The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1918-06-08
famine STALKS
IN PETR0GRAD
Hams at $500 Each, Eggs rs
Cents Each, Are Examples
Of Food Scarcity.
BRITISH COLONY SUFFERING
Its 500 Members Appeal to Foreign
Office to Send SuppIies-Relatives
Rob Each Other of
Food.

London.-A dispatch to the London
Times from Petrograd says:
1.-THE famine in Petrograd is becom-
ing positively alarming. There is prac-
tlcally no food in the markets or in
the shops. Two-thirds, if not more, of
the latter are permanently closed for
want of goods of all kinds besides food
stuffs. There is no flour, no sugar, no
potatoes, cheese, or milk, no grain or
greats, and very little meat. All is
under control unless accidentally or
privately obtained. The principal nee
essaries of life have to be got when
possible through friends and chance
acquaintance at enormous cost if you
have money to pay for them, or as
meager rations doled out by the au-
thorities, and absolutely inadequate
for subsistence. The present ration of
indigestible black bread, half baked,
with as much moisture as possible left
in it to increase it's weight, is one,
eighth of a pound per day, and often
that is not forthcoming on account of
the hopeless disorder and universal
thieving habit.
Rob Without Compunction.
"Relatives and dependents rob one
another of food without conjunction.
Hunger has no conscience If morsel
of anything is left on the plate for
later consumption it will disappear as
soon as you turn your back Every
scrap has to be put under lock and key
Gffnr n Tn,
house committee which receives flour
from the town authorities for distribu-
ton to us tenants could not account
for nine pools 1924 pounds) of flour,
so that we all had to go without any
bread for two days.
'In spite of special commissions and
stringent measures against boarding
and speculation, profteering goes on
to a great extent among all classes.
In fact, food is far more valuable
commodity than paper money and Sc
cretly circulates instead of it. All con-
versation indoors and out is about
food and how to get it. Half the
working day is wasted in pursuit Of
sufficient to eat.
GAS an illustration Of how far dis,
organization and greed can go, may
mention the fact that no fewer than
fifteen carloads of rotten hares were
recently brought into town and several
attempts made to foist them on the
municipal executives; but they were
finally rejected and condemned. Good
hares are being sold at e. 10 shillings
apiece (nearly $3.50, according to
the rate of exchange before the wary
Hams at $500 Each.
'Prices of other articles are quite
fabulous. Hams are offered at f4O and
EGO each. Butter costs AZ shillings q
pound; cheese, shillings a pound;
white flour, 30 shillings pound eggs,
3 shillings apiece; carrots, shillings
pound; potatoes, 6 shillings pound.
With the exception of occasional linn
tied sales most Of these articles can
only be obtained privately.
Gin these circumstances the British
community in Petrograd, which is now
reduced perhaps to about 500 persons
who are unable for various reasons to
leave Russia, felt obliged to induce
the British corsul and the incumbent
of the English church to wire to Lon
don for few edible supplies to help
US tide over this serious crisis. I am
told that telegram to this effect has
been sent to the foreign Office but so
far no assistance is Forthcoming. We
do not want luxuries, but few cases
Of crushed oats, for example, some
sugar, margarine, and flour, would be
gOd-send.
"There has been no essential i'm
provement Of internal affairs here. On
the contrary, the situation in many
respects has been going from bad to
worse"