RUSSIAN FAMINE.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 September 1921, Page 5

RUSSIAN FAMINE.

THE CRISIS GROWING, DANGER OF RED ARMY. TRANSPORT DIFFICULTIES. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright Received September 6, 5.5 p.m. London, September 6. The Morning Post’s Riga correspondent states that the famine crisis is growing in horror. The American relief organisations’ efforts are undoubtedly prompt and energetic, but they resemble an attempt to scoop up the Atlantic with a tea spoon. The newspaper Pravda candidly reveals what observers have long realised, that supplies are likely to go in the first instance to the Red Army. While the Soviet assured Dr. Nansen of its ability to transport enormous quantities of foodstuffs, an expert, writing in the Pravda, points out that the southern railways have 23,000 trucks and 700 locomotives idle, owing to lack of fuel. The railways are unable to transport the foodstuffs immediately available.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

RELIEF COMMISSION’S PLAN. DISAPPROVED BY SOVIET. DANGEROUS COUNTER-PROPOSAL. Received Sept. 6, 10.30 p.m. London, Sept. 5. Well informed circles are not optimistic regarding the nature of the Soviet reply to a wirelessed request to permit the Commissioner to proceed to Russia to supervise famine relief works. The International Commissioner is anxious to begin its labors in Sojith Russia. where the famine is worst, and, gradually to work northwards, but the Soviet insists on relief being centred in Petrograd. Doubt is expressed whether in the latter case the relief will penetrate beyond there. The official trade delegation in London. meanwhile, declares that the period of the worst of the distress has temporarily passed, but will recur between the time when the surplus of the September harvest has been consumed and the next crop is gathered, unless help is forthcoming. It is estimated that the peasants in the famine areas will require 300,000 tons of grain to tide over the interval. —Reuter Service. BOLSHEVIK FORCES. ON THE FINNISH BORDER. Stockholm, Sept. 5. Advices from Helsingfors state that the Bolsheviks have strongly reinforced the Soviet troops on the Finnish frontier. • The activities of the extraordinary commission have been redoubled in Petrograd, where strong military detachments with armored cars are,patrolling the streets.