£1 FOR 640 PAGES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 10 February 1923, Page 9

£1 FOR 640 PAGES.

| . —« PLIGHT OF LITERARY MEN IN RUSSIA. I A brave but also desperate fight is now being waged for a bare existence by the literary men of Russia, whose condition, according to advices reaching the American Relief Administration, is perhaps the most destitute of all the needy classes in that country at present (states the London Observer). Prices for literature have reached now the practically nominal fee of from one to three million roubles for sixteen printed pages of ordinary octavo size— and roubles are valued at forty million to the pound! There are no temptations, therefore, for the young aspirant to try his fortune, particularly as such j things as pencils and paper are so ex--1 pensive as to be unobtainable for the average citizen. Nevertheless, the Dom Litteraterov membership is still swelling.* An A.R.A. inspector who visited it recently in Moscow, reported that it now has 800 members, of whom 550 are fui! members who make writing their sole occupation, and 250 are "candidates,** with whom writing is a pastime occupation. This organisation was formed three years ago as a sort of defensive alliance by literary men against the ruin threatening their culture. It includes the Authors, Translators, Composers, and Journalists' Union and the ■ Union of Dramatic" Writers. It pro> '; cured a clubhouse, where the members pooled their books, so that its library now has 600,000 volumes. It also maintains a. co-operative kitchen, where ; cheap meals are served. | But foo3 for these meals has been more and more difficult to secure. Recently the most needy members of the j Dom Litteraterov have been depending .almost entirely on A.R.A. food pack-

ages. Although some kinds of fungus are imbued with a deadly poison, no insect or bird -ever falls a victim to them. Draughts were known to the ancient Egyptians, and pictures_4ooo years old represent a quarrel over the game. German ex-Royalties are applying for pensions, according to their military i rank. The ex-Crown Prince of Bavaria j claims a general's pension. I J Hailstones which fell to a depth of over 2ft caused great havoc in the vineyards in Southern and Central France. In some places tombstones were overturned, buildings razed, trees blown down, and bridges swept, away. Railways in Uganda . run through jungles which have been described as ' "the Zoo let loose.''