The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-07-21
REAL famine IN
s6 [ Il ] MOSCOW ) !
Diary Of an American Friend
DiscIoses Conditions.
FOES THINNER and GRAYER

Food Shortage Combined With Lack
], Of Fuel for transportation Has
Brought Hardship to Many Moscow
citizens-Teiis Of Meals at Work.
inemen's Restaurant-streets Seem
TO Be Safe at Night and There Are
No Reports OF Holdups.
Faces are bit thinner and grayer
ln Moscow than they were three
months ago. writes Anna j. Haines.
of Moorestown,s N. j. in her diary.
which has just been received in Phil
adelphia by. the American Friends
service committee at 20 South
18th street. Miss Haines is their,
representative in Moscow for Russian
relief work in cooperation with
Arthur j. Wattes, an English Friend.
The food shortage, she says. COM
bined with lack of fuel for transporta-
ton, has brought real famine condi-
lions to many Moscow citizens. Miss
Haines herself eats her breakfast on
her way to the Friends warehouse,
there being no means of preparing
food in her room and black bread re-
quiring no preparation.
Dine at Workingmen's Restaurant
At noon the two Quakers have
government permission to receive q
dinner apiece at the WOrkingmen's
restaurant, which is run by the soviet
department of supplies, in the vicinity
Of the warehouse. 1t is low-ceil--
lnged, steamy room filed with OIL.
cloth covered tables and long benches.
where, on the presentation Of prop
or ticket, one receives a tin bowl Of
soup containing bit of fish or meat
and a plate Of boiled buckwheat or
millet, creased with sunflower oil.
One must bring ones own fork and
spoon or eat with ones fingers. pro
cedure which is not considered improp-
or there. She says that she and Mr..
Watts enjoy going to this restaurant,
as they meet all sorts of people and
the food is really very good. They
are considered somewhat Of curiosity
and somewhat Of a nuisance at the
restaurant because they invade the
kitchen to wash their hands. ,.g.
The warehouse Is sealed every night
at 4 O'Clock, which is closing time.
The ceremony takes several people,
one holding candle, another melting
the wax, dampening the seal. etc. Final
" the reconstruction star shines out
In uncracked purity Of line, which is
supposed to guarantee that the sup
plies will be intact throughout the
night. The workers then shake hands
with the manager and six or eight
workmen and depart for the Savoy
hotel. where Arthur Wattes is the guest
Of the government-by his own wish
p paying guest.
~ Supper At the Hotel.
Here the first task 10 the collection
Of the materials for supper. Some Of
this comes from the hotel dining room
in the form Of government rations,
some from q caldron Of boiling water
which can usually be found in the ser
vice room Of the Savoy, and some from
the fast dwindling stores brought In
for private consumption by earlier
workers. Miss Haines says her En-
glish colleague affects to scorn these
toothsome extras, but that she and her
Russian aids make no pretense Of BE-
Ing above such luxuries, their only
anxiety being lest the. next INSTALL
ment may not arrive by the time these
are gone. .t,4r...
While the dishes are being washed,
Mr.. Nuorteva, the assistant secretary
for foreign affairs, usually strolls in
with an apology for his lack Of col
lar and glad to accept q cup Of real
coffee. He gives them little for
eign news and perhaps some domestic
gossip before. he departs for his Of
ice. The Russian foreign department
does most of its work in the night,
as they say that fewer cranks bother
them then. During the evening while
stock books and accounts are spread
out on the table, various callers drop
in. First among them is a Tolstoyan.
bright Of eye and eager to talk on
every spiritual or intellectual subject,
and likely to stay till the lights 60
out. Then follow Red soldier COM
rades, neutrality-suspicious., cal
iers from neighboring rooms Ia search
Of something and transient American
business men. At 1920 Miss Haines
calls the working day finished and
tramps OF through the dark snowy
streets. a mile or more to her own
quarters. She says that the streets
Of Moscow seem to be perfectly safe
at night, as she hears Of no holdups.
Never are the city's old towers and
walls 80 picturesque as on a starry
winter evening.
Wul Pay Aftsr Corn Reaches 81 Blu.
An agreement made between Frank
Nelson plumber, and D. Fl. Sullivan, Of
Fort Dodge, Ia, provides that plumb
R-Y