"KEEP IT DARK"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21389, 17 July 1931, Page 12

"KEEP IT DARK"

CONDITIONS IN RUSSIA AN ORDER DISOBEYED. (From Odr Own Correspondent.)’ ‘ SYDNEY, July 9. 1 When the motor ship King William was on its way from Vladivostock to Sydney a wireless message was received by the captain instructing him that no information about .conditions were to bo' given •to the press',,fay $hy r members of the crew. When representatives of the Sydney press boarded the vessel on its arrival they .were quickly assured by the captain that they were unwelcome visitors. The fact that the King William was a British ship made no difference. No interviews would be given. He was sorry, but would the reporters kindly accompany one of the ship’s officers ashore? The instructions —lie would not say whence they came —must be obeyed. It ’vvas soon apparent that the British seamen on board had little respect for Soviet Russia, and little admiration for it, either. They did not know Who gave the order for silence, and what is more they did not seem to object to disobeying it. “In Odessa,” they said, “everything was in an inconceivable state of ruin and filth. There is no sanitary system, and the place is one big cesspool. All the fine old buildings that were ruined during the revolution have not been renovated except for the Opera House, and the famous stairs of Odessa leading up to it. During the revolution these stairs were a mass of bodies, and a. great river of blood was running down to the sea. Conditions in Vladivostock are much better, although the inhabitants are wholly uneducated, and live only for Soviet ideals.” “ The Seamen’s Union is a huge joke,” said an officer. “We visited it dressed in dungarees, but as soon as the Russians found that we had some grey matter inside our craniums, they refused to talk to us, and told us plainly that we were not wanted there. The seamen and firemen of British ships in the port, much to our disgust, were deeply interested in the Soviet propaganda, and set up wild cheers of enthusiasm when the familiar phrase: ‘Down with Capitalism ’ was uttered. One reason why the Soviet system is liable to fail is the incredible stupidity of the workmen. We landed 3000 bags of salt at Vladi vostock which we had brought from Odessa. These were stacked on the wharf without covering. Heavy rain came on, and, with the workmen looking on, the salt all melted, and about a third of it ran away into the sea. We saw one large stack of salt disappear completely during a rain storm.” The King William came to Sydney in ballast. Apparently the Russians are not going to send any more of their timber to Australia. It is said that the first shipment, which came froin Vladivostock nearly a month ago, is still awaiting a purchaser. The charges on that shipment must be enormous.