RUSSIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 January 1918, Page 5

RUSSIA.

,".' BOLSHEVIKS' POSITION CRITICAL. of ~ it n- ALLIES URGED TO JOIN TROTSKY nd L'KRAINIAXS DESLRK PEACE. il!d IMPORTANT HKAKING ON Mi SITUATION hi u- o London, Jan. 28. .in Mt. Ransome telcjrrai.!»ir.js" Iruin I'et er rograd, insists thjt. the position of tli Holsheviks is critical. . The confereuc ce of Soviets was discussing tlio ojiestioi in ' of peace or of a holy war against th •k. iiourgcois of the world on Salurda; r- night-. il- Air. Kansome urges the Allied Govern a ments to join Trotsky and so proven al the Central l-owera making a 'epurat 1,0 peace with* the Ukraine. If the Allie it, |om Trotsky at the Peace Confereuci cs it will have an overwhelming effect sioi u- the German people. j\luaii\viiilo the bam L .. of idealists who are striving to over s- come the apathy of the. masses and tin |j. active resistance of the privileged am ■v propertied classes has been forced 'ut< n . an impossible position owing to non-re cognition by the Allies which lias pu' ln a weapon into the hands of the anti i u I'.olsheviks and weakened the influeiici s . of the BoWieviks upou the proletariat n . The Central Empires' non-recognitioi [ls has strengthened the Ukrainian Rada l. which is bourgeois and fears the Jlolshc v viks more' than the. Austrians. Tin n . Rada is unhampered by uncompromising s . ideals, and is ready to conclude a separ r _ ate peace with Austria on business terms |O . as opposed to the idealistic terms of tin l" Petrograd Bolsheviks. ,'j Mr Ransonie opines that there is a lp split in the Bolsheviks. Some now he.e lieve that Russia is compelled to nmkt l 8 peace owing to military weakness, nevertlieless, the majority of the leade.s art . still ready to take up Germany's challenge. The ultimate decision will lit with Trotsky, who tvill do what is best to serve the universal revolution. Trot r _ sky is ready to sacrifice Russia to sav« I Europe or to sacrifice Europe to save * the world. j The whole question now depends on , whether the Rada succeeds 'n securing , peace with Austria before the ever-grow- ' ing Soviet movement in the Ukraine displaces it and brings tho Ukraine intu line with the rest of Russia in support J" of Trotskys' policy. ■ r Trotsky asked for an interval in the _" negotiations in order to allow the Soviets to conquer the Ukraine. If the '' Rada makes a. separate peace Ukraine ■S com, which would prevent starvation in jj Petrograd where already spotted typhus has appeared, will he diverted to Aus- '"' tria. This will bring Trotsljy'a' downfall and anarchy of an appalling kind. HEAVY FIGHTING. BETWEEN UKRAINIANS AND BOLSHEVIKS. f AUSTRIANS REFUSE HELP. 3 e 0 Received Jan. 29, 5.5 p.m. London, Jan. 2S. Vienna telegrams report that heavy , lighting has been proceeding for several r days between Ukrainian and Bolshevik . troops at Luck, which the Ukrainians are endeavoring to capture. The Austrian commander of troops in the district refused tho Bolsheviks' request for assistance. VODKA AT WORK.- , MADDENING EFFECT ON MASSES. Pelr-yrad, Jan. 27. Tho sudden metamorphosis of the temperate, orderly Russian masses to law- ; less, pillaging, murdering mobs is due to 1 the unlimited; manufacture of vodka. The . revolution,swept aside the Czar's decree • and distilleries have been started everywhere. 1 TELEGRAPH LINES CUT. f , FINLAND ISOLATED. i COMPLETE ANARCHY PREVAILS. Heater Service. Received Jan. 20, 8.30 p.m. Stockholm, Jan. 28. Telegraphic communication with Petrograd has been interrupted since Sunday morning. It is reported the Red Guard's cut the lines, the whole of F'miand he-' ing telegraphically isolated. Complete anarchy reigns in Finland. FINLAND'S INTERESTS. SPECIAL REPRESENTATION AT BREST LITOVSK. Received Jan. 30, 1.15 a.m. Copenhagen, Jan. 29. The Finnish Diet has appointed live delegates to proceed to Brest Litovsk to safeguard Finland's interests. PASSIVE RESISTANCE. RUSSIANS' NEW TACTICS. Received Jan. 20, 11.45 p.m. Petrograd, J.in. 28. , Maximalists and the Left Social Revolutionaries' general committed adopted a, ; formula refusing to sign peace and refusing io wage war, the Bolsheviks intending a passivu legistance towards Germany. I