the L British people had earned ihe dislike of all Russians opposed to Soviet rule by the trade treaty with the Soviet Government. Both business men ant the bourgeoisie considered that th« treaty was direct assistance given tc : the Bolsheviks.