Evening star., 1921-09-11

sustain Mfe," and Petrograd is heaven compared
with the .yolga area ''
Reports sent during the past week by
little group Of American correspondents tin
Guiding one woman) from samarna, in the heart
Of the Volga famine area. are almost intolerably
hearttending. The correspondent Of the New
York Herald tells how he saw the riverside
at the city Of Samara huge pyramid Of
sacks Of, grain. Just received, and intended
for seed for the winter planting Only q few
red soldiers. who might easily have been over
powered. guarded the pile. Gazing upon It
were thousands Of starving wretches But
whether from fear of the unseen red power.
or from sheer apathy, or from self-denial
lnobieness Of soul. or instinct bred Of previous
experience of famine, or mingling Of both), at
any rate. these people made no offer to touch
the grain.
:. Soviet Russia has dropped prohibition now
allowing wines Of alcohol content up to II per
cent. -.s -.
. There seems to be some question as to the
number Of famine refugees who have crossed
the Russian border into Poland. Mr.. Hoover's
Information shows only $1,000 crossing be-
! tween June and August IS. in marked con-
trast to sundry reports.
= NEAR EAST.-Rcports from the AnatoHan
front continue. to be cloudy, but they concur
in stating that the recent fighting has been
very bite" and bloody. The season is near
when further offensive operations by the
1bSSNo Will oo uioSS uiWCUils tHe winter Will
furnish~a very severe test of Greek morale
and the Greek quartermaster department.; the
war is costing pretty penny; war is
much a matter OF politics of fighting, and
political developments may prejudice the
Greek cause. The spring may new face
OF things. The Greeks appear to be still
advancing; but ii the Turks have now the
spirit to counter-attack continually in face
OF defeat. there 10 reason to fear what, REIN
forcedN and refreshed. they may, do in the
spring against the Greeks, dispirited by the
unaccustomed rigors Of the winter in the
CLINE.
CH1NA-One wonders whether at the
Washington conference some one will not
offer AZ q proper subject for discussion the
Cassel collieries contract; contract made
between a British company. and that re-
dictionary government Of Kwangtung prov
ince which was recently ousted by the fol-
lowers OF Sun Yat-Sen and superseded by the
liberal provincial government headed by Gen.
Chen Kwang Ming; which contract gives the
British company monopoly for the ex-
ploitAtion- Of most Of the coal deposits and
monopoly OF >most' of the means Of trans
portation-, of the province. for, ninety years.
The new Kwangtung government Cancelled
the concession. and the concessonaries are,
1t is said. appealing to Peking for redress.
The decision of the Peking government will
be awaited with interest Should 1t be favor
able to the ,concessionaries. the contract will.
from the point of view Of Major cassel,. be
fait accompli. Assuming 1t a fait accompli.
1t will or will not be proper subject Of dis
cussion at the Washington conference.
according to whether the Japanese or
American attitude towards fats accomplis
shall prevail at the conference. Charles
Hodges has pointed out that in the new
territories leased by Britain from China in
: 1888 are iron deposits, fact which immensely
enhances the importance Of the cassel con-
tract.
Mr.. Ia, Chen. in. q letter to the New York
Times Expresses fear that ''the economic
exploitation =. of China viii be further
strengthened bys renewal, Of the Anglo
Japanese alliance. By force OF circumstances
each nation will be bound to wink at the
predatory policies of the other.". He thinks
that the Cassel contract 10 worse than the
"infamous'' twenty-one demands of Japan.
One wonders Zone hardly restrain
ones impatience to know what matters
which have been, and are Of international i'm
portance'' are going to be discussed at the
great conference, and how thoroughly they
are going to be discussed.