A RUSSIAN IN TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 1917, Page 7

A RUSSIAN IN TARANAKI.

INTERESTING IMPRESSIONS.

ISy Our Travelling Reporter.

He wore the red armlet signifying a returned soldier, and looked lonesome. He was broad-shouldered, powerful, and evidently a foreigner, so when lie spoke I was not surprised to soon hear him proclaim that he was not u Now Zealandcr. He was shy and a man of few words but later on he gained confidence, and I found his conversation sufficiently interesting to memorise the main facts which are now being penned.

"I am a returned soldier. Mr. 1" was his interrogation. The badge proclaimed the truth of the statement. ''l have been in Hawera a little while and they tell me returned soldiers can see the rates free and I would like to go there, but cannot And the way."

"You're well off the beaten track, but not any distance away, and cars are not looking for passengers this way, so we'll walk,"-1 replied. "Thank you, Mr. lam a 'Roosian.' Went away with the main body from New Zealand and been invalided back a few weeks, Don't know milch about races but may as wel! see what is going on," and with that he fell into step -and wo trudged along.

"What part of Russia are you acquainted with?" "Riga. The place where the Germans are trying to break through to get to Pctrcgrad."

"Riga to Petrograd means a long journey at this time of the year." "The Germans will never get Riga and if they had the luek to strike that city Petrograd is many versts away." The conversation became general. I told him that as a lad at school the Russian bear was the bogey of those days and little did I think we would have Russians with us and Germans against us.

This started the returned contingentor going. "Do you know that the Russians have had little chance of being understood outside their own country. W« have been kept in a state of ignorance. Schooling wo do not receive anything like in the case of Now Zealand. For instance, the Russian boy has three years at school. Ho goes to school at 12 and eaves at 15. Each year the teaching, only lasts six months, and then with practically 18 months' tuition he gets to work. "And the nature of the work around Riga ?" "Well, for five months in the year Riga, has grass fields like you see here, and a fair amount of dairying goes on, but principally Riga depends on the tin.ber industry. Seven months in the year the grounds are frozen.

"Roads there are not very good; at least they hardly come up to this—tarsealed thoroughfare." The Russian laughed. "We have a few good roads but do not compare with anything I have seen in New Zealand. We have a few good roads in the big cities, but get into the small villages and the roads do not exist; mere tracks or ruts indicate the thoroughfare. "Moving heavy guns would bo difficult, then?"

"Not difficult, but impossible. The railways and main roads can shift them, but there are places around Riga where there are neither raihvys nor rods, s you neither railways nor/roads, as you understand them, exist." "You naturally prefer New Zealand?"

a Yes, but few Russians know that such a place is to be found. Russia has' countless numbers of people who know nothing of what is going on outside Russia. Later on when the war is over they will understand things bettor. Everybody knows we could swamp Germany with numbers, but we have not the arms. This is now being altered, and you- will find the Russians doing their bit and a little more later on."

"If Russia gets Constantinople, will that cause trouble to Britain in the future I"

"I think not! Britain must trust Russia surely after this war. We have territory in Asia to last for many years, and we do not colonise like the British. Still, I like New Zealand, and I am a New Zealander now, and believe mt.ny hundreds of my countrymen would ■also willingly become naturalised British subjects if they knew of New Zealand's exis-tence and the means of getting out here.

The racecourse was reached ana wltn a parting nod we mingled with the crowd.