Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-04
1SSIAN FOOD STORES
Nor OPEN TO GERMANS
|Three Routes for Shipment of
Grain Supplies Are
Cut Off
E1JRRENCY A MIDDLE
a.,;eved Also That Slav Peasants
Will Accept Nothing but
Gold
WASHINGTON. Jan. 4.

WASHl Nt1ON, Jan. Y.
whatever may be the outcome of
kbe Russo.German peace negotiations
q Brest.Litovsk. Germany cannot OBJ
tafn her much-desired food supplies
from Russia.
This statement is warranted by the
A,st official information in Washing.
ton II is made on authority of the
siehest officials possessing facts and
Ngures on the world food situation
nS represents also the conclusions of
the Allied food authorities. Such au-
.hor,ties ridiculed the reports here
40 yirtual agreement on a wheat ex-
ohange by the delegates at Brest.
Litovsk.
There are only three ways by which
Germany could reach the grain stores
NJ russia. They are by rail. the Black
9ea and the Danube, and all of these
outlets are closed to Germany, Off.
c,als saw Granting that the much
vaunted German efficiency might over
came any one of these apparently in.
surmountable barriers, new obstacle
would be encountered In the refusal Of
the Russian peasant to accept any.
thing but gold for his grain.
no GRAIN TO BE HAD
Sn tnAt OFFICIALS Ill w SllllStcil Stt
| mo relief for the German food shortage
In the immediate future. even granting
The Kaiser full success in his peace
moves I'm the east. Germany, it Is in
sisted. could not possibly obtain grains
from Russia until next April or May,
and the barriers apply with equal force
10 imports of raw materials.
The natural outlet of Russian food
supplies to Germany would be over
the railroads. The information pos
sessed by the United States Govern
ment is to the. effect hat Russian
transportation facilities for 100 miles
from the German lines are so thor
oughly demoralized as to preclude any
possibility of their use for many
months. This information is gained
from several sources, including the
Stevens Railroad Commission which
was about to undertake some RENE
dial measures in that section after
the tangle on the Trans.Siberian Rail
way was Strengthened out. The rail-
roads are without equipment, both as
to trackage and rolling stock and etfi-
Client opera ing forces. Virtually the
entire territory over which food sup.
plies would have to pass by rail is
desolated.
NJ bllACN ST>N INoS ~
Officials here asserted Russian grain
cannot find an outlet through the
Black Sea, even though it is con-
ceded that the railroad line to Odessa
Is in normal operating condition,
which, it is held, is doubtful. 1t is
contended Germany cannot convoy
wheat through the Black Sea.
The remaining alternative is the
Use of the Danube. which will not be
open for navigation until April, at the
earliest, and very likely not until May.
The first benefits Germany might
derive from peace with the Bolshevik
government. it is said. would be in the
cultivation of the Russian lands ad
1acent to Germany. In the spring. II
is insisted that a Russian withdrawal
from the war would not affect the
attitude of Russian peasants. who are
refusing to sell their grain. even to
Russians, except for gold. They have
rejected the currency of their own
nation. and officials see small chance
of Germany drawing very largely on
existing stores. and none ut all for
whose credit in Rus
sia is at low ebb.