The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-09-17
DEATH SINKS
ICY FINGERS IN
|vOLCA VALLEY
Officials of Near East Relief
After Survey of Provinces,
Say Conditions Indicate
Wholesale Starvation.
DISEASE .TIGHTENS GRIP
NV Assoctated Press,

TSARITSYT, Russia, Sept IL
Hunger is tightening its grip on the
lower valley of the Volga. Officials
of the near east relief who reached
this city today after making survey
of 10 provinces in famine wasted,
southeastern Russia, said conditions
indicated wholesale starvation by jan
uary if outside help on large scale
[ did not arrive Immediately.
The situation at Samara was found
| to be grave, but further south it be-
came worse. There the soil is poorer
and starvation is already at the door.
| The relief workers suggest the pur-
chase of grain in Bulgaria and Con-
stantinople and vigorous steps to get
| it to the famine district before the
/ Russian winter comes and binds fast
the Don and Volga rivers.
There are in normal times 100000
workmen employed in the province or
| Saratov, but only 1000 are now en-
gagged in the factories. During the
past three months there have been
| 500 cases of cholera in this city and
40 percent of them have been fatal.
Disease Reported.
During the same period 1880 cases
of this dread di.ease have been re-
ported from Saratova province. Also
hundreds of deaths from starvation
have been reported officially in the last
fortnight Black bread, made largely
from acorns is selling at the eQuival
ent of one cent an ounce.
The relief officials visited the pro
vinces of KaZan Samara, Simbirsk
Penza, Tampbov, Saratov, Astrakan
Don. Kuban and Stavropol, and pre-
viously had inspected conditions in the
Georgian republic.
'In the southern Volga provinces
where the soil is thin starvation has
already set in said Albert E. John
son, chairman of the Near East re
lief. even in the provinces of Pens;
and Voronezh, which do not touch the
Volga, were constant streams of peas
ants vending their way westward.
saw SO wagons and 400 persons pas
through one village in eastern Noron
eZh in a few hours.
!, Soviet Promise Grain
"The soviet government is attempt
ing to encourage those wishing to mi
CRATE by sending committees to vii
: lagos and promising food and grail
. to those pea SAINTS who remain in thei
: homes.
1T is difficult, however, to organ
ize sparsely settled sections and checl
: migrations. Provinces which escape,
, the terrible drought are being secures
: by peasant deputations for seed grain
Officials say that they have secure
enough grain to plant 100000 acres
t provided it is not eaten during III
, hard winter that is coming"
/ At Filonovo refugees from Sarato
, climbed all over the near east relic
car attempting to escape to district
where food might be obtained. Their
' are 1000 of these homeless ones il
, Tsaritsyn at present. They have n
| place to go and the population is a
ready on short rations, and is unabl
to feed the emigrants
The Tsaritsyn soviet is feedin
10000 children at orphanages, givin
them seven ounces of bread and l
ssams of sugar daily. They receiv
soup three times a week when mea
can be secured. This work, however
> cannot be carried on later than Janu
> ary.
LONDON, Sept. 17-Twenty Amer
can relief administration worker:
! transportation experts, doctors an
!. warehousekeepers, who arrived i
i England from the United States las
n Saturday on board the liner Olympic
: have left for Riga. From that cit
: they will go to Moscow, where definit
i assignments will be given them.