UNSETTLED RUSSIA

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1930, Page 15

UNSETTLED RUSSIA

JOURS’ALIST'S EXPERTENCE.S, INTERVIEW WITH CZARINA. Journalist and writer on political subjects, Mr. W. S- Czernicwski, a Pole, .arrived at . Auckland by the Aorangi in comt inflation of a world tour commenced some two years ago from Warsaw. During the war he was special eorrespon- ■ dent for the London Daily Graphic, Morning Post and Daily Telegraph. After the war he returned to Poland,, where he was given charge of a department attached to the Foreign Office. Speaking of his experiences, Air. Czernicwski said, he had an exclusive interview with the Czarina in 1915, and an account, of it was published in the Daily Telegraph. At that time he was living at St. Petersburg and was associated with the British Ambassador, Sir George Buchanan. “Those were very difficult days,” he said. “The Russian Government had not the slightest inkling of what was so soon to happen. I often met Sasanoff, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. All that was feared was °a small disturbance, similar to what happened in 1905 after the RussoJapanese War. Those in authority were confident that any upheaval could, be quickly suppressed and the Government I would emerge stronger than ever. What was not foreseen —and it was the thing that happened —was a revolt in the army. It was the military revolt that placed Russia in its present position.” Mr. Czerniewski, when travelling to Tsarskoe Selo to interview the Czarina, met the notorious Rasputin. He said the reason that Rasputin had such power with the Czar and Czarina was on account of his mysticism, the Royal family being very superstitious. Rasputin had made several predictions that had come true. For instance, he had informed the Czar on one occasion that a chandelier in a certain room would fall, and warned the Czar not to go there. The chandelier fell, but this was put down to trickery by the non-super-stitious, Rasputin being in league with certain people who were enemies of the Crown. ‘Toland is recovering from the war years,” said Mr. Czerniewski. “We are now becoming prosperous. The war destroyed three-quarters of our country, and everything had to be rebuilt. We have coal, oil, zinc and timber in large quantities, but the people are agrarian. On account of this we are safe from Bolshevism. Too many of our people ran away from Bolshevism and they are our best propaganda against it. Our peasants are very conservative. Their desire is to own the land legitimately. They do not want it divided up. They do not believe in Communism, which is regarded as only a passing phase of the world’s history. “What will replace the present Government of Russia nobody knows,” said Mr. Czerniewski. “Russia has destroyed all the elements that could make for a better state. The intellectuals were shot down or secretly murdered. There are great difficulties ahead and problems to be solved. Bolshevism is not so strong in Russia as many believe, but it is the lack of something to replace it that troubles many of the thinking people. The strength of Bolshevism may be said to be the weakness of anything to take ita place. Bolshevism is just strong enough to-day to chop off the heads of anything that rises as a menace to the present order. Many of the heads of the State are fanatics. As a matter of fact the country is controlled by a body of international adventurers. They are not all Russians by any means. There are Germans, French and Jews, mostly agitators, but a few with sincere views who think their way is right. A few idealists are modest in their dress and demeanour, ■but others are loud voiced and vulgar, and they are putting away a nice nest egg. The tide will turn some day and then the country will prosper and stable government succeed the years of murder and extravagance. I have not bean in Russia since the outbreak of Bolshevism, and am not looking forward to returning at the present time.”