SOVIET AFFAIRS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3829, 2 August 1927, Page 29

SOVIET AFFAIRS.

THE SOVIET NAVY. LONDON, July 25. The Riga correspondent of the London Times says that a general meeting of seamen, coinmandeis, and all other units wound up the Baltic manoeuvres of the Soviet navy. Commissar Voroshiloff warned the fleet that the menace of war was real, and that a war would probably start in 1928. The fleet was already in fighting trim, but it must strive for greater efficiency. He stated that the fleet wa s being augmented for 1928 with a first instalment of four cruiseis. three destroyers, and seven submarines, in order to protect the Baltic from British raids.

SOVIET CONFISCATION. LONDON, July 26. Mr Justice Eve, in the Chancery Court, has granted an order for a reduction of the capital of the Russo-Asiatic Consolidated Company from £12,000,000 to £4,500,000. Counsel stated that the loss of £<,500,000 was due to the confiscation of property by the Russian Government. The shareholders were all English. M. Krassin had agreed, in 1922, to a provisional arrangement giving the company £2,000,000 as compensation, also returning its property; but the Soviet refuse! its ratification. Since 1922 the company’s sole asset had consisted of this somewhat shadowy claim. Mr Justice Eve: You seem still to value it. Counsel replied that the directors desired to keep the question open. EXECUTION WITHOUT TRIAL. LONDON, July 26. The Riga correspondent of The Tinies says that the Soviet tribunals have taken heavy toll of life without trial throughout Russia in the past few days, including the shooting of six ex-officers in Turkestan, 20 persons in Kieff for allegedly belonging to Monarchist organisations, and 10 in'Kursk, including Shakhovaski. Three persons were shot at Orel for opposing Soviet agents, two of whom were killed ; also eight at Kharkof for engaging in antiCommunist propaganda. It is reported from the Ukraine that 100 anti-Bolshevists have been shot in batches during the past fortnight. SOVIET TERRORISM. BERLIN. July 27. Newspapers from Leningrad contain mysterious reports of the deaths during the last three days of 20 leading "’oviet officials. Each death notice included the words “died in the service of the proletariat.’’ It is surmised that they were the victims of a counter-revolutionary plot. Simultaneously a fresh Soviet campaign of summary executions has begun. Forty-eight occurred last week, according to some accounts. Other versions put the number at 100. ANTI-RED PLOTS. BERLIN, July 28. It is reported from .Moscow that the deaths of 20 officials were announced in Soviet newspapers in black borders. It is known that they attended a Bolshevist banquet, after which they were taken violently ill with symptoms of poisoning. It is not known if contaminated food was accidentally served to them or whether it was deliberately poisoned. It is noteworthy that anti-Bolshevist plottings in Leningrad have recently increase' DIRECTED AT BRITAIN. LONDON. July 28. The Moscow correspondent of the Daily News reports that M. Stalin, in a statement dealing with the international position, declared that the British Conservatives had organised Voikoff’s murder, 4nd had planned that it should play the same part as the Serajevo murder, with a

' : . e ' v to involving the Soviet in a war with I oland. The blow had failed because of Soviet peacefulness and General Lilsudskis refusal to fight England's battles. The British Government was subsidising t.ie counter-revolutionaries in the Ukraine” Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Terrorist spies were also ordered to dynamite bridges and set fire to factories. Britain was also terrorising the Soviet’s diplomats. M. Stalin bitterly attacked the British Labourites, especially Mr G. Lansbury and Mr J. Maxton, who he characterised as worse than enemies, because they refused to understand that the execution of 20 aristocrats was necessary owing to tho revolution. Their attitude enabled Britain to organise further murders of Soviet ambassadors. FRENCH PAPER’S ALLEGATIONS. LONDON. July 29. Tn the House of Commons Mr C. P. Trevelyan (Lab.) referred to a seri's of letters in the French paper Humanite alleging that the Marquess of Crewe had offered British help in the Ukraine to overthrow the Bolshevist Government. He asked Sir Austen Chamberlain to reply.

Sir Austen Chamberlain, wit n replying, said that there was not a word of truth in the allegation. Referring to Russia, he said that the Government had no intention of pushing the differences further. Trade might go on and the Government would do nothing to interfere with it. Replying to questions, he saii t' at relations could not be resumed on the old footing whereby the Russian i fission interfered with British domestic affairs, but if the Soviet Government made an approach terms could be discussed. RUSSIAN TRADE IN BRITAIN. LONDON, July 30. Sir W. Joynson-Hicks. in a letter to Mr Kelly, M.P., emphasises that neither the Government nor himself desires to place any obstacles i„ the way of legitimate trade with Russia, and states that the recent action regarding certain Russians carrying out hostile propaganda were not intended to apply to all Russians. He personally was willing to afford amneeded • facilities for bona' fide Russians who come here, either to buy English or to sell Russian products.