Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-11-04
ILLUMINATING PICTURE
OF RUSSIAN CONDITIONS
People Stand in Line for Hours tc
Get Bread, Meat, Shoes and
Tobacco.
WHAT THE Y. w. C. A. IS DOING
Additional Secretaries Are on Their
Way to Russia Now to Enlarge
Work In Factory Ccnters-Activ-
ity Is Also Shown in France.

A very illuminating picture Of con-
ditions in Russia IL given In a letter
from Young Womans Christian AS
ISOLATION secretary. who sailed last
spring In answer to an appeal for aid
for the women OF that country. The
letter was written in August, and out
lines vividly the work the Young
Woman's Christian Association is do
Ing. Miss Clarissa Spencer and Miss
Elizabeth Boies are In charge OF the
work in Russia. and five additional
workers arc now on their way.
The letter says In part:
The food situation is becoming more
and more serious For instance. the
3-rouble luncheon at u hotel IS now
roubles, and the allowance OF bread
per meal Is very thin slice OF black
bread. sometimes 50 soggy that one
can hardly eat it. The trying part is
that sometimes there is plenty and
sometimes there isn't. Meat is becom-
ing Increasingly difficult to get A
friend told me that she had to pay
20 roubles for 81 small roast that only
lasted her family one meal. The lines
OF people waiting for bread, milk meat
shoes and tobacco are noticeable on
every street. You can picture the hard
ships when i tell you that these are
the conditions for those who can az.
ford to pay and who can afford to buy
foou that has not been PUT on the
card list. Moreover. tho complaint is
that after these people have stood in
line for hours, the supply is limited
and the shops closed frequently be-
fore their turn comes
WILL OPEN LUSCIIROON
TO FEED ICON DAILY
we want to open a 's,oloyaya,' or
lunch room. The question OF supreme
Importance now is that OF location.
We want 4 place big enough SO that
we can feed 1000 IL necessary. That
means securing some big house or hos.
pital that has large Kitchen. hot-water
apparatus and big soup caldrons.
and besides. 1t would take two months
to set up new kitchen IL we had all
the supplies.
People are most interested in our
plans, and think they would like to
see us open half q dozen restaurants.
but We want TO do one thing we'll be-
fore We branch out into the factory
suburbs.
1T will he hard to conduct You
must remember that we Will have al
most nothing to cook with-milk, rice
and macaroni cannot be bought except
In very small quantities.; meat Is pro-
hibitcd; no vegetables and no canned
goods OF any description. For the ac-
tuai catering we will have to depend
OH Russian housekeeper and Russian
cooks"
Six OF the seven secretaries for whom
Miss spence rand Miss Boies have ca
bled have started, including food spe-
In
dustrial secretary and a physical dlrec-
tor. Instructions TO others who are to
sail show the needs Of the women very
wildly. They read:
Bring warm blankets. condensed
milk. chocolate and cocoa Martha
Washington coffee (real coffee cannot
be Doughty. several boxes OF crackers
to serve with tea tthGy can't be gotten
here): also a mimeograph and a cash
register and anything that Will visual
lie America, postcards and photo
graphs. The girls are crazy to know
about America"
WORK AMONG AMERICAN
NURSES NOW IN FRANCE
In France. the work among Ameri.
can nurses and French Industrial girls
is progressing rapidly. Here II is found
best TO cooperate very closely with the
Young Mems Christian Association and
the two organizations in many in
stances use the same equipment. Here
four secretaries are already on the
field and eight have sailed.
Miss Katy Boyd George, in charge
OF tho nurses work. writes:
"Iluts are needed for seven base
hospitals. whore nurses of duty can
run I'm for half an hour or half day.
In addition to the secretary. volun-
teer worker Is needed at each as hos
tess and good friend to everybody
Contracts are already let for Ave OF
these huts.
"One 'canteen foyer for munition
workers Is being gut up. and another
large rest room in an industrial city
Is being furnished. as girls are taking
their luncheon now out OF doors. and
need q warm place as soon as possl-
Bile.
Much other building Is In prospect
for which the national board has sent
its building expert, Miss Rlenche Geary.
who was for many years engaged in
constructing model apartments In Lon
don and New York City. Miss Geary
was educated on the Continent. and
speaks French luentiy. as must all the