Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 1939. THE UKRAINE.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 April 1939, Page 6

Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 1939. THE UKRAINE.

TN the region of the Middle Dnieper Valley, from the marshes of Pinsk to the cataracts below Ekaterinoslav, is the Ukraine, an area Germany has long had her eyes on. It was conquered in the 14th century by Lithuania, and was ic su ject of disputes between that Power, Russia and Turkey, between 1654 and 1686 all the Ukraine east of the Dnieper, and in 1793 the portion west of the river, passed under the rule ol Russia. Today the Soviet Government has no illusions m regard to the ambitions of certain European Powers as tar as the Ukraine is concerned.' Recently, M. Voroshilotf, the Soviet Defence Commissar, stated in a speech: “The Soviet Union, particularly the Soviet Ukraine, has very many enemies, and these enemies are preparing to transform our country, ei many has spared no effort to bring about such agreements witn Poland and Roumania as will place the two latter 1 owers in an awkward position should Germany decide to launch an attack on the Ukraine, the territory of Rumania to use( Q n lier aggressiveness as was that of Belgium in 1914. that is ei many’s policy in bullying Rumania, for in the process of hostilities against the Ukraine she would require Rumania to be a non-combatant Power, supplying her with much ol the smews of war obtainable in Rumania. .In view of the crisis in Europe it is no wonder that Russia is preparing to strengthen her position along the Ukraine border.

The Ukraine, which is a tempting morsel to a nation such as Germany, who is addicted to dreams of expansion and m need of raw materials, covers an area of about 166,000 square miles, and includes the Republic of Moldavia. There are vast swamps in the territory, but these are gradually being turned into useful farms. On the other hand, there are thousands ol: square miles of richly fertile land and large deposits of metals. Already about 5,000,000 acres of the swamp land have been reclaimed by a. canal system and developed into arable and pasture land; and a remarkable fact in connection with this scheme is that most of the work has been carried out by German colonists. These settlers are for the most part satisfied with their treatment by the Russians, and are free from the haish rule experienced in Germany under the Nazis; in. fact, many of them have had to leave Germany because of brutal treatment received at the hands of the Nazis. In the circumstances it is hardly likely that they would favour a. German invasion of the Ukraine, with the probable ultimate seizure of their farms by the Nazi hordes.

Across the Ukraine stretches that famous, “black earth’’ which provides means for raising immense crops—a fertility ol soil probably unequalled anywhere in the world. There are large fruit farms, cereals are raised in considerable quantities, and dairying is carried on in the most approved fashion, following tuition at the hands of Danish instructors, with up-to-date machinery, mostly of American origin, in operation. In the Ukraine, also, are many noted stoekraising centres, and the famous horses of the Russian cavalry come from these regions, the chief of which is Podoiia. But distilling and sugar-manu-facturing are two industries which provide in the Ukraine more work' than all the rest of the industrial activities. West of the Don hills lies a coal basin, having an area of about 11,000 miles, with manganese, cinnabar, iron, lead and lime in plentiful quantities. Russia has relied to a very large extent on the minerals produced in the Ukraine for her industrial activities, and, such being the case, it can be clearly realised that the Ukraine is a large part ol the life blood ol Russia. Before the Great War the Ukraine was the land of the Cossacks, who played such an important part in the successful launching ol the Russian revolution. It is these same Cossack people who are a thorn in the side of Russia at. times, retaining an independent spirit which has brought about many difficult problems for the Soviet to solve. There have been conflicts in the Ukraine between the Cossacks and the Russian military from time to time since 1920, and some very sanguinary lighting has taken place before agreement was reached in the matters under dispute. But if IlTtJer hoped to profit by these upheavals when, launching an attack on the Ukraine he would undoubtedly find that the old Cossack' spirit would flare up against the domination of a stranger even more fiercely than it ever has against repression from within the boundaries of Russia. The nature of the Cossack is typically that of a certain race within the British Empire, who dearly love a fight with their brethren living under the same flag, but who quickly “close the ranks” when the Empire is attacked by a foreign Power.