The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-10-19
RUSSIA'S LIMITED
FOOD SUPPLY
SATIRIzED
They Say the Bread Makes
Good Straw Hats
TAILORS REDUCE
CLOTHES TO FIT
Fat Man Asked How he Did
it on Quarter Pound
of Bread Daily

In sending the following story of
conditions in Russia the Associated
Press says:
Of the news items cabled OF mail
ed by our correspondents in Russia
before they were compelled to depart
from the country, only small pro-
portion has been received. The fol-
lowing is one of the few permitted
to reach it's destination and was more
than three months in transit.
Moscow, June 30, Correspondence
Of The Associated Press)-The aver
age Russian wants bread and rest
from the turmoil through which he
has been passing for the last four
years, and he believes he will event
ually find these two blessings. He
doesn't know exactly how, but he's
hopeful.
The Russian public is struggling
along with great patience, making
the most Of its very limited food sup
ply, making over its much-worn cloth
ing, polishing its shabby shoes and
getting all the amusement it can out
life by attending the theatres and
visiting the summer gardens. -
Moscow's bread allowance is one
quarter of a pound daily for each
person-if he gets it. And the quail
ity of the bread varies so greatly that
there is much betting and jesting
daily as to what sort of bread the
food committees will supply the fol-
lowing day.
Straw enters largely into the COM
position Of the bread supplied to Mos
COW, Petrograd and other cities far
from the grain-producing centers.
Sometimes the straw is chopped so
finely it cannot be detected. On
other days it is so coarse and abun-
dant in the loaf that straws an inch
/ long may be found.
A recent cartoon in the Moscow
Novoye Vreyma showed an old man
! plating d straw hat. Two urchins
wearing straw hats were playing at
his feet, and loaf Of bread from
which long straws were protruding
! lay on the table A neighbor who
stood beside the Weaver inquired:
"How do you find the bread these
daysw
! The reply was:
eve can't eat it, but it makes ex.
! cellent straw hats"
The dearth of alcoholic drinks af
forded the subject for a cartoon
which gave Moscow a hearty laugh
A customer holding a bottle of per
fume in his hand stood before al
apothecary, to whom he complained
"I don't like the odor of this ca,
de cologne"
"Gracious, one doesn't smell it now
adaysl" the druggist exclaimed. "On,
drinks itw
Under the greatly restricted die
enforced by the food shortage, per
sons in all walks Of life have los
flesh to such an extent that really ia
men and women are seldom seen. TIL
chief work of tailors and dressmaker
. nowadays is taking IN of garment
to adjust them to reduced figures.
At recent music hall performanc
an enormous fat man who was show
to seat near the stage broke hi
chair into pieces when he sat dowr
The accident made such a noise tina
Il the attention of the entire audienc
was drawn to the unhappy man VIII
was extricated from the wreckage
. two ushers. The audience rose an
cheered vehemently. The fat man az
knowledged the applause good-na
i uredly and took no cFense at shoute
inquiries of "How do you do it Q
quarter of a pound of bread day