Cleveland County herald., 1921-04-21
News of the World
FEEDING SOVIET RUSSIA.
By PATRICK QUINLAN.


 of feeding Russia has always been a complex one for several obvious req sons. First, the vast expanse of Rus sla and Siberia form the largest single territorial unit in the world; secondly, there are about ITO million people to provide for in this immense stretch of land, reaching from ] Vladivostock to Petrograd and from the Arctic to the Caspian sea. Thus there IS an area of approximately six and one-half million square miles to be supplied with foodstuffs. During the reign of the Czars, when industry 1 and railroads were presumably in good condition, whole sections were frequently reduced to starvation, and underfeeding proved almost as uni versal as the national samovar.
 It is no cause for wonder, then, that with the breakdown of the in- dustrial system and the disintegra- tion of the railways as result of the revolution, the problem should be aggravated a thousandfold, not to mention the Allied blockade and foreign wars. The Soviet govern ment has met this difficult problem in a sane and practical way. It created a central bureau for the equal distribution of the food supply on hand. This bureau is known as the Supreme Economic Council and is assisted by local councils all over the country. The Supreme Economic Council is directed by Professor Milutov, the well known economist, and this body has first preference in the avenues and channels of distri- button, including transportation. Since peace has been signed with Poland, this department in the So- viet government is considered the most important and in all matters is given the right of way. In this manner ITO million persons, with the exception of the small peasant farmer, who retains sufficient quantity of wheat and oats to feed himself, are fed each day.
 Every ounce of food is distributed by card. The single ration of ''pioke," as it is called, consists of pound and a half of bread and portion of meat or fish and tea. The system has been perfected to such an extent that the ignorant peasant who in many instances, might have doubled the efficiency of the Soviet system, has become not only recon ciled but. recollecting his poverty stricken condition under the Czar's regime, is now convinced that the new form of government is equitable.
 The headquarters of the Supreme Economic Council is in Moscow and employs 25.000 persons in that city all over the country is near the mil lion mark. The Council has adopted the simplest method of distribution possible. Surveys of the food on hand are made with the utmost exactness and then, when the fall harvest has been estimated, it is doled out on basis of population all over the coun- try. Making due allowance for the governments lack of experience and the demoralization of the arteries of distribution, the Soviet government has succeeded admirably in feeding the population of Russia. What is notable about all this is the astonish- ing fact that never before in the long history of Russia has every ele- ment been fed To be sure, the feed ing is inadequate and is far from meeting the needs of the people; but there is no actual starvation. Moth CTS and babes at the breast receive a cereal allowance, as do all child ren, for the Soviet government holds that the future of Russia lies with the children. It is interesting to note that while the upper and middle classes in Germany are well fed, the laboring population is on the verge of starvation. In Russia there is absolutely no discrimination.
 Certainly the system as l saw it at work is by no means free from minor abuses. as well as the intricacies of red tape. But on the whole it does the necessary work admirably. In Moscow I watched the food distribu- ting agency perform it's offices with remarkable efficiency. Professor Milutov showed me through the de- partmental offices and warehouses and outlined the machinery of dis tribution to me. In addition to large number of small shops or small CT distributing points throughout the city. At these shops each day l be- held long queues of people waiting in turn for their ration of food. The former aristocrat stood next to the LLo toI Ixy