The Washington times., 1921-02-06

/. |NPETROCRAD
Masses Fight Famine by Swap
ping Clothes for Food-60O,-
600 Inhabitants Remain.

Plaques, epidemics, cold and star
walton are running grim race "a
see which can depopulate Petrograd
quickest, according TO a gloomy PIC
ture OF conditions In that city, writ,
ten by M. Colombino, secretary ol
the Italian Federation OF Metal
Workers. His investigation covered
a period OF three months. The re-
suits, published In Idea Rationale. ol
Rome, were made public here yester.
day.
"Petrograd Is in mourning; almost
deserted" wrote M. Colombino. "of
its two million and a half inhabitants
there are now little more than oOO.ooo
left. Some OF the absentees have emil
grated to the country to find more
easily food on which to subsist: 9TH
ers are at the frvnt fighting; some
have died In the war, In the revolu'
tions and by plaques, and not few
died OF hunger and cold.
"It Is a horrible thing, a spectacle
which wrings the heart and brings
a curse to the lips--a curse which ID
certainly not directed against those
who first made the revolution, nor
against the BolshevikA who were
| then forced to take possession oi
power.
"Shops closed, private trade pro-
hibited, shop windows smashed, the
shutters hanging in tatters along the
streets, make the city mourful anc
ugly. Here and there tho height OF
irony Is reached when one sees a Few
shreds OF Advertisements OF BorsalinC
hats. for China Migone ian italian
variety of hairwash). or for the latest
models OF Paris fashions. The trans
run at very rare intervals, and oniy
for few hours day on some Of the
principal lines.
BARGES LEFT TO ROT.
"Along the Neva one may see huge
barges sunk In the water and left 10
rot The roads which were once upon
a time paved with wooden blocks, are
now almost totally destroyed, having
been broken up for fuel to heat
houses. Thirty-six thousand wooden
houses were destroyed last winter to
provide fuel.
Drinking water Is entirely lacking
throughout the city because the cole
burst the pipes. The recent violent
epidemic OF typhoid. which killed on
thousands of victims. is to q certain
extent the consequence OF this stat'
OF things, as we'll as OF the tota
lack Of hygienic. sanitary and alimen
tary measures. When one noticei
how the Inhabitants are clad and shod
one receives a marked sensation o.
the profound misery which has strick
en- this heroic and stole population.
"The alimentary conditions OF thu
population are far from pleasant. Tn
rationing of citizens is divided int
three categories. The ordinary foot
consists of a little bread. made witt
mixture Of rye and straw and Al
per cent OF water: a dish Of soup
made with millet cooked in water
and occasionally a bit OF rotten mea
| or stale fish.
WOMEN WITHOUT SHOES.
"The weirdest custumes may b'
| seen. Many OF the women are withou
shoes or stockings. Some OF then
| wear mems blouses and others littl
| short skirts drawn up short like sum
mer dresses. / saw one woman proud.
walking about in her bathrobe, whicl
in better days had obviously been use'
by some lady at the seashore. / me
few women neatly dressed. but the.
|
bourgeoisie, or else employees occupy
ing higher posts in the new admins
| tration.
| mo less squalid and desolate ar,
the conditions in Moscow. The ali
mentary conditions are very bad ant
the supply organization is exceeding
ly deficient. Just recently over 400,
900 false food cards have been discov
cred. In the city there are 29,6S6 un
employed. Three hundred thousand
roubles a month are necessary to live
and the workman in the factorie!
earns from 10000 to 10000. They sa,
that all manage somehow. a little b,
working overtime, a little by stealing
and by selling some OF the household
furniture.
| Fabulous prices are current in th'
| clandestine commerce. An old ha
costs 5000 roubles; an old iron bed
5000 roubles: an old umbrella, $500
roubles; collars, 300 roubles each; ,
shirt, 1000 roubles; coarse bread, 70'
roubles a pound; white bread, from
| 200 to $4,000 roubles pound; eggs
from 120 to $50 roubles each, and but
ter, 600 roubles a kilo.