RUSSIAN FAMINE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10526, 29 November 1905, Page 1

RUSSIAN FAMINE.

HUNGRY PEASANTS DYING IN THE FIELDS

MOSCOW, Oct. 9,

As already reported, the number of starving people in liussia has been oHicially reported at 1b,C00,000. ihat enormous ligure increases daily, as fresh reports from the provinces eonio in. illness is following in the steps of famine. There have been alarming outbreaks of typhoid, typhus, and measles in many of the altectcd districts, and as most of the local doctors have not yet returned from the war, the situation is very grave. lugged and hungry peasants are pouring into tho great towns. They report that thousands of people, turned out of tiiejr homes because they "caunot pay rent, arc dying in the fields. It is now.cleur ihat ut least a million tons of grain will be necessary to feed the starving peasantry, and that over u quarter of a million tons are needed for seeding purposes, unless the next crops uro to be oven worse than these.

Tho trouble, also, is tu find labor. A curious feature of tho agricultural system of Russia is that in many provinces plots of land are let out to families, who pay a fixed quantity of produce to the community and keep the rest for themselves.

From most of the families one man wus sent out to the war, and from many two were sumoiouud. Tho women who remained were unable to till tho land, und as they had even to soil their horses und cattle for food they could not ultord< to pay for hired help. However much the Government may desire to assist the peasantry, it is certain that there will be a heavy toll of deaths from starvation this winter.

The Earl of Jersey wiik accorded a «cat on the tioor of tho Legislative Assembly iu Victoria a few day-s ago, and -wt-nn Hpucchea of welcome :\vior<: livered. Tho Earl of Jersey, iu reply, slid he would do his best to represent Australia in her teuev light in England.

At Melbourne Chief Jutlitu Madden atrongly denounced the simplicity of tho lnachiuery for obtaining 1 divorces. He declared 'that this nummcr of men -who sadly ill-treated young wives was iiwruaHIng, and he characterised them as "hujjiaa vermin. 3 '