WITH THE ALLIES IN ARCHANGEL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 84, 3 January 1919, Page 5

WITH THE ALLIES IN ARCHANGEL

SCENES AT THE LANDING

THE MURMAN COAST An eiilerprising merchant might have made a fortune could he have shipped a cargo of commodities to Northern Russia at t lie time the Allies made their entry into Archange'i. In the early davs of the occupation foodstuffs, especially white ilour, sugar, chocolate, and jam could be sold for enormous prices. Under the Bolshevist regime bread—foul, black stuff mado. from offal—was marketed at nine roubles a pound. The rouble-be-fore the war was worth two shillings and a penny; it is now worth fivepence. Therefore a pound of black bread cost three and ninepence. The sugar ration was a quarter of a pound a month per person. Tho Allies at once increased the sugar ration and greatly improved the quality of the bread. Prices for the rationed amounts were reduced, but oyer . and above these amounts prices maintained their old excessive level. For instance, the pound of bread per day cost nbout a couple of roubles; but an additional pound purchased in the market Cost nine roubles. Chocolate, jam, tobacco, and cigarettes were practically •unobtainable. ! . After the occupation, as soon as it was possible to grant shore leave, many of us landed and went into the city. Our first act was to rush to the British Consul and get our money exchanged for roubles. AV'e had been- ashore only a few hours .when we'iegretted this premature changing of money. It was soon discovered that roubles were plentiful and were to be obtained for ,commodities. In the streets one was accosted many, times 'bymen and boys crying. "Engleesh tobac! Engleesh cigarette!" For a packet of twenty cigarettes one could obtain fifty roubles—the equivalent of iui English pound! Sugar fetched twenty-fivo roubles a pound. Those of us who bad hoarded our sugar ration or had a good supply of cigarettes and tobacco were in a position to. do good business. In normal times tho Russians are always large consumers of sugar, s.nd (he men are great smokers. A Russian Jew who had spent several years, in America, and was therefore able to speak tolerable English, said to me: "I have no bread for two days—me very bad; no cigarette— me very worse!" There was also a great dearth of all kinds of clothing, especially boots. Knowledge of this shortage led to tho discovery ol ! hidden treasure in our somewhat shabby wardrobes. A pair of discarded breeches and a pair of old boots exchanged for two hundred- and fifty roubles. Ail old top-coat fetched two hundred and fifty roubles, and a mack, intosh wns bartered for a black fox skin valued in the shops at three hundred roubles. • . In the small towns and villages on the Murman coast and tho ports on the west side of the White Sea> and along tihe Finnish border, resort was mode to simple barter. One of our men brought aboard a hundred-fish'about the size of herrings; for these he hnd bartered a packet of twenty cigarettes. Eleven newlnid eggs were obtained for half a pound of sugar. Our steward brought seven sheep in exchange for flour, tea, and sugar. When the slieej) had been killed, dressed, and it was found that the price worked out at less than fourpence a. pound! The price would have worked out much less could we have spared a greater proportion of. sugar. Another corps on the Murman coast bartered in a similar manner for a large catch of fresh salmon'weighing. seventeen hundred pounds. The price came to loss than a halfpenny a pound! 'A stick of chocolate offered to a housewife would procure three or four .new-laid eggsgreat luxuries for us, who had been living on bully, beef, ship's biscuits, and rice. When a party was ashore for tho first time at a little village in the Gulf of Kaiulalaxsha a ,peasant carrying a fine 'set of reindeer antlers came running up to them, crying: "Tobac, tobac<" pointing to the antlers. For a small tin of loose tobacco the antlers changed owners. . During.the remainder, of. our stay at this , village antlers were greatly in evidence. "Further up the Gulf lies Kandalaxsha. 'Many fishermen and trappers live in wooden lints along the shore. Ftfish salmon and sea trout were daily brought aboard in exchange for"other articles of food. Fox skins were plentiful in this village. Trappers would come to the ship's side and offer skins in exchange for food. . Roubles were of no value to them; food was what they wanted. My success with old clothes induced others to try tfye same - method. - One office.T had a large stock of shabby clothes.. 110 took them all ashore and left them ,to be sold to t.lie highest, bidder. Among his stock-in-trade wns a pair of white flannel trousers. In Russia one sees'almost every typo of clothing, but at least in Northern Russia one never sees anyone walking about in cricket trousers. This was explained to our i'rieiid, who, however, retimed to believe that no respectable Russian would be seen out in an old pair of baggy white trousers. His judgment proved to be wrong. The white trousers were a "drug" on the market. '