The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1921. THE WHOLE WORLD INVOLVED.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 August 1921, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1921. THE WHOLE WORLD INVOLVED.

When, at the recent Supreme Council, the British Premier stated that the whole world was involved in the terrible visitation of the dire forces of famine and disease which are- decimating the Russian people, he uttered a simple truth. It is difficult, if not impossible, for the people of a sparsely populated country like New Zealand to envisage the terrible state of affairs that now exists in such a vast continent as Russia, with its hundreds of millions of people, not only undergoing the agonies of war, pestilence and famine, but tyrannised over by rulers of exceptional cruelty and rapacity, yet impotent to deal with the consequences of their evil work. Famine itself is a terrible calamity, but it never works alone, being always accompanied by pestilential agencies such as cholera and typhus, that may affect the whole world. No one can read the poignant letter published by the London Daily Telegraph, and emanating from a Moscow correspondent, without experiencing a feeling of pity for the Russian people in their terrible sufferings. The latent sympathy with suffering humanity that so strongly characterises the British race may well find expression at the awful pen picture drawn by the correspondent, and at the same time experience a sense of despair at the almost hopeless possibility of coping with the catastrophe, for the simple reason that the Bolsheviks have not changed their malignant nature, neither has the Soviet the power to change the machinery of their monstrous administration. Beyond all question Russia’s sad plight will appeal to all nations and all creeds, and in the name of humanity, help would readily and willingly be given, but only on the conditions laid down by Mr. Hoover, ex-Food Controller of Amerio, who.has accepted the invitation oF the Swiss President to send a representative to an international conference of relief societies regarding Russia. The meaning of Mr. Lloyd George’s remark that the whole world was involved in this matter is that it is beyond the resources of all the available private charities in the world to cope with, and must, therefore, become an international work. Whatever is done must be controlled by outside organisation, for if the food were handed over to the Soviet, the Reds and the drone officials would get everything and the poor people nothing. Moreover, it is not only a question of food, but of coping with ravaging diseases, besides rehabilitating the means of transportation and revitalising agriculture. In effect, nothing can save Russia but organisation and sane government. The time appears particularly opportune for an international commission to get to work in such a way as to lead the people in the direction of rehabilitation. Once the facilities of: transport and control of relief measures are in the hands of independent authorities, Soviet rule should melt away like the morn r ing mist. To merely save the present situation and leave the forces of evil to recommence their malignity would be the worst that could happen to the Russian peo-*

pie. The whole world in involved in this disaster; let Ilin whole world act in such ft vvny |,o educe order from eluiori mid n|n o up a new era. for Humiuii mid lim teeming millions, not by llm nom pulsion of armed I’oriMi, bill by awakening the pimple Io 11 new sense of freedom I hid. emi only be secured by good govrrmimiil mol hard work.