The sun., 1919-03-25
BOLSHEVIK FORCES
BEATEN BY KOLCHAK
Said to Have Been Driven Back
Thirty Miles West Of
the Trails.

PARIS, March .i,-slberian troops of
the Ko!chak Government have begun sue
cessfully an offensive west OF the Trails
on line from Farm TO the Transs!ber-
ian railway, advices from. Omsk say
At certain points the Bo,shev!ki have
been driven back more than thirty miles.
The siberians have captured okansk.
fifty miles southwest OF Parm.
On fifty mile front between okansk
and Osa along the Kama River the
Bolsheviki have been driven back twenty
miles.
The Kolchak forces also are reported
to have obtained marked success in the
region OF Brisk. northwest OF Cta.
svsrdIon Reported Dead.
Brief dispatches from Moscow announc-
ing the death of Sverdloff. chairman OF
the Executive Committee of the AL
Russian Congress of Sovets, are causing
much speculation among Russians In
Paris. who are eagerly awaiting further
details, His death Is reported TO have
occurred on February 16 after the con-
vening OF the sixteenth Congress OF
Russian Soviets. which continues its
meeting In Moscow
Sverdloff was one of Premier Lenine's
strongest supporters. tie presided AZ the
opening OF the Constituent Assembly and
had been dominant figure as chairman
of the Executive Committee OF the All
Russian Congress OF Soviets. Sverdbff
supported LenIne in his effort to check
the power OF commissions for the sup
preston OF the counter revolution which
had been taking over the functions OF
the Sovlets and threatening to supplant
them.
More than $4,000 persons or more
rthaa il"Ter cent. OF the entIva popula-
ton, died In Petrograd in February. ac-
cording to Russian police statistics Just
received In Paris. On February ! the
total population of Petrograd was 990.-
900. In addition to the deaths during
the month 77.0U0 persons left Petrograd
and on March the population was about
500. 900.
Death Stalks at Moscow. Too.
American relief workers who left
Moscow on February 10 say that deaths
In that city early in February averaged
1000 daily. They say that conditions
there were similar to those in Petrosrad,
where smallpox, typhus, starvation and
the hunger plague" were raging I'M
checked. Collins are no longer sold in
| Moscow. but are only rented for use
at funerals.
The Russian Soviet Government, nn-
cording to an announcement published
1 In the semi-ofiicial IsveStid of Moscow on
February 6, copy of which has been
received here. IL considering a PROPOSE
ton to grant large timber concessions
in northern Russia to Eduard IIannevig
! a Norwegian citizen. and other pro-
moters on condition that they build
railways. The proposed lines would
total several thousand miles.
The proposition was first considered
by the Soviet officials on February 4. but
they delayed action pending an investi
CATION OF the ability OF Hannevig e
finance the project The newspaper say
that Hannevig has banking connections
in London and New York and proposes
TO interest allied, American and neutra
firms In furnishing money for thu
| scheme. The timber concession contem
plates the granting of timber rights or
! more than 1900, 900 acres, with permits
sion to cut 100000 trees annually.
The Soviet Commissioners adopted 1
resolution declaring that tney were will
ing 10 recognize foreign capital in Rus
STA only when TIE proposed develop