Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-08-08
100000
AREI!STARV RVINC
Mrs. Harrison Declares
Two-thirds of Russians
On Hunger Rations.
CROPS ENDANGERED
She Predicts Food Situation Will
Have Vital Bearing On Public
Health-Pulish Campaign Hurt.

Berlin, Aug. S.-The American
relief workers who are about 10 go
into famine stricken Russia rroba-
bly viii! find 100000 persons in
the Volga basin actually starving
and two-thirds of the entire popula-
ton Of Russia on hunger rations,
according to Mrs. Marguerite +.
Harrison, the Baltimore newspaper
woman, recently released from
prison in Soviet Russia.
This Mrs. Harrison attributes TO
international economic and po!ltica!!
disintegration under Soviet rule, ana
also to the ravages of the lnterneclnee
wars against Admiral kolchak and
General Wrangel, and t. the drought
What the drought failed to accom-
plish conscription of farm hands
and the requisitioning of grain for
the Red armies completed.
The result is that tire Ukranlan
Republic, normally the granary OF
Russia, barely is able to sustain 1t
self. Siberia virtually is IN the
same predicament. Neither region
is willing TO surrender grain to the
famine sections, and m!grations OF
peasants n now proceeding. complete
iv halting the autumn planting,
which constitutes a threat against
next years crops. The food sltua,
ton, Mr.. Harrison sad, also WI!
have swift and decisive bearing
on the public health, although the
Russian sanitary crops nad tne
cholera situation in haad when she
left Moscow at the end of July.
The famine area begins between
NiZhni- -NovgoroG and K"Zan en- the
north and extends soulhward IN a
broad belt to Tsaritsin. on both sides
of the Volga, embracing the Tartar
Republic provinces OF Slmbirsk, Sa-
mara, Saratov, PenZa end Tamoor:
the Tcherkask Repub!i., parts OF
RiaZan and Tula, and Il large part OF
the province of Ufa to <he foothills
of the Ural Mountains.
Famine conditions have been
made worse by poor transportation
and the inefiiciency Of LOCAL diserl-
button organization, which have
been vigorously attacked by the
newspapers during he past few
weeks. For instance. S5 per cent of
the milk spoiled in the Moscow Gov
ernmeat was due to the defective or
eaniza.ion OF the receiving stations.
Pitiful stories Of suffering are
told on all sides. The peasants of
Tambov are reported to be eating
bread made of straw, nntato parlngs
and weeds. 1t is called lebedya: In
the Novenski prison where Mrs.
Harrison was detained tie bread was
adulterated with flour which ap-
pcared to have been made from COW
peas. Kasha, the staple cereal OF
the peasants, has been rep laccd by
flageolet beans, which ere imported.
Mrs. Harrison visited the Volga
basin with the British .abOr delega-
ton a year ago. when size observed
symptoms Of the approaching food
shortage. This, she said. is not the
result of the crop failure. but of the
economic conditions prevailing since
the beginning of the rc"olution: Dur
ing the kolchak campaign the Folga
provinces were overrun, with the re-
suls tilaS the fields were not cultlVa,-
ted and the population scattered.
This wa one reason Why the ottic-
ial figures for 1920 showed that the
number of farm workers IN Russia
had decreased 30 PEE cent since
1916.
Continued on Page Two.)