REVOLT IN RUSSIA

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5731, 28 October 1905, Page 5

REVOLT IN RUSSIA

CABLE NEWS.

CXITED PHESS ASSOCIATION. —BY ELECTBIC TELEGEAPH.—COPTBXQHT.

ANARCHY AND MUTINY. REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT FORMED, A GREAT UPHEAVAL. STRIKES OP RAILWAY AND OTHER WORKERS. FAMINE THREATENED. MANY PERSONS KILLED AND WOUNDED. (Received October 28, 1.5 a.m.) ST. PETERSBURG, October 27. Revolutionaries have met at the University rt St. Petersburg and announced tho formation of a provisional Revolutionary Government at Kharkolf. The Governor of Kharkoff has been arrested. Collections wore taken up at the St. Petersburg University to support an armed, rising. Tho loaders of the Social Democratic party have organised tho sale of arms to strikers, with twenty-five cartridges to each rifle. It is 'reported that many persons have been killed at Kharkoff. Great meetings were held at tho St. Petersburg University. Many officers and soldiers wero present. Several of tho former spoke fearlessly on behalf of freedom, wliilo other speakers wore violent in their denunciation of tho Czar and the bureaucracy. ' These speeches failed to evoke protest. Tho authorities hesitate to use force. Immense meetings of students and workmen were held at St. Petersburg. Revolutionary speeches wero made, urging an armed rising. Cars filled with, arms and ammunition arrived from a Finnish railway station at St. Petersburg, and were emptied before the police came to take possession. No arrests wore made. Milk-carts at the same terminus were prevented from starting for town, tho police not interfering with tho strikers. In many quarters of St. Petersburg the people are without bread and milk. General Trcpoff has ordered all provision shops to re-opon, otherwise tho shopkeepers are to be deported within twenty-four hours. Troops are quartered in every part of tlio city, and Cossacks and infantry are patrolling tho streets. Workmen’s meetings continue in different quarters. Seven thousand workmen met at the Nevski works. Cossacks attacked them, wounding a hundred. Ono officer and 1 seven Cossacks wero injured by stones. A railway bridge over the Obvoduy Canal, in South St. Petersburg, was destroyed. Workmen, at tho new Admiralty works at St. Petersburg, where tho new vessels Bayan, Pallacia, and two others are under construction, have struck, likewise the men at another naval yarn. THE RED FLAG IN POLAND. STRIKERS PARADING IN THOUSANDS. MANY KILLED. ST. PETERSBURG, October 27. Infantry volleyed at strikers at Zgierz, a number being killed and wounded. Dragoons charging and volleying dispersed four thousand workers parading at Pabianioe with red flags. Two were killed and fourteen wounded. Tho strikers have complete mastery of tho municipality at Kursu. A patrol of infantry at Warsaw refused to mount guard in tho streets.

Coal in Lodz is selling at 20 roubles a ton.

DOCKERS AND SEAMEN CEASE WORK. BRITISH AMBASSADOR’S DEPARTURE. ST. PETERSBURG, October 27. Sir Charles Hardingo, British Ambassador at St. Petersburg, who has left for London, sailed opportunely. The strikes have since extended to dockers and seamen. Steamboat traffic to Kronstadt is suspended. October 26. “The Times” St. Petersburg correspondent states that the inhabitants are becoming panic-stricken, fearing the downfall of the Government and tho proclamation of mob rule. A later message states that plundering has commenced in St. Petersburg. Tho police are hurriedly directing house porters to close their doors.

Editors of tho St. Petersburg newspapers' are discussing tho advisability of publishing all news, and ignoring the censor. THE RAILWAY STRIKE.

