Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-14
RUSSIA STARVING;
PETR0CRAD A WASTE
Robbery and Disorder Rampant
Hams $500 Each; All Food
at Famine Prices.
From tho London Times, May is.


Petrograd, April 30.-The famine IN
Petrugrad is becoming positively alarm
ing. There is practically no food on the
markets or in the shops. Quite two
thirds. if not more, of the latter are perma-
nentlv closed for want of goods of all
kinds besides foodstutfs There are no
-four no sugar. potatoes. cheese. or milk.
no grains or greats. and very little meat :,
all is under control unless accidentally
or privately obtained.
The principal necessaries of life have to
be got when possible through friends and
chance acquaintances ut enormous cost,
If YOU have money to pay for them. ms
the meagre rations dolcd out by the
authorities are absolutely inadequate
for subsistence. The present ration OF
indlgcstibe black bread, half-baked with
as much water as possible left IN 1t to
increase the weight, IL only one-cighth
of a pound per day, and often that is
not forthcoming on account OF the
hopeless disorder and universal thieving
habit. Relatives and dependents rob
one another of food without conjunction.
Hunger has no conscience Ii morsel
of ANYTHING IS left on the plate for later
consumption it will disappear rs soon
As YOU turn your back Every scrap has
TO he put under lock and key after each
meal.
In spite of special commissions and
stringent measures against boarding and
speculation. prohteering goes on to
great extent among all classes In Tact,
food IL A far more valuable commodity
than paper money and secretly ClrculateS
instead OF IT, All conversation indoors
and out is about food and how 10 get It.
Half the working dav is wasted IN pursuit
of sufficient to eat. As an illustration
OF how far dsorganzatIon and greed can
go | NAV mention that no fewer than -
carloads of rotten harcs were recently
brought into the town and several
attempts were made to foist them on to
the municipal executive Tut they were
finally rejected and condemned Good
hares are being sold Mt g los apiece
according to the rate Of cxchsn &C betrEc
the war.
HAMS At eco EACH
The prices Of tohcr articles are quite
fabulous Hams arc offered at $40 and
500 each Butter costs 42s. h., cheese
26s a H.. white flour Dos a h., eggs SIS.
apiece, carrots Is a h. potatoes is = h,
With the exception Of occasional limited
sales. most OF these articles can only he
obtained privately.
There has been no essential improve
ment Of internal affairs here on the
contrary, the situation in many respects
has been going from bad to worse. The
ice and frozen filth covering the roadways
two or three feet deep was first broken up
by gangs Of men and women, with
whom the bourgeois were reqmsitIoned 10
cooperate and AZ some places they were
10 be seen plying pick and shovel under
the supervision Of armed soldiers Of the
Red Guard.
The return Of summer will not bring
any advantage TO PctrogrAd Il present
conditions continue To prevail In the
piping times Of peace 100000 workmen
came into the city from the country 10
build and do necessary repairs
The war and the Revolution have
taken away most Of these men. and al
though peace has been signed and scaled
II cannot be called piping one. seeing
that hostilities are still gong on. that the
whole male population arc 10 be trained
to arms. and that the authorities are
hastily recruiting = new Red Army, into