The Washington herald., 1921-09-07
SAMARA PEASANTS STARVE
WHILE. STORES SELL FOOD
Floyd Gibbons Can Buy Meal for $l.5O, But
100000 in State of Samara Have
Nothing to Eat.

street OF the Guy to"aio the SD
terry. People on the sidewalks. or
in groups In front OF the stores
were constantly making signs OF the
cross as the professions Of body
bearers passed.
shops Re-opening.
The few shopkeepers who have re-
opened their businesses. are at
tempting to make their pitiful sup
plies look as attractive as possipie.
The gradual change back TO the oio
policy of private ownership ana tne
operation, of the small private stores
now makes the past failures OF the
government all the more apparent.
particularly in view of the fact that
the change comes at time when
any other state in the world FACED
with the same crisis would change
from private ownership to imedi.
ate government confiscation OF 1000
supplies for feeding its starving
children.
1t Is a strange commentary on the
so-called communism here in Sama-
ra that thousands are lying IN the
streets slowly dying Of starvation
while 1t is possible for me to walk
into the principal restaurant anu
order a 70,eo0. rouble meal, consist
ing of cabbage soup, beef. potatoes
bread and butter, tea and white
cakes with stewed fruit, or, to walk
out with two pounds Of the nnest
Russian caviar under my arm Tor
the modest sum of not quite $l.5O,
which is much cheaper than it could
have been obtained before the war.
And this in days of great hunger
Sleep Outside Parks.
But one learns Russia by its con-
tradictions. For instance after din
ner l went to the public park on
the banks of the Volga at the end
of the town. Sleeping on the
ground or on the benches at night
is prohibited the same as in Amer
lea, only here in Samara the weary.
hungry and sleepless ones stay out
side of he park, peering through
the railings at the more or less
happy scenes under the garlands OF
electric lights strung among the
lower branches of the trees. Under
big collection of arc lights a
hve-piece orchestra was playing
selections from the Dollar Princess.
The violinist and leader wore "A
straw hat because the night was
chill. The man at the piano was
in his shirt sleeves The clarinet
player wore a rough, much patched
corduroy suit with a visored white
hat of German band style. A wo-
man in a red waist and a blue skirt
played a cello. Soldiers and Of
ncers with their girls were saunt-
ering through the paths. taking
pains, proudly. not to salute or to
recognize one another because that
would be like the bourgeois armies.
Walters were serving tea. cigarettes.
soda, but no liquor, at tables near
the orchestra and my communist
guide proudly explained that the
park was now being exploited by
private interests who rent the place
| from the government. My guide
bargained with Isvostchik the
| driver of the drosky, for return to
our station and after our departure
up the unlighted cobblestone street
the driver continually turned around
! toward us to drive home his argu-
ments for moro money.
"HeII of n Life"
TIE fetd for my horse. costs 10
! 900 roubtes daily" he explained,
fr'and need at least 10000 roubfes
a day to keep myself and my family
of four so that I must make at
| least 100000 roubles daily to meet
expenses. 1t is a hell of a life
driving a drosky in Samara these
days"
Back at the station It was cold.
Thousands were prostrated on the
| ground. shivering. scratching and
grunting under their lousy rags and
animal hides. Most of the station
electric lights were gone. There
was plenty of electricity but the
bulbs were broken or had disap-
peared. The interior of the waiting
room was sitting from the stencil
| of SOC unclean humans who were
| lying on the floor. Occasionally a
baby cried-but only occasionally
They were too weak. All of. them
are starving. They have only one
hope. that a train may take them
| away to some land of food and
peace.
Copyright, 1871