The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-12-19
Bread Very Scarce Article
In Old Petrograd
.DURANDAPUTO MARKET
Allied Blockade Continues and
Russia Must Undergo Most
Serious AffIiction

Helsingfors, Finland, November II.
i-lCorrespondence of The Associat-
ed Press. 1.-The only bread the ma :
Jerity OF the residents of Petrograd
have been able TO obtain for months
has been The so called "duranda,' .
made from flaxseed skins from which
the oil has been pressed NJ. Saponen
Petrograd art dealer who recently
succeeded in escaping from bolshe.
visit Russia TO Finland. who discloses
this situation says the bread is highly
irritating and causes stomach trou-
BILE.
NJ. Saponen expressed the opinion
that, IL the allied blockade continued.
the worst months for bolshevist Rus
sia- would be March and April. He
stated that, though unemployment,
was general in Petrograd, il was diff
ficult to hire workmen owing to theil
weakened condition and apathy. The
propertied class, who are not allow
ed food rations, get nothing except
what they manage to buy surrepti-
ously by selling their furniture and
other possessions.
Sarterng Is Practical.
"Bartering is extensively practiced
in Petrograd and Moscow as well az
in the country" continued NJ Sapon
en-. "No one may legally possess
more than 5000 rubles. When PEG.
PIE have nothing more with which
they may trade they must join the
communist. party in order to get
work. That is difficult, however. for
the burgeoisie. All the educated
people try to move into the country
where conditions are better"
|: Last March, foreigners, who up &c
that time had enjoyed special priv.
leges. became the objects of persecu-
ton, declared M. Saponen. This
gradually increased until June wheI
foreigners. especially the English
were attacked wholesale.
THE Germans after the Brest.
Litovsk conference could do as they
liked. but a change came with the
German revolution. The German dip
lomats were badly treated and after
June / all Germ ans shared the fate
of other foreigners"
Little Home Life In Petrograd.
There has been little home life In
Petrograd since July I. NJ. Saponer
stated. when parents were ordered
to- take all meals in the communal
eating houses This order has moi
been extended to Moscow.
Owing to the closing of millinery
shops and other places employin:
large numbers of women, those who
were physically able went into the
munitfon work and other factories
The remainder were shut off from E
livelihood and were forced TO sniff
for themselves as best they could.
What police protection Petrogra6
enjoys is given by women, said NJ
Saponen, and continued:
"A year ago every person was 2
law unto himself, the authorities do
ing little TO suppress lawlessness
but since spring the police and mill.
tia. made up of women from the
Baltic provinces, have been trying to
keep order. In Moscow there is /
regular militia. the members o
which are often. themselves, arrest
ed by soldiers"
Although burglars caught in Petro
grad are promptly executed by the
bolshevists, robberies are still fire.
quent.
Wines and vodka are still obtain
able at exorbitant prices.
Asked if the bolshevists wer'
showing any signs of fractional divi-
sion. NJ. Saponen said that none
would admit publicly that there was