New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-03
Russian L anime
Bred by Chaos,
Hoover Asserts
Economic Collapse, Deca-
dence of Agriculture and
Decay of Transportation
Declared Primary Cause
Official Reports Quoted
Drought in volga Region
Made Critical by Enabil-
ity 10 Transfer Surplus


WASHINGTON, Aug. 2.-Secretary
Hoover to-day, in his first official state
ment on the condition of Russia under
the Bolsheviki, declared that Russia's
economic collapse. marked by a gem
eral decadence of agriculture and the
decay of transportation, were largely
responsible for the famine now af-
flicting millions in that country to
whom the United States may send re-
lief. Coupled with this, said Mr..
Hoover. was the drought in the yclga
Valley.
The most acute famine area. said
Mr.. Hoover's statement, covers the
Volga Valley from the Caspian Sea
northward.
Advices have been received by the
State Department to the effect that the
Soviet government has accded to the
terms on which relief is to given starv-
ing Russian children. The terms pro-
vided that no relief would be forthcom-
ing until every American prisoner held
by the Soviet was known to be safely
across the frontier. To date the State
Department. has not ben officially ad-
vised that any of the American host
ages have actually left Soviet terri
tory. it is, of course, known here un-
omcla!ly that Senator France, of Mary
,ahd' mas succeeded in securing the re-
lease OF Mrs. Harrison. of Baltimore.
but nothing from the Soviet govern,
melt to that effect has been received
mere as yet.
volga Conditions Reviewed
Discussing conditions in the yolga
region Secretary Hoover said:
The drought in this area would not
be of such fatal character but for the
general decadence OF agriculture. in re-
ductlon OF surplus in other regions and
IN the decay of transportation, rem
dering most difficult the movement of
such local SURPRISES as do still exist,
Examples of reports from the drought
area show the province of Samara SOW
ing this spring only So per cent of the
acreage cultivated last year. In the
province of kazan $4,000 acres usually
cultivated were not sown at all. To
the west of the Volga Valley less than
30 per cent of the arabic territory in
Province of Oral was sown, and in the
province OF lula only 20 to 35 per cent
OF the necessary seed for sowing was
availale
Overriding such local situations
there has been a steady decline in
agricultural production ever since the
revolution, owing to the lack of in
centive to farmers to provide more
than their own needs, to the shortage
OF seed and implements. The urban
population has produced little goods to
offer in exchange and the currency de-
probation, through the increase of
currency issues to over 1000, 00O 900
rubiss. has rendered their accumula-
rlon no attraction. From these causes
vest. had declined from q state pro-
ducing from six to ten million tons Of
food for export to a condition where
there was such an insufficient supply
OF food for the cities that the urban
population has been reduced to about
one-ha!f.
acquisitions Show Deficit
San indication of diminished grain
crops in 1921 is offered by the quanti-
ties estimated to be requisitoned as
taxes By the Soviet government. The
total amolnt for all Soviet Russia, OK
cept the Ukraine and Turkestan, is
4,320000 tons of grain, as against
7,6l4,000 tons in 1920 The potatoes
eSIimateu TO be reQulSltlOned this year
amount to 1,080,000 tons, as compared
with 2,016,O00 tons in 1920; $4,000
tons of oil seeds are to be requisitioned
instead of 900 tons in 1920. The
number of provinces where any sur
plus is indicated for removal to other
provinces appears to have decreased
from over twenty pre-war to not more
than four.
"There has been such deterioration of
transportation that there is doubt as
to ability TO move the local SURPRISES
that do exist in the richer grain pro
ducing provinces in Siberia and the
south to those areas which normally
depend upon them. The Volga region
is even less accessible to transport OF
relief from abroad through the sea-
ports than from Siberia. The north
Russian shortage is due not so much
to local famine as to general agricul-
turai decadence, and especially to
breakdown in transport from the
south and east. This area is nearer
seaboard and can be relieved to some
extent from the outside.
"The decadence in fat production ia
even more general and more acute than
brcadstuffs, owing to the reous ition
eff animals and the diversion of animal
feeds to breadstuffs. Consequently,
children are suffering more actuely in
many sections than adults"
Industry in general is estimated by
Secretary Hoover to have decreased