The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-01-07
REPRESENTATIVE OF FINLAND
 ASKING FOR FOOD FROM US.
 TO SAVE PEOPLE FROM DEATH

NEW YORK, Dec. l-.-Speedy death from hunger threatens the greater part of the population of Fin. land unless they can obtain flour from the United States, asserts Dr. Kaarlo Ignatius, Commissioner of the Finnish government for negotiating the release of foodstuffs by the United States government. in state ment to The Associated Press. The threat to Finland is Tot privation ol even chronic starvation. he declares Concerning Finland's needs and its causes, Dr. Ignatius said:
 Tn regard to food supply. Finland is worse off than any of the European For months past our people have been brought before the American public For minths past our people have been eating bread made out of flour mixed with pinebark and lichens; but even with this expedient we cannot hold out, as the flour reserve virtually is exhausted, and even our hardy popu lation cannot eat unmixed bark.
 "The sufferings endured in the sum mer were terrible; and since I lief, Finland In September they have be come much worse. Nothing can save us except the prompt release by the American government of the floul which we have already ordered and paid for in the United States.
 Finland has never been self-sup porting as regards food. Her three and a half million people are scat tered over 373.000 square kilometres of territory. have depended largely upon foreign supplies of grain. in ex change for which they exported for estry products. Before the war we imported annually about 100000 tons of breadstuffs; and of these about 50,00O tons came from the United States. The rest came from Russia With war, the import from America ceased and as Russia's own food troubles grew and her railroad ser vice became disorganized, the impor, from Russia ceased also. Then star vation began.
 "All want is the release ol enough flour to save us from death and hunger. Privation we have stood and are willing to stand. We ask fol this concession and we base our de mands upon justice as regards the past and upon policy as regards the future.
 "As regards the past. we are only asking for payment for services al ready rendered to the Allies. These services have been of great value Finland Loyalty helped Russia as long as Russia was fighting, and she is willing to help in future if Russis resumes fighting.
 During the war Finland has been absolutely loyal. This in the face o1 great provocation by the now-extinc, autocracy. In September. 1914. in re turn for Finnish expressions of loyal ty. Nicholas II issued a decree further expressing the Finnish language and abolishing what little was left of oul Constitution. Yet we remained loyal We mobilized our industries on a wal basis with a thoroughness and eff ciency which have been acknowledged repeatedly by the Petrograd govern ment
 All our cities. in particular Hel singfors, Tammerfors and Abo. al once became munitions workshops They supplied Russia with uniforms boots. leather goods. shells. cart ridges and machine guns. In oul ports we built destroyers and torpedo boats. The former Minister of War General Polivanoff. informed a news paper correspondent that Finland's war industries were nourishing and were . model to Russia.
 These war industries. important factors in Russia's resistance. proved to be one cause of our present Ia mentable plight, and that is why VI