Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 1917. RUSSIAN RE-ORGANISATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14195, 12 January 1917, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 1917. RUSSIAN RE-ORGANISATION.

Russia's political re-organisation, is undoubtedly of /the. utmost importance and has a distinct. bearing on'the-for-tunes of the war. (How far the check in the Caudaaian campaign and .the.inability to help Rumania have been due to failure on. the part of the Government to support the army it is difficult to state, but there is a strong suapioibn that- dark influences have been at /work to frustrate Russia's military operations and to cause the nation to be a drag ratheiythau.a .help to the., Allies. . Those dark influences are now being effectively subdued. The removal of Rasputin, the scheming. pro-Gorman -monk, was done in rather.au old-fashioned Russian manner, but it was dbne effectively and has cleared the. . atmosphere somewhat. The supersession of M. Stuermer by -M. Trefioif, and of M. Ti-epoff by Prince Calatzih have been, progressive steps in the emancipation of Russia from the sinister influences that would undermine her. It ig interesting to ascertain **vhat factors have brought. about the present situation. Inadequate transportation is declared by one Russian correspondent to be the fundamental reason /or Russia*^ trebles. A nation of .18 million people cannot go to War without sadly detranging its whole economic- structure. Russia is no exception! After two' years of Avar Russia finds her economic situation bad, for the Czar's country lacks great organisation and power. The recent crisis wasV attributed! directly to the poor food distribution in Petrograd and Moscow*, where there' "was ah ' acute shortage. While in- the 1 ' south conditions -were comparatively good there waj_ an finsuffici'ency Of meat,- (bread and' sugar in' the north, and the nation had no system of organisation, for. equalising matters. '■ German 'ii-flue'hcesy , ' always strong in Russia, have, done their best to\ accentuate the difficulties and emphasise the situation. Mosco\f and Petrograd contain most of the legislators and people of influence as well as the great poor population. . Poor pepple waiting at the stores to get their small allowance of sugar or bread are frequently accosted by German agents, who pass along the line saying: "See your country's plight. If you stopped fighting you would get plenty of sugar and breadfl Whys' don't you inake peace?" These men have made an impression on the poor people and have created unrest. There is no greater progressive or radical, ho . braver ' nor more Yarsighted statesman in all Russia than Millukoff. He saw plainly where the course of Stuermer, the former Premier, wasi leading and how impossible it was *• to maintain' ,uhit£ without the support of the Zemstbvs. 7g o ,he took action requiring the greatest courage. When he had completed' his speech in the Duma,- he. had. eliminated Stuermer and put Russia part way on the road' to victory. It required great bravery, but Millukoff is no cowai'd. .'•'"*__& is the RusVsian Lloyd George. "Thbugih' the situation is improving it is still far from perfect," wrote the -correspondent a month ago. "Protopopoff. the Minister of the Interior, must also go or the Duma will | consider its work only half. done. Believing that with Stuermer out his position was. much stronger, Protopopoff has tried to withstand the attacks against him. But in the last iew days he- has been gradually; . turning over his duties as Minister to Prince Volkohski', evidently planning a retirement. There-is a strong possibility, that Sazonoff, who \cbnducted the negotiations by I which Russia is to get .Constantinople as her plum ,in the war, will return to the Foreign Office. Trepoff, as Premier, is gaining the confidence » andV 1 support of the' high and the low. Beyond all, looms the powerful .figure of the Grand Duke Nicholas. No matter how influential the German agents, ;' and v their strength can not be Overestimated, .they are unable to break the determination .of the army and the people, for the Empire considers this a national war. Under the new regime German influence is bound to be weakened if not eliminated . With Rumania temporarily put out, Russia's task luxs' grown*! . The Czar now has 1200 miles of front, or nearly three times the length of the West frbnt. : For this Yvork, stpendoua supplies of high explosives and n-achine guns must he furnished. According t ..to a Russian ii^brmant',' who is' iii . a \ posir tion that" qualifies him ■' to' sp'eUk' -' with authority. .Japaii 'isf Supplying most of these munitions— 'Quite .enough for the Trans-Siberian railway toi handle. ,f The new steetch of 900. milesr of the Alexan-drovsk-Murman railroad will, greatly relieve Russia's situation iii ''this', respect. TTiere renjaing one fuudame'ntal^iandicap', Russia's isolation 'from 1 her- allies. So far unity of- action and co-operation has hot been developed to the pbiiit:,of highest efficiency. /,,Tihe supreme difficulty lies in the 'lack of ah Allied "War Council, a body with . the po*»ver to'.dfc'ect anof operate the, moV-ementS " of all the members of ' the Entente. Tn this respect Germany's Imperial * Staff holds a, distinct advantage. Recent developments are bound to- remedy the situation. The War} Council ; held '■ at Rome -.-; was an ' im^ ■' in • co-oordinatiori. I . ' Whatever arrangement is made, Russia must necessarily play a more or less lone band., nut a hand powerful enough to strike a mighty blow in the coming year.