IN OTHER LANDS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 219, 15 September 1928, Page 13 (Supplement)

IN OTHER LANDS

THE GREAT CAPITALS A LETTER FROM MOSCOW A chatty letter from correspondents in tue great capitals of the world wdl appear on this page every Saturuay in future. Tne first letter last Saturday, was from Berlin, and to-da j s tells of the ciirient affairs in Russia. White bread has now disappeared from the stores and restaurants of Moscow. Besides tue heavy so-called/ “biack bread’’ made out of rye flour! which is the staple food of the KussiuJa peasants, a sort of grayish bread, sinjular in colour to the “war bread”/of various European countries, has mow made its appearance ou the market. This change reflects the difficulties which the state grain buying organAsations experienced in purcnasiug I the peasants’ wheat last fall and wimter. ihe authorities are confident that/ by conseiving the wheat flour of nines! quality' through the introduction A£ the new bread, the supply' of the citids will be adequately guaranteed untlfl the coming of the next harvest. M</anwhile there is considerable interest! in the claim of a baker from the./town of Saratov that h e has discovered! a means of making white bread out of lye liuur. Several important changes /arc being made in the constitution of /he Russian Academy of Sciences, one oil the oldest and most famous of Russian learned institutions, which in lU2«.p celebrated the two hundredth anniversary of its foundation in Len.ngrad, / The number of academicians is to be increased frum 42 to BJ, laud the social sciences ar e to be include}! in the scope of the academy’s future jactivity. rue rules fur electron to tliej academy’ aie be.ng changed w ith the/alleged objective of giving the ruuk-fiud-lne scientific workers throughout the country more v voice in the rna/ter, while the former requirement tnjat the Government ratify the selection of each new academician is to be dropped. Forty Russian and \3O foreign explorers, natural scientists and aviators participated in the deliberations of a congress for exploring the arctic ieg ous with the help ot: dirigibles. The well-known Norwegian explorer, Dr. Fridtjof Nansen,/ who organised relief work in Russid and other countries after the wai, is a prominent figure at the congress. Dr. Nansen for some time has beqn interested in the project of establishing a swift line oi communication bet,ween Europe and the ±’ar East by instituting regular service w’ith dirigibles over an arctic route where the distances, because of prox imity to the north- pole, are appreciably reduced. / An innovation in the Moscow book stores this year is the inauguration of special sections devoted to vacation literature. Hitherto the traveller in Russia has been left pretty'.much to his own resources; but now!a number of booklets dealing with Russia’s outstanding summer resort regions, the Crimea and the Caucasus, have Ibeen published. Besides describing various resorts the booklets outline/ the best routes for walking trips. An illustrated'; lecture which has just been delivered here on the subject of Russia’s most famous river, the Volga, is another indication of the present tendency to inform the prosecutive tourist in advance about places which he may desire o visit.

The United States will soon have the opportunity of Seeing the largest Russian art exhibit ever shown abroad, thanks to the initiative of the Philadelphia art critic, Christian Bnuton, and his colleague, Frederick Starr. Messrs. Bnuiwi and Starr, who recently spent abiiut a mourn in Russia, have obtained uhe co-operation of Soviet cultural anil commercial organisations in sbippinj uut of Russia a large number of specimens of three distinctive types of | Russian art; medieval ikons, modern Icuiptore, and painting and peasant hitiidwuik. some of the objects in the qxhlbition will be sold in the United States, while others will be returned to Lussia. Despite the 'great need for new housing, the building season in Moscow' this summer has been very unsuccessful, and the Labour Exchange is filled with peasants, vainly seeking employment as building workers. The chief difficulty in this connection has been the jflack and inadequate preparation of the most necessary building materials, such as bricks, cement and alabaster-: For some unknown reason a cement factory was closed just at the time when its products were most in demand, aqd the erection of certain projected new brick factories proceeded at too slofrv a pace. * • • •

Tho progress of.physical culture in Russia was recently emphasised here by a parade of the sports and athletic organisations of the tpity on the Red Square. Besides thousands of marchers tho pa p ade included spme hundreds of bicyclists and motorcyclists. Athletic organisations in Russia are largely under the direetior/ of tho trade unions; and tho president of tho Moscow trade unions. Mrl Mikhailov, addressing the paraders.j declared that phvsieal culture organisations all over Russia now include 3.0W.000 members.