Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-10-28
HOOVER TAKES
INITIATIVE TO
AVERT FAMINE
Asks Congress to Place Other
wise Useless Surplus in
VOlga Valley.
CONDITIONS SET OUT

Special to Indiana Daily Times
and Philadelphia Public Ledger.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2S. - Herbert
Hoover, as head of the American Relief
Association, has appealed to Congress to
assist in a small way toward averting
a famine in the VoIga valley. now threat
ening the lives Of 10000 COO In q let
ter to Representative Kahn Of California,
chairman Of the House Military Affairs
Committee, he asked the War Depart
ment to be authorized to place at the
disposal Of the relief forces otherwise
useless surplus material.
Secretary Weeks informs us that
there are considerable quantities Of such
things as used clothing. surplus medical
and food supplies costing the Govern
ment large amounts for storage and
preservation" Mr. Hoovers letter said
land believe no greater purpose could
be found for their application than in
saving human life in this great area Of
distress"
DESOLATIoN AND
DESPAIR PICTURED.
Once probably the largest and most fer
tile valley in Europe, the VOlGa district
according to reports from John 2. Gregg
and DR. Vernon Kellogg made public
by Mr.. Hoover, is now the picture Of
starvation. desolation and despair
In describing the conditions IN the Tar
tar socialist soviet republic, an "autOno-
nous republic" responsible to the central
soviet government, Mr.. Gregg stated the
Drought in the Volga valley has resulted
in a complete failure of the crops with
no surplus to carry the country over
to the next harvest. His description Of
conditions, in part follows:
The consequence of this calamity has
been, primarily. starvation in the villa ges
and its approach in the cities. The peas
ants have started to migrate. most Of
them going to Turkestan, with the Polish
immigrants re-emigrating TO Poland, all
leaving all they owned behind: the to-
tai unorganized migrations to date have
been about 10000 with an organized ad-
ditional fight OF about the same number.
SCANTY HARVEST
IN PROSPECT.
THE Russian villages have some vege-
tables planted and in q few cases will
harvest a very scanty crop of second
growth of oats though the rye crops
were a complete failure; the Tartar viii
lagos on the other hand, have in most
ca ses nothing whatever. All villages in
the worst stricken areas are living prac-
tically altogether on grass, roots, some
few potatoes and a little meat, the latter
only sacrifice to the family table Of q
last and much needed domestic animal.
1.-THE majority of the children and
some of the adults are already swollen
with bIoat caused by such a diet and
the death rate is high, though exact
figures are not available. Epidemics are
not common. Cholera has been almost
wiped out and the season for typhus
has not yet commenced There is, how
ever, great deal Of dysentery and ma
laria and there are no medicines to COM
bat them.
1.-THE total number of children in the
republic is about 100000 OF that num-
ber the following are taken care of by
the government Thirty thousand en-
tirely in the institutions and hospitals.
250,OO0 partially in schools. receiving
black bread and coffee daily. and the
rest of their nourishment at home. Prac-
tically no assistance is given in villages
where the need is and will be the great
est There are 100000 between the ages
of 8 and Is that receive no help and
100000 I years and under that are in the
same condition. Such assistance as the
government is now giving it threatens
to withdraw on Oct. 1."-COpyright 1921,
by Public Ledger Company.