The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-09-19
GREWSOME CONDITIONS
IN FAMINE DISTRICTS
REPORTED BY FRIENDS

whole of the yolga valley from kazan
10 Astrakan. normally the bread pro-
ducing district not only for the rest
Of European Russia but for many 9th
err parts of the world. according to-
reports of Friends representatives
The report follows in part:
THE conditions in Siberia and
southwestern Russia are better, while
in the Immediate vicinity of Moscow
there has been an excellent yield, but
in the first instance the matter of
TRANSFORMATION is tedious and uncer-
tain, and in the last two the supply
Is not expected to meet the local de-
mands. Figures vary widely and
wildly. but 100000 people are said
Tin an official report to one of the
Moscow newspapers) to be unable toI
exist over the next winter without
government or foreign aid.
Recently returned travellers bring
grewsome stories of conditions al
ready prevalent in the Volga district.
Railroad stations are maSsed with
people, some fleeing from the cities
% the country in the hope of finding
remnants of bread there; others leaY-
ing the starving villages for what
hey hope to find the more food-favor-
I'd city centres.
Wartime refugee situations are de
veloping; children left orphans by the
death or wilful desertion Of their par
snts, cholera and typhus becoming
endemic along the main routes OF
.ravel, reported outbreaks of the
black plague have not been well au-
thenticatedl. people eating grass when
their provisions for the journey to ST.
IBERIA had been devoured before the
arrival of the train to take them
there.
Trying to Meet Situation
THE Russian government is trying
10 cope with the situation. Among
other measures they are endeayoring
to send the inhabitants of the famine
districts into more favored localities.
institutions for orphans and refugees
and sanatoria, many of which had
been located in the famine area be-
cause OF it's usual productivity, are to
be evacuated in regularly organized
trains to the central and northern
parts of Russia and to Siberia. Vari-
Gus cities have offered to receive
varying numbers of these children
Moscow already has over 400 of them.
equipped with kitchens and supplies
TO run with emigrees from Saratof
Samara, Kazan and other Volga cities
to Tashkent and Siberia, each train
carrying some 500 people and making
the trip in about 10 days.
''In addition to this attempt at or
ganized execution there is a tremen
dous amount of individual flight. As
A result of so much movement along
the main travel routes special bases
Of food and medical relief are to be
established at the larger railroad
iunctures. provision train (witf
kitchens) capable of feeding 5000
children day is already established
at Samara, and smaller one Ka
zan. Others will soon be operating
At Orenburg, Simbirsk, Chiliabinsk
and Omsk.
"The local committees arrange fol
the distribution of the food. usually
from tents adjacent to the trains
Bath and laundry trains, formerly de
voted to the army, are to be sent tC
the same places in order to prevent
if possible, the spread of typhus an(
other diseases. Refugees are to bt
bathed and their clothes, if vermin
infected, to be burned.
These plans unfortunately will b'
greatly affected by the lack of new
clothing to provide people, as all re
ports from the provinces show tina
to be one of the greatest needs. Yes
terday's paper stated that 100000 set
of underwear were Immediately re
quired for adults and that there wa
absolutely no children's underwea
available for this very laudable pun
pose
Anyone who saw how typhu
crawled along the railroad line acros
Siberia and was almost unheard q
in no-travel haunted neighborhood
will heartily encourage the attempt t
delouse refugees at every static
where the train stops long enough [
do SO.
Food is, of course, obviously tn
greatest need of all Especially CT
reals are required, as the Russia
peasant is more dependent on brea
than one unacquainted with him ca
imagine. Soap is often overlooke
as a relief commodity, but it is yer
lacking here now, and | believe W
have been more thanked by children
their parents and teachers for it tina
Tor any other one thing.
Medicines we have already tel
graphed for, and the diseases we al
likely to meet are best combatted b
other means. Agateware bowls fc
feeding children and large iron Ike
ties for cooking purposes are bad
needed
They could be used to the create
number possible, as all househoI
utensils are unbelievably scarce. TT
infection caused by the use of WOO
en- spoons and bowls and by sever
persons use of the same utensil
the same time is obvious but almo
unavoidable