The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-04-06

At Batoum the party had tea out
doors on the boulevard for which $50
roubles was paid, an equivalent of
SIZE before' the war now about 80
cents. The Americans on the trip
had what Miss Vossler describes as
a dizzy experience with erratic
rouble. They exchanged $50 piasters
$3.50 for 1900 Donnsky roubles
worth before the war $500. A shoe
shine cost her $35 and her lunch
$1,000. When she found out that
a Ratou1n chauffeur handled more
money in month than President
Wilson received for years saiary
she stopped computing.
One night she attended a big festi
val celebrating the Independence OF
the new republic of Azergeidam
which continued for two days and
two nights without inter. upton. She
was more than surprised to see the
people dancing some OF the same
folk dances which she taught the
Bennington children few years ago.
Miss Vossler was informed that
Ratoum was one of the wettest spots
on earth, that the rainfall record is
the third highest in the world. Or
30 days OF the yea it rains and rains
hard The climate is semi-tropical
and one OF the principal products is
bamboo. One of the thrilling exper-
fences in Batoum came through eff
forts to find a house. THE prices
are exorbitant, Miss Vossler writes"
and besides one has TO find quarters
for the occupants, pay them a bonus
for moving and in addition bribe and
hand over commissions to every
single soul connected with the tran.
saction. 1t is hard TO believe that
any supposedly civilized country
could become SO completely disorgani
zed and fall so thoroughly under the
control OF brigands and robbers. Be
fore the British came they were ac-
customed to hold up people in broad
daylight at the point of a gun for the
small sum of a thousand rubles. Now
the British have set price on food,
but the natives are too sharp for
them. Just as soon as a price Is fixed
for any commodity that commodity
completely disappears from the mar
ket and can only be had through
underground" methods, This is
most serious, as, Of course, the ar
ticles upon which tho prices are fixed
are the most necessary That subtle
little phrase, The self.dete gmination
of smaA nations" has a brand new
significance here. We are torn be-
tween the new republics OF Georgia,
Armenia, AzeIbeidian Cossacks, Ku-
bans and several other minor and as.
piring provinces each st.iylng to
wrest choice plum from the peace
conference. Batoum itself is seeking
to become an independent city but
each of the little nationsto-be wants
it for a sea port and there you are"
While in Batoum the American Ell.
countered anothe. Of the mysterious
antics of the Russian rouble The
Donnsky roubles, which they pur-
chased before beginning the trip,
suddenly ceased to be legal tender at
the Gtores, The travellers we're told
that they must have Georgian or
Cavasky roubles which cost twice as
much with no decrease in prices
| Tidis. the Paris and capital OF
Georgia did not meet expectations
but it was an Improvement over Ba.
ltoum. The city boasts an American
club where the relief workers were
entertained while looking for other
/ quarters
The last entry In the section of the
diary is dated February 5, is headed
zen route" and reads as follows;
THE trip so far has been uneyentful.
We had a riot getting tickets because
uf The hordes OF refugees Wiling to
pay proce, so we called in a requisi.
ton. No one on board appears to
speak English and as time wears on
we are almost grateful. When we are
not eating we spend our time trying
to write up expense accounts What
with English pounds, Turkish llras
Donnsky, Cafkasky and Georgian
roubles and a dozen different rates
of exchange Juggling around, It's Z
fascinating game, ! got mine all
straight hut So rubles when riad5
lup personally and then discovered in
dark corner of my purse memor.
andum that Ratoum pawn shor
owes me so roubles. That's gentle
way they have of making change
simply handing you a Sip of ]. o. U
which you must take out in trade
later. At meal time we entertained
.....uI.... ..,.-tf. ~. t,or.a.d Ttoi