PARALYSIS OF TRADE. THE SERVICE AT A STANDSTILL. ST. PETERSBURG, October 26. The only railway working in Russia is a line to Finland. Trade at the seaports is gradually being paralysed. Tho Odeasa trains have stopped running except to Kielf. Traffic to Germany has been stopped. Tradesmen in St. Petersburg are try-

ing to induce carters, porters, and butchers to attack the strikers. As the result of the dislocation of railway communication Warsaw is isolated, and a meat and coal famine is threatened in that city. At the Nickolai station the strikers had an affray with a number of enginedrivers, who wished to resume work. Several people were killed during the conflict. Three thousand passengers -are strikebound at the Moscow terminus. The authorities are feeding the passengers, since they are unable to return to their hotels. Throe uncontrolled locomotives started at full steam along the rails and did much damage before they were wrecked. At Ekaterinoslav, in South Russia, strikers seized a train going in the direction of Syzran, and travelled from station to station, plundering and destroying buildings. Fifteen people were hilled and twentysix injured in a conflict with troops. The strikers had erected barricades to protect themselves.

DEMANDS OF THE WORKERS DEPUTATION TO COUNT DE WITTE THE UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE. PROPOSED CONCESSIONS. _ ANTICIPATED DISASTERS. ST. PETERSBURG, October 26. Count de Witte, who, it is stated, will shortly bo invested with largo powers, in receiving a deputation, from the Working Men’s Congress, stipulated that it should bo unofficial, as ho Was not empowered to accept addresses. Some of the demands made by the deputation were, ho said, not realisable in any country. A constituent assembly was at present impossible, and universal suffrage gave pre-eminence to the wealthy classes, enabling the latter to influence votes. Not a cultivated man in the whole world was, he said, in favour of universal suffrage. Count do Witte added that freedom of the press and public meetings would shortly be granted. Martial law on the railways would also bo abolished, and ho advised the cessation of the strike and the elaboration of pacific conditions. Count de told the deputation that the State must repress the revolt or civil war between the people and the strikers must be' proclaimed. Civil war, he said, had already commenced at Moscow and Kharkoff. This probably refers to the disorders in those cities duo to famine prices, which in their turn are the result of strikes. Count do Wit te added: “ Possibly the Government will fall, but the educated classes who are responsible for the struggle will go down in the general disaster.” The Supremo Government would have no doubtful disorderly elements. If they wanted to win any real good, the railway men must terminate the strike. A congress of railway workers having hoard the report of the deputation, a delegate remarked: “The bureaucracy will give us nothing. Wo must take what we want.” The congress finally resolved to await the result of an interview with , Prince Khilkoff, Minister of Ways and Communications. ANOTHER VERSION. UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE AND BRIBERY. ST. October 27. Another version of Count de Witte’s reply to tho deputation is that ho said universal suffrage would lead to bribery and give the capitalists power. Ho instanced America, and added that if the famished people of Moscow and other cities were attacked by the strikers, and the Government fell in tho middle of the riot, the working class would rule. His hearers remained unmoved. MEETINGS OF MINISTERS. FORMATION OF A .CABINET RECOMMENDED. IMMEDIATE LIBERAL CONCESSIONS. (Received October 28, 0.56 a.m.) ST. PETERSBURG, October 27. An Imperial ukase has been issued placing General Trepoff at the head of the St. Petersburg garrison. The Council of Ministers has recommended the Czar to establish a Cabinet, the Premier’s title to be President of tho Council, with tho right to propose conditions for Ministerial posts, except those of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine, Minister of tho Court.

Count do Witte has been appointed with wide powers. Ho has summoned tho Council, and it decided to immediately grant freedom of tho press and tho right of public meeting. A majority of tho Ministers favoured tho immediate granting of a ConstitUr tion, but the minority secured Count do Witte’s appointment. / It is doubtful, however, if his liberal programme will he of any avail now. Tho Ministry has confirmed the Estimates intended to improve tho railway men’s conditions of service and wages. A BATTLESHIP BURNT. (Received October 28, 1.16 a.m.) St. PETERSBURG, October 27. Advices from Sebastopol state that incendiaries burnt tho battleship Kniaz Potemkin, on which mutineers hoisted the red flag a few months ago. NAVAL MUTINY. LONDON, October 26. The St. Petersburg correspondent of “The Times” states that a mutiny was attempted on the battleship Catherine, also at tho fortress at Sebastopol, Five hundred arrests were made.