A NEW ZEALANDER IN PETROGRAD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3274, 13 December 1916, Page 25

A NEW ZEALANDER IN PETROGRAD.

EFFECTS OF THE WAR. Mr Herbert Gregory, who has just returned to Dunedin from Russia, has many interesting things to say concerning that faraway and comparatively little known country and its people and their conditions of life. Some years ago Mr Gregory went to the United States, and, after a period of special training, was appointed in 1913 to the position of physical director for the Y.M.C.A. in Petrograd, a position which ho relinquished this year in order to enlist with the New Zealand Forces. When interviewed last week, Mr Gregory said ho arrived in Petrograd two months after the war started. He went by way of Archangel, and travelled by means of a nar-row-gauge railway—one of the poorest lines in Russia—to Vologda, and thence to the capital by an up-to-date lino. Even at that early period in ,the war the great city had been turned into a military camp, with big drafts of men coming in from the country districts. The population of Russia is about 182.000,000, and every two months fresh drafts of men arc called up under conscription. This system of national service has always obtained in Russia, and works well and effectively. Manufacturing and industrial interests are safeguarded by retaining those men specially qualified for them. The men called up for military service receive two months' training under capable officers before being sent to the front. The problem of equipment is one of difficulty. Even now, notwithstanding tho organisation of factories and so on. and very valuable help received from outside, the difficulty is felt to some extent on account of the enormous number of men requiring equipment. Men flock_ into the centres from all parts of tho Empire. There are few railways, and the military authorities have to ride, in some cases, 400 miles to warn the villages that men are wanted. About 1,000,000 men reach military ago every year, and this number, added to the already available men, assures Russia of an endless supply of soldiers to pit against the enemy. When men are called up tinder conscription they are allowed three days in which to report. Tho food supply is a serious matter for the people. There is an enormous storage of wheat in the south, but with the limited railway communication it is a task to get, enough of it into Petrograd and other towns in tho north. The article that is put on the market is not the best, and can be purchased on only three days in tho week. Sugar is scarce. One never knows when it can be bought, and not more than lib can bo bought at a time. Many other lines have risen to three times the normal rates. Clothing is dear. A good suit costs from £lO to £l6. The fuel trouble also presented itself. Wood is psc-d almost entirely in Russia, in homes, in industries, on the railways, and on tho river steamers.. The problem has been to find men to cut the wood and bring it in on the railways. It is now more than three times the regular cost.

As a great deal of leather is used by the army, there is a serious shortage of it in the cities. Tho price of boots has gone up considerably. A good pair of boots costs £3 or £3 10s;-- and for half-soling tho cost runs from 12s to 16s.

Referring to the liquor question, Mr Gregory said that as soon as war broke out tho Czar issued an order abolishing the liquor traffic during the war, and. because of tho great improvement in tho life of the people, he issued an order soon afterwards permanently stopping the traffic. One of the first things noticeable was a decrease in drunkenness. Mr Gregory saw only four cases of drunkenness in Petrograd in two years. There was also a decrease in crime, while on the other hand there was an increase in tho deposits in the savings banks. The labour problem has also to be faced. So many men have gone from the country that it is difficult to set the land tilled, and women and children are employed in large numbers for agriculture and gardening. In the cities women act as conductors on tho cars. Boys and cjuitc young children work in offices and shops and wait behind the counters.

As many s<s 78 per cent, of tho people in Russia cannot read or write. The education system is limited to the few who can afford to pav for it. There are a few schools in tho big cities, where freo education is given, but. they are not supported to any extent by the people. Tn Petrograd British officers are seen now and again. Their presence creates good feeling between the two countries, and Russia's attitude England is very cordial. The Czar and his advisers are determined to see the war through to a successful finish. There was national grief in Russia when news arrived of the death of Lord Kitchener. Seldom have the people been so impressed with the death of an outsider. They felt that tho deceased general was their close friend and one of their rnainstavs. The grief was intensified because Lord Kitchener was going to Russia at tho invitation of the Czar. Another problem that has arisen is that of the refugees. Pome 600.000 went to Petrograd, and thev have to be fed, clothed, find housed. At the time of tho big drive in Galicia these people came in in tramloads. Families were split up and lost to each, other for weeks". The task now is to look after them and try to assimilate them into the population of the city. This work is being done largely by charitable organisations.