RUSSIA OF TO-DAY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 242, 10 September 1940, Page 2

RUSSIA OF TO-DAY

WATCHING THE BELLIGERENTS. HOPING FOR GAIN. Russia’s position in relation to the present war, her economic condition and therefore her potential stieng for war, judged on the _little dat • available, were points referred 9 y IMr H. C. Jenkins, of Wanganui in lan address to the Palmerston North Rotary Club yesterday. He declared that Russia would never come to tlie laid of the democracies, and desired a long-drawn-out war for the exhaust 10 j of "the contestants and her own gam in re'ative strength. In a contest between the British Empire and the German Reich, said i ! Jenkins, one could assess the rc.ativ _ strengths, but to assess the strength o I Russia one was faced with a peculiar lack of data, and so, to gain a view it was necessary to study the history ol the country. The speaker -traced the ' growth of the Russian penple from Kiev,' focal point of Muscovite power, through the infiltration of Tartar blood, the movement of the seat ol power to Moscow, and the consequent infiltration of Scandinavian blood, to the establishment of St. Petersburg by Peter the Great. From there Mr Jenkins referred to the search by the Russians for ice-free ports in the 19th century and their defeat in the RussoJapanese War. - This led to an unsuccessful revolution; at that period otaliu was just growing np. Thrown out of a seminary in his voutli, working in the trade union movement and spending two periods in Siberia, Stalin was a Georgian, a member of a people who had a peculiarly implacable mind. This was the man who was in charge of Russia to-day. Lenin, commented the speaker, had seen tlrat Russia had to be free of dependence o.n foreign capital. Efforts had been made to build up Russia’s industries, and ill heavy industries remarkable progress had been made, although at tremendous sacrifice by the people. From St. Petersburg to Moscow, to Tifiis, and to. beyond the Urals, the Russians had built the greatest electrical grid system in the world to link up the electric plants—with the aim of the production of goods consumable within the country. However, in industry the technicians had been found scarce. Germany, America and Great Britain had supplied the higher technicians, and the Americans had been found to be the most successful; To-dav Russia had a fairly extensive economy in industry and in primary production, but was a country without reserves. The lack ol skilled man-power had .placed Russia in a very vulnerable position. The last Five-Year .Plan liad failed,. and appearances were that the period of sac _ rifice had been too long. Ihe binnish war had been most unpopular and had shaken Russia to her vitals. ATTITUDE TO BRITAIN.

I After referring to tlie diplomatic I conferences with Britain and. Uerniany 1 which preceded the Russo-German agreement, Mr Jenkins said that one was entitled to suspect that t'nose ill charge in Russia did not want an agree- | meat with the Allies, but had used I these conversations only to “build up J their agreement with Germany. Since ! 1880 tne avowed German policy had ! been a drive to the east, to the granary of the Ukraine. Germany’s wcali--1 ness was lack of oil, and for tins reason Rusiia had protected lier own interests in Bessarabia. Germany was securing a certain amount of oil from Rumania, but while Germany would have a relatively easy task in taking the Rumanian oil-fields. «s'lic was airaid of what Russia might do under those circumstances. Germany feared .Russia,and Russia feared GermanyIn this war Russia had no love for Great Britain, comrnerited Mr Jenkins. What Russia wanted was to find herself strong. She was quite prepared to see the exhaustion of both Great Britain and Germany and would supply Germany with a certain amount of oil, partly because she could not do more and partly because she did not want a quick victory. Molotov had said, this would be a long war. This was what Russia wanted, so that, by comparison, at its close slie would be immensely strong. It had been openly stated in Russia that if Great Britain fell the whole capitalist system might fall, and anybody who thought that Russia would come to the aid of the democracies was deluding himself. A vote of thanks was accorded Mr Jenkins on the motion of Mr A. E. Carrington. The chair was occupied by Mr H. - L. Cunninghame, who introduced the speaker, and those welcomed as visitors were Messrs H. B. Free, C. S. Taylor, junr.. J. H. R. Semple, L. Gold and C. Ball.