The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-08-06
RUSS|A's DISMAL
ECONOMIC STATE
Even Soviet Papers Admit
Great Scarcity of
Produce
TAX IN KIND PLAN
'''.-'' YIELDS NOTHING
Large Industrial Centers Experiencing
Grave Supply Crisis-BolsheviM Plan
Great Grain Reserve But Has No
Grain-GOOd Crops in Ukraine.

pEdH-OOOu crops III NhidAfc'
RIGA, Latvia, Aug. 6 (Associated
PRESS All Russian news sources, Boil
shevik and i-Bolshevik alike, paint
a dismal picture of Russia's economic
condition this summer.
Soviet newspapers themselves admit
that the famine which threatens the
country may be even worse than in pre-
cedng years of Bolshevik regime. On
the other hand. the. Bolshevik govern
ment contends that, notwithstanding the
great difficulties attending the change of
Lenines policies during what it terms
as the present period of transition from
civil war to peace Russia is slowly, vet
steadily advancing on the road to Festi-
tuition of her economic life.
The agricultural machinery which has
arrived from abroad will be of little as
sistance. this year, it is admitted. The
crop failures in many governments have
affected so large a proportion of the area
Sown that the machinery already on
hand will be ample to harvest this year $
crop. In fact there are more machines
than live stock to draw them and be
cause of the drought the already depleted
supply of draft animals is threatened
with further extinction because pasture
lands are drying up.
BOlsheyist View.
The Riga BoISheyik newspaper, Novy
Put. recently printed from Moscow an
extremely frank admission. 1t said:
Several months already have passed
since the new economic course has been
inaugurated in Soviet Russia. But TO
put, as it We're. the engine on a new
track. is no easy task and one not TO
be soon accomplished. The country is
large, the population Is sparse, com
municationS and roads are generally bad
and the transport service is dislocated.
The same is the case with the postal and
telegraph traffic.
The new economic policy could not,
of course, as yet have yielded any APP
preciable results. At the same time,
during the transition period the eco
nOmic situation of Russia is at present
an exceptionally grave one. The old
distribution system has been abolished
and does not yield anything. while the
new (tax in kind system can be ex-
pected to yield results only after sew
eral months.
No Food for Industries.
Moscow. Petrograd and other large
industrial centers are experiencing a
grave supply crisis. which is only in a
Slight measure alleviated by imports
! from abroad, from Siberia and from
the Caucasus. This. in its turn, can not
but influence unfavorably the prodhctiv-
| ity of Industrial establishments. lA the
| Donetz district the output of coal has
been only 50 per cent of the program. In
| the Moscow mining district, too, the
production has decreased.
| To make the calamity complete. there
are the droughtS following upon an al
most snowless winter. The Nolga terri
| tory is under the menace of famine Ow-
ing to a poor harvest On the other hand.
| i'm some parts. for instance in the west
ern portion of the Ukraine, the outlook
/ 'The prospects of realizing the harvest
| by means of the tax in kind. as we'll as
| by free purchase. are nevertheless fairy
satisfactory. 1t Is expected to establish
la 400.0o000O pools grain reserve.
which would make it possible to put in-
dustry on firm footing. With this end
/ in view it will of course, be necessary
to strain the government and the coop
erative apparatus to the utmost as was
suggested by Lenine.
Relief from Big Army.
1T must of course, be borne in mind
! that no war is going on at present, the
| Red army is being dcmObiliZed and will
shortly have been reduced to one half Of
| its former strength. The idea of inter
vention in the Far East does not seem
to meet with the approval of the pow
ers, which are up TO their ears IN trout
| bles of their own, which, in spite of all
their efforts, they are unable to over
leone.
Nevertheless, everything points to the
| fact that Soviet Russia, Notwithstanding
the great difficulties she has to face in
the present period of transition, is
Islowly. yet steadily advancing on the
road to restitution of her economic life. "
A congress of food supply officials OF
| all Russia. called by Lenine to work
out a plan of averting the worst effects
of the threatened famine and to devise
means for collecting the available food
stuffs. has just closed at Moscow. Most
of the speakers were peSSimistic, accord
ing to the Moscow BOlshevik newspa-
Ipers. 1t was shown that, because OF
the disorganized state of transportation
grain would rot in the fields in the pro
ductive regions. while the cities would
have to be put on short rations, unless
food could be imported from abroad.