New-York tribune., 1917-12-23
'Shin-Plaste
Adds to Woes
Of Russians
By Howard D. Hadley
ISDeciaL CorTespondenceI


yLADIVoSToK, Siberia, Nov. IL
Travelling from New York to retro
grad via San Frencisco and Japan TINS
town of about $4,000 population, the
eastern terminus of the Trans-siberiah
Railway, IS the first point where one
begins TO realize the awful disturbance
in the world caused by. the Great war
yladiyostok Is crowded with people
from the far corners OF the earth. ~
is all but impossible to get a place 10
sleep. but there is no trouble getting
enough to eat, provided always you
have the necessary money.
And prices arc very high, or they are
very moderate; it all depends on how
much your rublas cost you. ate
dinner last night in the famous Golden
Horn restaurant with a party OF SIX
teen friends, most Of when are from
the United States. The dinner, which
was as good, by the way, as one would
get in many fine hotel in New YORK
City, except that there was no whlte
Tread and no butter, cost us 10 r9oles
each. bought my rubles in Ne" iotA
on October 4, paying 10 cents eacn 10.
them, so my dinner last nignC cost nae
$3.50, this amount covering the UP 1s
we'll. Ny frierd, the Rev. Morgan T.
Moves, assistant pastor Of the Madison
Avenue Presbyterian Church III Ne"
York City, who had bought his ruDles
in Yokohama, Japan, on November a.
having cents each for them, got the
same dinner for so cents, Just nan
what it cost me. Fred W. Draper, VINO
has been in Russia for SIX years ior
mining concerns, and Is no" on hlS
way home, in Fayville, Mass, TO spehd
the winter, paid for his dinner WIN
rubles that cost him practically par
/, O., about 81 cents, so his dinner cos.
him about S5.l0. In many parts OF
Russia back in the interior, IN the smail
towns, particularly, ruble VIII puy
lust about rs much as II ever ald' puI
in the larger towns, like Nladiv9stok'
Petrograd, Moscow, kiev and Odessa'
the ruble has deprecated very mueh
in buying power, and huctuates CON
tinually. This process or resdJust.
ment is now going on ana is one ol
the chief causes of unrest. Inc peas
ants have found that II they sell their
wheel, flax, apples, cheese and other
produce even for what Is apparently
high price, when they come TO buy
sugar, tea, cloth or any other suppiies
which they need they come out as the
small end Of the horn. For this rea-
son they are refusing to sell thelr
Lroduce-simply boarding II IN their
cellars and barns.
The new paper money issued by the
new regime is very poorly engraved,
and consequently very easily counter
feited. Reports are that there IL a per-
feet food of counterfeit money. One
REPORT here in Vladlyostok credits the
Germans with being responsible Tor
most of the counterfeit money in circu-
lation in Russia. II may or may not
be true, but ] am inclined to credit II
because the Germans could get a lot
of supplies very eheaply in this way
and at the same time still further be-
devil the distracted Russian people.
This Golden Horn restaurant. where
everybody" eats, is now one OF the
meeting places of the world. There
were Yankees there last night, Eng
lishmen, Chinese merchants, Russian
army officers of all grades, Russian
students returning from military
schools in Amerita and Japan. Ru-
manian officers and civilians, Serbians,
Jews from all quarters Of the globe,
sailors from the Russian fleet in the
harbor, japanese merchants aud refu-
gees from Poland and Galieia.
The railway station here at night Is
another sight. There were at least a
thousand persons sleeping in the sta
tion last night-on the benches, on the
floor, on the stairs, leaning against the
wall-men, women, a few children-not
many. And they were apparently OF
practically every nationality. | have
not yet seen an American negro here
II is probably too far north for them.
The question has often been asked
IN America; Why don't the japanese
send an army over 10 help RUSSIA
The answer is that they haven't been
invited by Russia and will not be In
vited. The Russians don't like the
Japs. The Wrestling Of Port Arthur,
the only all-the-year- seaport
Russia had on the Pacific, from the
Russians by the Japs in the Russo
Japanese War still rankles In the
breasts of the Russians. The Russians
are afraid that il japanese army gets
over into Russia at this time the Japs
will have a good big slice Of Siberia
and Manehuria as result OF 1t. A
surprisingly large number OF Russians
however, are said to look with indif-
ference on the prospect Of Japan get
ting a slice Of Siberia. These say;
what IL the Japs do get a slice OF
Siberia, or all OF itY We've got too
much territory; we'd be better of with
less"
There have been all kinds OF rumors
here that the Kerensky regime had
cedea the Peninsula OF Kamsehatka or
half of the Siberian Railway to the
United States in return for large
sum OF money. The rumor ss TO the
cession of tho Peninsula OF KAN
sehstka became so prevalent and 80
widely believed that the State Depart
ment at Washington evidently felt il
necessary to deny 1t officially. There
is a copy of a message on the bulletin
board In the American Consulate here
from Secretary Lansing TO Ambassador
Francis in Petrograd officially denying
this rumor.
But as soon as one rumor subsidies
another one, generally traeesble to
German influences, gets into oireuls-
tion. and they are all eraftily designed
70 cause friction between Russia and
some ans or all of her allies in ths