The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1921-08-06
.RUSNA'S
ECONOMIC
CONDITION
=Droughths and Famine
and Papers
Pessimisticc

| Rt1A, LA Ia, aug. O-kDy
the Associated Press.) All Russian
news sources, Bolshevik and ami
! 'Bolshevik alike, paint a dismal pic
tpre Of Russia IS economic condition
this summer.
Soviet newspapers themselves
admit that the famine, which
threatens the country may be even
worse than in preceding years OF
the lBolshevik regime. On the
other hand, 1.-THE Bolshevik govern
ment contends that, notwithstand-
ing the great difficulties attending
he change Of lLenine's policies DUR
ing what it terms as the present
period Of transition from civil war
to speace, Russia is slowly, yet
steadily advancing on the road to
restitution Of her economic life.
The agricultural machinery
which has arrived from abroad will
be Of little assistance, this year, 1t
is admitted. The crop failures in
ma nv governments have affected
so a large proportion of the area
sown that the machinery already
on hand will be ample to harvest
thisSyear's crop. Intact there are
more machines than live stock to
draw them and because of the
drought the already depleted sup
ply of draft animals is threatened
with further extinction because
pasture lands are drying up
The Riga Bolshevik newspaper,
NOVY UT, recently printed from
Moscow an extremely frank admis-
sion. 1t said:
Several months already have
passed since the new economic
course has been inaugurated in
Soviet Russia. But to put, as it
were, the engine on a new track,
is no easy task and one not to be
soon accomplished. The country
is large, the population is sparse,
communication and roads are gen
orally bad and the transport SER
vice is dislocated. The same is the
case with the postal and telegraph
traffic.
Moscow, Petrograd and other
large industrial centers are expert
.encing grave supply crisis. which
is only in a slight measure alleviat-
ed by imports from abroad, from
Siberia and from the Caucasus.
This, in its turn. can not but in
f1uence unfavorably the productiv-
ity of industrial establishments.
In the Donetz district the output
of coal has been only IS per cent.
of the program. In the Moscow
mining districts, too, the produc-
ton has decreased.
ct O make the calamity complete
there are the droughts following
upon an almost snowless winter.
The Volga territory is under the
menace of famine owing to poor
harvest. On the other hand, in
some parts for instance in the
western portion of the Ukraine,
the outlook is good i
"The prospects of realizing the
harvest by means Of the tax inI
kind, as well as by free purchase,
are nevertheless fairly satisfactory.
1t is expected to establish a AGO.
900, 900 pools grain reserve, which
would make it possible to put in-
dustry on a firm footing. With this
end in view it will, Of course, be
to strain the government
and the cooperative apparatus tot
the utmost as was suggested by
Il
at must, of course, be borne in.
mind that no war is going on at
present, the red army is being de-
and will shortly have
been reduced to one-half of it's
former strength. The idea Of in
in the Far East does
not seem to meet with the APP
prevail of the p overs, which are up
10 their ears in troubles of their
own, which, in spite of all their eff
forts, they are unable to overcome.
Nevertheless, everything points
% the fact that Soviet Russia, not {
vithstanding the great difficulties
she has to face in present period
If transition, is slowly, yet steadily
advancing on the road to restitu-
ion of her economic life"
A congress of food supply OIL
,ials ofvall Russia, called by Len
ne to work out plan of averting
he worst effects of the threatened
anime and to devise means for
collecting the available foodstuffs,
las just closed at Moscow. Most
If the speakers were pessimlstic,
according to the Moscow Bolshe-
Xix newspapers. 1t was shown
hat, because of the disorganlzed
tate of transportation, grain
would rot in the fields in the pro- |,
luctive regions, while the cities
would have to be put on short ra-
ions, unless food could be import