New-York tribune., 1921-09-17
u. S. Food Held
Up for Lack of
Russian Trains
Tons of Supplies at Riga
Await Transport; 3 Weeks
Instead Of Usual 5 Davs
Required for Volga Trip
Slight Looting Reported
American Stores CoThrough.
but Those of Esthonia
Are Sent to the Red Army

RIGA, Sept. 16 (By The Associated
Press ).-The unexpected DELAYS inside
Russia to American Relief Administra
ton shipments while the suffering In
the famine district is increasing have
brought more vividly into view the
difficult transport problems, and Colo
mel William N. Haskell. director of the
American Relief Administration in Rus.
sia, is expected Immediately to deal
with this situation on his arrival in
Riga next Monday.
Advices that the first complete food
shipment destined for the Volga re-
gion required three weeks for an ordi-
nary five-day trip surprised the Riga
base of the relief administration, which
despite the failure of the Soviet au-
thorities to furnish railway cars as
fast as had been expected, had sue
ceeded in getting the shipments started
toward Moscow in fairly good time.
Leonld Krassin, the Soviet trade rep
resentative, is due in Riga Monday to
take up with the authorities of the
Baltic states the task of maintaining
winter communications when one of the
now, with the Volga region soon to be
cut off from river transportation by
the November freeze, the problem of
saving the starving has become increas-
ingly race with winter.
During the last few days more
freight cars have arrived in Riga from
Russia, but American relief admins
tratlon warehouses are beginning to be
crammed with millions Of tins of milk
mountains of rice sacks and heaps of
bacon for the sufferers who are sep
arated from the desperately needed
food by hundreds of miles of disorgan-
lied, ramshackle railroads.
Sufficient food is now in Russia for
a few weeks work of supply by the
relief administration, bat unless cars
away faster, the situation threatens to
become serious. The relief administra-
ticn has proposed to the Soviet officials
hero that they should speedily begin
m wing exclusively American food
trains Of forty cars each with an Amer
lean escort in order to save delay. This
matter remains to be settled.
According to reports from the in
terror of Russia the Soviet central
officials are aiding to their utmost,
but their seeming lack of control in
tne provinces and the general inefi-
clency at transfer points cause delay.
Accurate reports of rumored pilfer-
ing from the first American food ship
ments to Petrograd have reached Riga.
The cargo loss was less than one-sev-
enth of l per cent. This is considered
unimportant, but the Soviet guards,
though willing, seem powerless to
prevent the hungry stevedores from
tillinp their nockatc opd l,Io,ro. 18th
flour and rice, which they snatch
from bags, Notwithstanding the protests
of the relief administration men.
Esthonian and Latvian relief ship
ments are reported from Baltic source
to have met with worse luck. Al
Esthonian food train destined for
Petrograd is reported to have been sent
to Archangel for the Red army, while a
l4atvian train, accidentally wrecked on
its journey, is declared to have been
found by Lettish investigator looted