Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-12-06
FINNISH PEOPLE
ABOUT To STARvE
MAKE APPEAL TO AMERICA FOX
FOOD, ESPECIALLY FLOUR-GEK-
MANY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR
SUFFERINGS.

NEW YORK, Dec 6-Speedy death
from hunger threatens the greater
part Of the population of Finland I'M
less they can obtain flour from the
United States, asserts DR.. Kaarlo Ig-
natius. commissioner of the Finnish
government for negotiating the re-
lease of foodstuffs by the United
States government, in statement to
The Associated Press. The threat TO
Finland is not privation or even
chronic starvation, he declares. Con
corning Finland's needs and its
causes. DR.. Ignatius said:
I'm regard to food supply, Finland
is worse off than any of the European
states whose sufferinga have been
brought before the American public.
For months past, our people have been
eating bread made out of -four miXe2
with pinebark and lichens; but even
with this expedient we cannot hold
out. as the flour reserve virtually is
exhausted, and even our hardy popu
lation cannot eat unmixed bark
The sufferings endured in the sum
mer We're terrible; and since 1 left
Finland in September they have be
come much worse. Nothing can save
us except the prompt release by the
American government of the flour
which We have already ordered and
paid for in theUnited States.
Finland has never been self-sup-
porting as regards food. Her three
and a half millions scattered over
$4,000 square kilometres of territory,
have depended largely upon foreign
supplies of grain, in exchange for
which they have exported forestry pro-
ducts. Before the war, we imported
annually about 100000 tons Of bread
stuffs; and of these about 10000 tons
came from the United States The
rest came from Russia. With war,
the import from America ceased and
as Russias own food troubles grew
and her railroad service became dis
organized, the imports from RussiA
ceased also. Then starvation began.
"All | want is the release of enough
flour to save us from death an1
hunger. Privation we have stood and
ace willing to stand. We ask for this
concession and we base our demand
upon justice as regards the past and
upon policy as regards the future
/ 'As regards the past, we are only
asking for payment for services al
ready rendered to the Allies These
services have been of great value.
Finland Loyalty helped Russia as long
as Russia continued lighting, and
she is willing to help in future if Rus
STA resumes fighting.
During the war, Finland has been
absolutely loyal This in the face
of grea. provocation by the new-eX-
tinct autocracy. In September, 191 t.
in return for Finnish expressions OF
loyalty. Nicholas II issued a decree
further suppressing the Finish langu-
age and abolishing what little was
left of our constitution. Yet we re-
NAMED loyal We modified our in
drstries on a war basis with thor
oughness and efficiency which have
ben acknowledged repeatedly by the
iPetrograd government
All our cities in particular Hels-
ingfors. Tammefors. and Abo at once
became munitions workshops They
supplied Russia with uniforms, boots,
leather goods shells, cartridges, ana
machine guns In our ports we built
destroyers and torpedo boats The
former Minister of War, General Polly
anoff, informed a newspaper CORE
spondent that Finland's war industries
were flourishing and were a model
t. Russia
The war industries important fac
, tors in Russia's resistance, proved to
be one cause Of our present lament
able plight, and that is why we cite
ttem as a reason why America shoulI
help us now Under normal condi-
tons, We would have been paid for
our munitions in Russian money and
allowed with this Russian money to
import Russian and foreign foodstuffs.
In fact, we were flooded with Russian
paper rubles, but were not allowed
to buy necessaries Of life either in
/ Russia or abroad We got so far as
to order foodstuffs in RUSSIA; we even
paid for them in advance, and the Pro
! visional government promised to- al
low their export to us, but owing to
/ transport disorganization We got moth
! ing Thus we suffered directly from
our help to Russia If we had not
/ concentrated on munitions making,