The New York herald., 1921-11-29
SOVIETS TO RESTORE
SHIPPING IN YOLGA
Is One Of Spring Tasks Which
VIII Confront the Gov
ernment.
WOULD END FOOD FAMINE
Seed Grain Must Be Provided
for All Along the
River.

4 staff correspondent of the Associated
Press writing from Suizran, on the
Volga, on October 16. says the restora-
ton Of The shipping OF the VQlsa. the
greatest commercial highway OF Russia,
is one Of the tasks for the spring con-
fronting the Soviet Government, to-
gether with that of providing seed grain
and food until midsummer for the entire
population OF the regions bordering the
river.
This tas4r is linked to and as irnpor-
tant as the restoration of overseas ship
ping In the Baltic and Black Seas, the
saving of tine Baku oil fields. the Caspian
fisheries Of sturgeon and caviar or the
speeding up eff the railway systems.
, Little Mother volga, 1905 miles
long. the largest river OF Europe, naviga-
BILE almost from the very gates OF Mos
COW down to the Caspian Sea. means
more to Russia than the Mississippi to
the United Suates, because of the fewer
railways in Russia.
The Volga chipping was the best and
most highly organized artery OF COM
merce cs the cid empire, Up and down
its ways were aoated grain. fish, petro-
leura. salt ana timber. More than the
railways, it WAS a freight and passenger
highway. More than 1000 Oil burning
steamers piled up and down its chan
nels.
Magnificent twenty-five knot paseen-
ger steamers wen t from Nijni-Novgorod
to Astrakhan, antl there passengers and
freight were tranahipped to the Caspian,
and thence to Baku, the business centre
OF the Caucasus and Persia, or to Krane-
novodsk, the landing port for Turkestan.
1t was "a world Of inland commerce OF
Great Russia quite unknown TO western
Europe.
Now the big tantsne has called atten-
ton to the Volga. Frozen from Novem-
ber to April, she Will then again assert
herself, unless another drought cripples
her slow moving waters. Like the
Missouri. but moro particularly the
Mississippi, the VolgsL has her moods,
she changes her channels. and carries
big Quantities of blaGk and brown earth
which she deposits here and there. to
the dismay Of the pilots. In pre-war
days dredging machines kept her chan
nels open, but since abe general war
and during the revolution these dredg-
ers haven't been so busJ.
Another factor has baen the gradual
disorganization of the STEAMER services,
with unrepaired engineg and incompe-
tent or dissatisfied crews. Under the
Soviet control. no fares uere paid until
September last, and neithHr captains nor
crews nave Tor many fnnnthS received
either pay or food. And s., 1t has gone
Until from 200 and odd STEAMERS daily
on the river there are but AN odd hun
dred. In Astrakhan the correspondent
waited three days to get q berth. Thot-
sands of refugees perish from hunger
while waiting for boats.
one step toward improving the service
mas peen the recent reestabfishment OF
fares so profits may be earned.
The Communist commssarA aboard
the vessels. ostensibiy to control the cap
tain. appears to devote most of his time
to private trade and doesn't interfere
seriously in the running OF the vessel.
When the steamers are turned back TO
their original company owners. as is pos
sible. it Is expected that Volga traffic
may get in the way of functloning
again.