RUSSIA'S SACRIFICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1918, Page 2

RUSSIA'S SACRIFICE.

WHAT SHE HAD SHE G AVJ3 WAR'S DRAIN ON MEN AND MONEY. TERRIBLE LOSSES. In a comment on the statement by M. Kerensky that Russia is "worn out," and that the other partners in the 'Entente must now take upon themselves the burden of the war, the Petrograd correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph gave some striking particulars 0/ the sacrifices the nation had made during the war It is true, he said, that Russia is worn out, and it has been true for a much longer time than has elapsed since the outbreak of the Revolution Unfortunately, till that event ''military exigencies" prevented the truth being told about Russia's share in the war. which in very important respects has been greatly underestimated Now all restrictions have been removed, jnd there is no reason for disguising facts which have long ago found their way into Germany through the Russian press. The essential fact is that what Russia had she has given This war much more than any ot'.ier is rather a struggle of industries than of men. Russia had pracitcally no industry, but she lived to. make flesh and blood, and, as we know from the evidence of the Army Chief at the Sukhomlinoff trial, his soldiers fought like heroes with sticks, stones, and even naked lists against what was then the best-equipped army in the world. When the figures of Russia's casualties are published they will he less justification in this respect. They will almost certainly pTove to be not merely absolutely, but also relatively, higher than those of any other of the main belligerents. In one unsuccessful partial attack, which in all likelihood few people in this country noticed at the time, and which all have long forgotten, the Russian lost 30.000 in killed alone, - But it is not merely that the Russian Army has paid more than its share in the blood tribute. The Russian people has also paid more than its share in suffering and privation. It may be stated positively that since the 'middle of 1915 there has not been a day on which queues have not- 'been seen outside the provision shops of Petrograd or Moscow. Not one winter morning, even though the thermometer was Wow wro, on which women ami children have not waited in'the streets for hoivrs to get a loaf of bread, a pint of milk, or a pound of meat. And how often have these weary vigils not been in vain. During last* winter the fathom of firing wood, which 'before the war cost from six to eight roubles, rose to between seventy and eighty-(a rouble is normally worth about 2s). For six or eight weeks in the middle''of last year it was impossible to buy so much m an ounce of sugar over the 'emmter of a shop in Petrograd. the small stocks actually available being sold from tiic back door at night at fabulous prices, which.only the affluent could afford to pay. In the villages the food question was not so acute, but there were other privations which were felt only less severely: Nearly all the implements, tools, and accessories which the peasant needs for his work arc imported articles, and now tho,eonntrv is drained dry of j them. Plough-shares, axes, and haniinc | arc not to he had for love or money in J many districts. Nails which used to cost! eight roubles a pood (361b) were being sold at 120 in the Kieff Government some mont'ln ago. These things wore not, up to the re-' .volution, quite as bad as they are now, but they were quite bad enough. And so was the break-down of the railway transport on which they largely depend. Whether anything effective has been done to get the lines into working order—the Americans arc understood to be giving extensive aid here—has not yet become apparent, but if not the Russians must experience acute suffering in the coming winter. Already people are dying of hunger in some of the Northern Governments, and it. is not pleasant to think what the situation in such districts may become in the early future.

PROFESSOR PARES GIVES FIGURES. According to a special cable to the Xew York Times from London, a very definite view of Premier Kerensky's .statement that "we are now worn out and have a rig-lit to claim that the Allies shall now take the heaviest part of the burden on their shoulders," has been given to a representative of The Obsrver by Professor Pares, who has been on war service .with- the Russian armies and was later in Petrograd. 'He is Professor of Russian History and head of the school of Russian studies in the Universitv of Liverpool. He regards Kerensky'? :tztement not as an expression of policy, but as an appeal to the Allies' sympathy and an understanding of the enormous' sacrifices that Russia has made. ''Kerensky would never have made this statement through the foreign press,'' Professor Pares said, "if he had wished it to be an expression of policy. In that ease he would, of course, have spoken to the Ambassadors. "The extent of the sacrifices wluch Russia has already made are not and ennnot be realised here until the full statistics of Russia's losses are published, r may say that in Jul.v>, 1915. after onlyone year of war. T know on the authority of the Russian War Office that the Russian losses to that date amounted to 3.8011,000 men. Your readers will be Able to give themselves a picture of the present situation when they realise wiiat Russia has suffered since that time. "Living for two years with the troops oil the Russian front line, I have found that it was taken for granted that when they went into action every single operalino was likely to cost them either half or three-quarters of the effectives, of the troops engaged. "Last May I was in an operation (of which the news was never given to the public!, in which during a month's sneerssful fighting they lost half,, and (after being brought up to strength) during an unsuccessful day's fighting' three-quarters of their men. To show that the test was 'iot their successes I will say that in November of hist year, in foui'days of more or less successful fighting at which I was present, they lost Hose to threequarters of the men engaged, and that let me add, without a grumble. ' "The explanation is \imph\ Russia has paid in men what she lacked in munitions, and her snr-ecsses. ns her failure* were at a far more terrible cost than our own. 'Having followed closely Mm .expressions of Kerensky's views', T feel quite certain that he would never have made a . statement, which he ' has,, otherwise than as an appeal to our svmpathy aud understanding of such facts ns f have mentioned."