The New York herald., 1921-09-19
RUSSIA NOW FACES
BAD CROP MENACE
Famine Situation Is Reported
as Growing Much Worse i'm
Many Provinces.

Special Gable to THE NEW YORK rrEssi.D.
Copyright, 1921, 5y THE NEW YORK HEaALn.
REvAL, via LONDON, Sept. 17.-News
regarding disorganisation IN connection
with Russian Soviet famine measures
continues to reach here. At a meeting
OF the Bolshevist Famine Committee in
Moscow recently question was raised
about the action of the Siberian Revo-
lutionary Committee In holding up all
refugees sent toward Siberia from the
Volga region. In consequence of the
action OF the Siberian committee enor-
nous crowds have collected in some of
the Ural stations. where the situation
was described as catastrophe. Now
the Bolshevild have decided to make
representations to the Siberians.''
The Soviet has organized musical and
theatrical troupes to give entertainments
throughout Europe TO aid the famine
sufferers and now proposes to issue
special postage stamp. funds from the
sale of which are TO go toward famine
relief.
Dispatches say the situation in the
Crimea Is frightful, with only $4,000
pools (2.7o0.000 pounds) OF bread for
10000 Bolshevist cavalrymen and 200.-
coo infantrymcn there. No mention Is
made of the Crimean inhabitants.
Bad crop reports have been received
from the Ukraine. and the Don. Ekater-
inoslaff. Kharkoff, Poltava, Krement-
chug and Nikolaieysk provinces are suf-
fering greatly. In seventeen districts of
Russia 1t Is questionable whether the
people there can feed themselves for
three months. All reports accentuate the
transportation difficulties. The I-vestiu,
Soviet organ, admitted as early as Au-
gust 10 that the southern railroads had
only. a coal supply for three days and
that the Siberian lines were practically
without coal.
However. another copy OF the same
newspaper denied that a famine existed
This denial was made by commissar
named Myaskoff, who said he had not
observed any deaths from hunger, az
though there were many cases OF stom-
ach complaint caused by eating weeds. :"
The famine. according to Myaskoff, had
not begun. but in the month of Decen-
ber we may expect it to assume terrible
proportions" he said.
A visitor to Syzran, a town seventy
miles south of Simbirsk, paints a gloomy
picture OF all stations between SyZran
and Simbirsk. He declared that corpscs
were in every town there and could not
be buried properly because Of lack Of
grave diggers and carpenters. He said
the bodies were thrown into pits like
dead horses.
A report of the Russian Famine Com
mission sent by radio from Moscow
says:
"rhe condition OF children in the
Chuvashky district and In the Tartar
republic is extremely pitiable. In the
orphanages of the Vyatskoi. Ufimskoi.
Samara AMI Simbirsk Governments the
children arc eating grass and the
mortality is the highest The orphanages
are crowded TO capacity.
"The number of starving children In
the Chuvashky district Is 2.9S6.o0O. In
Guiding children at the breast, who num-
Der $4,000. In the Tartar republic there
are starving 100000 children: in the
Ufnskoi district, $751; .511 In the town
of Ufa $50 children are abandoned daily
In the streets and at Samara 169.'
A second statement has been issued
by Georgevitch Tchitcherin. Minister for
Foreign Affairs repeating in greater de-
tail his accusations of intrigues by
France. He declared that he has his
information from many trustworthy
sources and said France has assured
Poland thai the Soviet Government
would yield to the proposed ultimatum-
NJ Tchitcherin appealed to "the working
masses and honest citizens of all the
world against the diabolical machina-
tons Of the French toward country
struggling with famine"
Soviet troops have been moving tow
ards the Polish and Rumanian frontiers.
During the last two weeks eight troop
trains daily have passed through kieff.