SOVIET PERIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 October 1920, Page 5

SOVIET PERIL.

DANCER OF COLLAPSE 1 . fOOfD SHORTAGE CAUSES RIOTS. «f TiUfflßH-Prea Assnv-CosjrigM. . - Received Oct. 5, 5.5 pjn. < London, Oct 4. The Riga\corre*»ondent of the Morning Post stages that the internal and external situation indicates that the Bolshevik position was never more precarious. Th# paper Isvettia publishes an furtiele written by TrotaTy, declaring that the army is weakened and the people are indifferent towards the war. Workmen and peaaantt, it says, must understand that if the army suffers another serious defeat the position of the Soviet Republic will become catastrophic

, M._ Radek writes in the same issue blaming the Russian workmen for a diefaidinattoit to face the fact that the Bepublic depends exclusively on its wartike capacities.

Information from other sources canBaas the reports of a serious rising of peasants, owing to the Government forcibly requisitioning the food supplies, to tenable the cities, especially Moscow and Petrognd, to live through the winter. The most formidable rising is at Tambov, where the peasants cut the railway line to prevent the arrival of reinforcements. There were other serious risings in the Saratof and Smolensk districts, Soldiers deserting and joining the peasftnts.

The Government's difficulties in obtaining food supplies have been increased by a bad harvest and the tendency of the peasants to restrict proslOction, as city purchasers have been table to offer only worthless paper tnoney for the surplus. Disturbances Skre - occurring among city workmen jawing to the food shortage. The workfrnen at the famous Putiloff munition {works in Petrograd and the railwaymen? fevolted, and troops and artillery suppressed the revolt It is reported that while Trotsky was reviewing troops in ptfoscow soldiers broke the ranks and gathered round him, demanding bread. «*>Aus.*N.Z. Cable Assn.