The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-06
FINLAND SEEKING
u. S. ASSISTANCE
Speedy Death from Hunger Said to Be
Threatening the Greater Part of
the Population-Finland
Needs Outlined.


New York, Dec. 6.-Speedy death from
hunger threatens the greater part of the
population of Finland unless they can
obtain -four from the United States, as
serts Dr. kaarlo lgnatius, commissioner
OF the Finnish government for negotiat
ing the release of foodstutfs by the Unit
ed States government, in statement to
the Associated Press. The threat to Fin
land is not privation or even chronic star
lvation, he declares. Concerning Finlands
needs and its causes, DR.. 1gnatius said :
in regard to food supply Finland
is worse off than any of the European
states whose sufferngs have been brought
before the American public. For months
ipast, our people have been eating bread
made out of -four mixed with pine
bark and lichens; but even with this
lexpedient we cannot hold out, as the
-four reserve virtually is exhausted, and
even our hardy population cannot eat
unmixed bark
''The sufferings endured in the sum
mer were terrible; and since / lett Fin
land in September they have become
n.uch worse. Nothing can save ,us ex-
cept the prompt release by the American
government of the flour which we have
already ordered and paid for in the
United States.
FINLAND has never been self -support-
ing as regards food. Her three and half
millions of people scattered over $4,000
square kilometres of territory, have de-
pended largely upon foreign supplies of
grain, in exchange for which they ex-
ported forestry products. Before the war
we imported annually about 100000 tons
of breadstuffs and of these about 80 900
tons came from the United States. The
rest came from Russia. With war, the
import from America ceased and as Rus
sia's own food troubles grew and her
railroad service became disorganized, the
import from Russia ceased also. Then |
starvation began.
"All ] want is the release of enough |
-four to save us from death and hunger. |
Priyation we have stood and are willing
to stand. We ask for this concession |
and we base our demand upon justice as
regards the past and upon policy as re-
CARDS the future
"As regards the past, we are only ask
ing for payment for services already
rendered to the allies. These services
have been of great value. Finland loyal
ly helped Russia as long as Russia was
fighting and she is willing to help in the
future if Russia resumes fighting.
During the war, Finland has been abb
solutely loyal This in the face of great
provocation by the now extinct autocra-
cy. In September, 1914, in return for
Finnish expressions of loyalty, Nicholas
III issued decree further suppressing the
Finnish language and abolshing what
little was left Of our constitution Yet /,
we remained loyal. We modified our
industries on a war basis with a thor
oughness and efficiency which have been
acknowledged repeatedly by the Petro-
grad government
"All our cities, in particular Helsing-
fors, Tammerfors, and Abo, at once be-
came munitions workshops They sup |.
piled Russia with uniforms, boots leath-
pr goods, shells, cartridges, and maehine /
guns. In our ports we built destroyers I
ind torpedo boats. The former minister .
IF war, General Polivanoff, informed
newspaper correspondent that Finland F.
var industries were fourishing and were i
| model to Russia.
Those war industries, important fac ?
ors in Russia's resistance, proved to be
me cause of our present lamentable plight, U
md that is why we cite them as rea- :
on why America should help US now a
Jnder normal conditions, we should have d
'een paid for our munitions in Russian u
money and allowed with this Russian D
money TO import Russian and foreign o
oodstuifs. In fact, we were flooded le
With Russian paper rubles; but were n
ot allowed TO buy necessaries of life II
ither in Russia or abroad We got W
o far az to order breadstuffs in Russia; W
re even paid for them in advance and
he provisional government promised to "
How their export to us; but owing to p'
transport Reorganization we got Meth =
lg. Thus we suffered directly from our u
clip TO Russia. If we had not concen- i
rated in munitions making, we might u
ave diverted our industrial labor into II
gricultural channels, and conditions til
ould not have been quite so bad as they al
re. 50
1--WE supported Russia in other ways. OF
s long as we could, we sent her milk ce
nd butter. We supported a vast Rus
an naval and military garrison, which IN
one adds a big percentage to our pop al
ation figure, and we support an in II
lmerable army, estimated at 100000,
civilian Russians; and thus relieve the co
od strain in Russia. ms
Justice demands that we should not VII
punished for our past sacrifices. Pol les
Y demands that we should be ensured of
5ainst starvation in future. Our war of
dustries are still modified; they are as
ghly efficient; and if Russia continues As
c war, we can give her greater help of
an she can expect from her own inef- Sci
lent and anarchical industries But wi
is will be possible only if we have the ira
cessary food. The allies cannot expect an
ngry artisans, whose wives and chill the
en- are perishing, TO keep to munitions All
,rk. EN-
Our population is not pro- German 1t ext
Is, | admit, anti Russian or rather era
1t has always been de- the
ted TO America, England and France, at
I'm which countries in our darkest hour the
received sympathy and moral sup bee
ri. | have myself always championed prs
: allies cause at home; and / do not wa
es
-