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Star (Christchurch), Issue 18290, 19 October 1927, Page 4

According to Captain Kr. Tischendorf, of the Norwegian tanker Lincoln Ellsworth, now viszting Lyttelton, who has visited Russia about twenty~four times within the past two years, Russia. is in a pretty bad way. Not a penny has been spent on the upkeep of the towns that he has visited since the Revolution of 1917, in fact the shot marks from bullets are still visible on the street walls. There are a. large number of beggars in the streets, a thing one would not expect in a land of Socialists, and the whole populace is very badly and shabbily dressed. There appears to be a certain portion of the people that are being bullied by another section, and .it. is a question how long they will stand it. Art is backed up strongly by the Government. and entertainment is free. There does not appear to be any starvation. Whatever the Government is doing with the money it is not spending it on the upkeep of the roads and town services generally. Since o_f late. licenses are being granted to private individuals to open up shops and business places under very heavy taxes, it would appear that things are gradually revertmg to the old system. The customs and other officials are now much more lenient to foreign shipping, except to British shipping with which they deal very strictly since the Russian Legagion trouble in ,Lpndnn.