FAMINE CONDITIONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18179, 29 August 1933, Page 5

FAMINE CONDITIONS

NORTHERN CAUCASUS PEASANTS IN DESPAIR DEATHS FROM STARVATION (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) LONDON, August 28. The Daily Telegraph’s special observer in the North Caucasus makes a striking revelation of the famine conditions. '* He says that bread has completely disappeared from the dietary of the peasant owner, who is resigned to despair. Complete apathy characterises i the • people. The starving pedsant is practically a prisoner in iiis village, where he must remain. In some villages in the Northern Caucasus the population is almost extinct, but the authorities do not acknowledge that famine exists, though, without doubt, it is more acute than in .1921, when hundreds of thousands were saved by the American Relief Association. When the sufferers implored help they were told thev could eat the bread which they had hidden-away. .• • * THe distribution 6f ‘bne ‘ potftftl' of ‘ brift'd daily -would 'prevent death -from starvation, yet the Soviet Government has exported 1,500,(XX) tons of grain of the 1932 wop., It may well be that the extermination of the Cossack population will be advantageous and desirable to the Government. One meets people with their legs swollen by starvation; others are so weak that they lie about the roads awaiting death. Bodies are even seen in the streets of the towns, and form a grave danger of epidemio from these circumstances.

The Daily Express’ special correspondent says that 5,000,000 Russians are facing aeath and starvation owing to the tragic weakness of the Soviet’s second five-year plan. Managers and workers, anxious to provide,, for their families, steal whatever they can. The pilfering fever is of such proportions that goods cannot bo transported in Russia unless accompanied by armed guards. Tractors arrive on farms lacking the most valuable parts, which have been stolen on the road.

THE SOVIET FALLACY THE TRUE FACTS ENGLISH CREW IN RUSSIA MELBOURNE, August 5. Those who visualise the Soviet system as a panacea for social ailments might change their political opinions if they were enabled to study the country from any other viewpoint than that of a conductedl tourist. That is the deliberate opinion expressed by officers of the steamer Deerpool, which reached Melbourne yesterday from Vladivostock via Nagasaki. Tho vessel spent nearly two months in Russian water loading salt at Odessa, and discharging this cargo at Vladivostock. Although everything possible was done to prevent the officers from studying conditions in the two ports visited, scenes of’poverty and degradation were witnessed, which thoroughly convinced them that Russia’s attempt to build up a nation was nothing but a grim farce, her efforts to hide the truth tragic, but unscrupulous.

Officers said yesterday that the Soviet’s boasted' eight-hour day and model working conditions were an utter fallacy. . Both at Odessa and Yladivostock the wharf laborers who were employed on their vessel had worked 18hours at a stretch on rations of black bread and water. At Vladivostock girl tallying clerks of from 14 to 16 years of age, had labored on their vessel for 14 hours night and day on end on the same meagre rations. Their steamer had been delayed at both ports, owing to shortage of labor, as thousands of men and women had been transported to the northern fishing grounds for the summer season. Women worked just as hard as did the men. They received no preferential treatment. Gangs of women, haggard with hunger, had been engaged in the heavy labor of trimming salt in the vessel’s holds, or cleaning up the wharfs.

It was simply not true to say, as often had been said on Soviet official authority, that the Russian citizen was contented. He was .far from being contented, but lie was too frightened to complain in public. English-speaking workmen, whose word could he relied on, had told them harrowing tales of socalled Soviet justice. It was significant that the Soviet’s unskilled workmen were marched to and from their labors under armed guard. Even their holidays were spent in enforced labor for the Soviet cause, and a workman, who had spent a holiday in the country digging potatoes, considered himself extremely fortunate. Men of the steamer Deerpool’s fo’castle when ashore appeared smartly dressed when com pared with the badly clad Russians, but the Russian seafarers received better treatment. This was to hide the truth from the outside' world. For similar reasons a unit of the Soviet merchant service was always retained as a show boat for visiting tourists and foreign sailors. This spick and span vessel was an absurd contrast to the dirty imseawortliy hulks which made up the balance of her nondescript merchant fleet. At Vladivostock they had witnessed a dirty 5000-ton cargo vessel setting out on a week’s voyage to the northern fishing grounds of Kamchatka. Over 500 men arid women were herded like cattle on her decks, which had a formidable 15 degrees list, and seemed headed for disaster in the fog-shrouded northern seas. At Odessa and Vladivostock they had been impressed by the gloomy atmosphere of cities which had once been centres of gaiety. There were no shops — nowhere to buv goods, with the exception of the Torgsen, a store reserved for foreigners and Soviet seamen. The latter , had 35 per pent, of their wages paid in gold roubles, the rest being paid in the practically useless paper money. They were allowed to spend only 10 per cent, of their gold currency at the Torgsen. The continual cry of the people in the streets was for bread. Children of six years had stem set faces. To see them in their starving condition, fighting for possession of scraps of the ship’s slops, would be a revelation to many who espoused the Soviet cause. One officer, who had spent some time in a Vladivostock public hospital, for an optical injury, said the place was extremely dirty, but the treatment was thorough. There was no soap in the institution, except such as was provided by the ship. Officers said yesterday that they had been practically under armed control throughout their stay in Russia. On their arrival the crew was mustered on dock and their cabins were searched. The wireless set, all cameras, and even the ship’s telescopes were placed under seal, and an armed guard was always on duty at the ship’s gangway. With the exception. of one Communist, all members of the ship’s company had been glad to clear Soviet waters, in spite of colorful propaganda dispensed by the International clubs at both ports. At Nagasaki, Japan, when the vessel put in for stores and charts, a quantity of Soviet literature, written in English, was confiscated, and the one supporter of the Soviet cause was warned against attempting any propaganda work during the short stay in the Japanese port.