Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-11-11
UNITED STATES
IS SLAVS' ONLY
HOPE FOR BREAD
In Three Provinces 500,-
600 Children a n d
a Million Adults May
Starve Before Christmas
(By The Associated Press.)

Samara, Nov. 10 (by Staff Cor
respondent of the Associated
Press. 1.-The whole truth about the
famine becomes readily apparent
after observation here. Reports of
millions of people eating grass or
lying In a dying condition on the
banks of the volga river or mi
grating en- masse are rather far
fetched.
Entering the famine area the
correspondent had provided him
self with canned r.eats and hard
bread but was not compelled to use
any of 1t In the first two weeks of
travel as food was always available
at reasonable prices.
People do not die of hunger in
one week. 1t takes months of un-
derfeeding. Then they reach the
point where they are unable to eat
food at all. Their hands, feet and
stomachs begin to swell or they
succumb to an epidemic of malaria
or else the new disease described
as aneuria, no cure for which Is
known here. Or they may be kill
ed by cold winds, SHOWS, and rains
which have been setting in for the
past two weeks, with each hour
taking a toll of hundreds.
The people of the provinces of
Samara, Kazan and Simbirsk are in
a starving condition. In these
three provinces, there are probably
100000 children and 100000
adults who must die before Christ
mas.
The American relief administra-
tion is feeding barely 100000 chill
dren but is giving no food to the
adults. One of the best effects of
its food distribution will be to
cheaper prices and check the
boarding of foodstuffs.
The Moscow government ap-
pears unable to send food into this
district owing to lack of money
and poor Organization. Also the
typical Russian indifference to
misery is evident.
The correspondent while sitting
on the platform of railway sta
tion throughout a long, cold night,
waiting for a train, saw a bare
footed, little insane girl tripping
along but the train hands and other
refugees let her wander unaided
until she drifted past the red sentry
into waiting room already filled to
overflowing with several thousands
of persons lying asleep on the floor.
A member of the local soviet
who lived in the United States for
seven years showed no pity but
said: "You foreigners do not real
ize how much our peasants can
stand. They are used to starya-
tion."
The famine area does not pre-
sent a forbidding aspect. except
in the fields from which no har-
vests were obtained. The meadows
and grazing lands showed many
herds Of horses and cattle. The
seemed abnormally quiet.
yet their workers were abroad put
ting in winter rye and wheat. To
the visitor they made the customa-
ry charge that If it had not been for
the soviet acquisitions their crops
would have been sufficient.
Now our only hope for bread is
they say; yet many
know they must die by winter and
accept their fate with stocism.
"Why leave our homes and go
lie on the railway stations?" many
If them retort when asked why they
10 not desert their land.
Medical conditions are distress
ng. The country doctors are un-
,ble to practice as they are with
,ut medicines and the situation IS
almost the same in the fifteen hos |
oitals of Samara. DIR. Glasson, the
surgeon in one of these hospitals,
having 1870 patients said: I'VE have
10 quinine, no bandages. no aspi-
in, no choloroform, nothing"
The same condition exiors In the |
,hildren's hospitals and also In the |
iozens Of homes open for the care
# refugees, for there are no sani-
ary arrangements.