The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-03

rJIDGING from reliable informa-
 tion" received by government ot- ficials at Washington, life in Turkey just now is as full of trials and tribu- ]ations for the Turks as their worst enemies could wish for.
 It is said that all gold has disap- peared and the only currency in use
 are government Condition of Turks notes; cholera Is Reported Serious is raging and
 effors to stamp it out have proved unavailing; on top Of these ills, crops are much below average and the great bulk of the population is by no means we'll fed.
 Another report from Constantlno- pie, significant if true, is to the ef- feet that Russian and English prison CTS were cheered by crowds on the streets of the capital. Yet, we are asked to believe by the Germans that Turkish veterans are overjoyed at the prospect of coming to grips with the Russians in Bukowina and Galicia, where they have been transported to aid the Austrians.
 Conditions in Turkey before the war were bad enough economically. It IS reasonable to suppose that they have not been improved by the war. The Turks would no doubt be glad to quit, but their Teuton overlords are not of the same opinion.
 \ s is we'll known the private sol- A dier in the United States army is better paid than is the private in any other country, but it may not be generally known that Russia pays it's rank and file less than is paid in any
 other nation, unless Small Pay of it be China, where Russian Soldiers the stipend is so
 small as to be neg ligible, and is therefore not published in the pay tables of the principal powers
 The United States regular receives $1sO a year as his base pay, this amount being increased for length of service according to a fixed rule of percentage. A similar system obtains in most of the other nations.
 The Russian soldiers base pay is, in American money, $4 a year-only a little more than cent day. Japan pays $S year; Austria-Hungary, $8; France, s2O; Germany, $3S; Italy, $7O, and England, $89.
 As the privates and noncommis- stoned officers in all armies are clothed and rationed by the govern ment, whatever the soldier receives in money can be saved or spent as he sees fit.
 Before strong drink for the masses or the "common people" was prohib- tied in Russia, soon after the out break of the war, a ration of vodka went along with the soldiers bread and meat ration, just as grog used to be "rationed" daily to the enlisted men of the United States navy. But Russia had the vodka habit to such an extent that the soldier spent most of his $4 a year for liquor, over and above what his government doled out to him. He seems never to have cared for money for any other purpose.
 Incidentally it may be of interest to state that cheap grade of vodka, such as the poor indulged in, retailed tt cent a drink.
 Now that the Russian soldier is prohibited from buying or drinking any alcoholic stimulant he has practi. cally no use for any pay, and there was talk in government circles in Petrograd of cutting the $4 in half paying only $2 year. Nothing of this sort was done, however.
 The Russians are great fighters and Inc men in the trenches are unsur- passed in either patriotism or valor EB the allies should win the world war, q seems at this stage of the struggle quite probable, the Russian