The Washington times., 1918-07-08
TEA IN ODESSA
S17.5OAPOUND;
MEMS SUITS $4OO

Leonard Adelt, correspondent Of
the "Berliner Tageblatt" with the
German armies in the Ukraine. writ
ing from Odessa. gives an interesting
picture Of the life in the southern
part of Russia, now in German hands
THE population of Odessa" he
says, "has grown from 100000 to
more than a million The people
need food badly. Speculation and the
fiuctuation OF the ruble drive the
prices higher from day to day.
Petrograd prints daily a pud CAS-
pounds) of paper money which has
a nominal value Of 10000, 900 rubles.
Rien and Odessa print money that IL
almost as good The old Romanoh
notes are accepted most willingly
and next to them the Kerensky
money. Metal money has entirely
disappeared from circulation. As
small coins they use postage stamps
of the Romanoff government
"Prices have risen immensely. A
pound of meat costs $40 rubles (S1.z0
on a gold basis). Tea costs IS rubles
(S17.50) a pound, and can be obtained
only by the holders OF tea cards. For
a mans suit OF clothes one has to pay
about 500 rubles $4,000. Women's
hats are so expensive that many
women wear handkerchIefs like the
Sisters of Mercy. All people are
dressed very plainly. partly because
Of the high price, partly in order not
to make a bad impression.
Wages Mount Considerably.
Wages have risen considerably.
A typesetter, for example, receives
now monthly from 500 to 500 rubIes
$500 to $4,000; a bakers helper 500
to 600 rubles (S250 to 5000. When
German ship with provisions re-
Gently arrived in Odessa the steve
dores demanded so rubles $500 a
day. wherefore the captain refused
to unload his cargo and put to sea
again.
THE peasants have distributed the
land OF large landowners among
themselves, but are cultivatinR only
their small lots OF land because Of
the uncertainty OF conditions and
lack OF labor. They sell very little
to the German army because the out
come of the next crops is uncertain
Germany is supplying them as means
of barter one million plcwshAres.
Another important object Of ex-
change after the opening up OF the
Danube district will be coal. The d.
visions now entering the country are
accompanied by mining engineers
who are repairing the neglected
mines. Because OF the general short
age OF coal the Ukrainian railroads
are being operated with wood fuel.
'Of the million tons OF food sup
plies promised US by Ukrainia in the
peace treaty only fish. millet, and
oats have so far been sent out.
Spheres of Influence Divided.
"The Austro-H Hungarian sphere of
Influence in the Ukraine extends to
the provinces of PodoIia, Cherson,
and Ekaterinoslav, and the German
influence extends over the remain
ing Ukrainian provinces and the
Crimea and Taurida. The agreement
for distribution OF food gives Aus
tria-Hungary two parts OF UkrainIa
and Germany only one till the end of
May. After that date there will be
u reversed relation until both coun-
tries will have received equal guam
titles. Later the distribution will
be half-and-half.
From the military point of view
the power OF the Central Rada is for
the present limited to three divIs-
~.
of which the Germans have formed
two and the Austrians one. As to
other soldiers that one can see in
Ukrania, there are demobilized Rus
slams. disarmed members of the three
Polish legions
which numbered hardly 1000 men
each, disarmed members OF the
Ukrainian corps, war prisoners, etc.
AS to more serious resistance the
invading Austrian troops had to en-
counter at Kamenetz Podolski the
resistance of 1000 to 5000 Russians, !
at Proskurvo, and Smerinka 5000
Siberian Bolsheviki, and at NikoIa-
yeff and Cherson a few thousand
men equipped with heavy artillery
and motor cars in combination with
the Black Sea fleet. In Ekaterinoslay
there was rebellion.S with bloody
fighting In the streets"