Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-04-22
Largest Territorial Unit in
World Must Support 10
Million Persons
SOVIET MEETS THE ISSUE
Supreme Economic Council Is Cen
trail Distributing Bureau for
Vast Empire
BY PATRICK QUINLAN.

NE IOIF, HpIll 1o.-1 he prop
lem of feeding Russia has always
been complex one for several OBJ
vious reasons. First, the vast ex-
panse of Russia and Siberia forms
the largest single territorial unit in
the world; secondly, there are about
ITO million people to provide for in
this immense stretch of land, reach
ing from Vladivostock to Petrograd
and from the Arctic to the Caspian
sea. Thus there is an area of ap-
proXimately six and one-half million
square miles to be supplied with
foodstuffs. During the reign Of the
cars, when industry and railroads
were presumably in good condition,
whole sections were frequently re-
duced to starvation, and underfeed-
ing proved almost as universal as
the national samovar.
1t is no cause for wonder, then,
that with the breakdown of the in
dustrial system and the disintegra-
ton of the railways as a result of
the revolution, the problem should
be aggravated a thousandfold, not
to mention the Allied blockade and
foreign wars. The Soviet govern
ment has met this difficult problem
in a sane and practical way. 1t
created a central bureau for the
equal distribution of the food sup
ply on hand. This bureau is known
as the Supreme Economic Council
and is assisted by local councils all
over the country. The Supreme Eco
nomic Council is directed by Profess
sor Milutov, the we'll known eco
nomist, and this body has first pref
erence in the avenues and channels
of distribution, including transporta-
ton. Since peace has been signed
with Poland, this department in the
Soviet government is considered the
most important and in all matters is
given the right of way. In this man
ner ITO million persons, with the
exception of the small peasant
farmer, who retains sufficient
quantity of wheat and oats to feed
himself, are fed each day.
Every ounce of food is distributed
by card The single ration or
"pioke," as it is called, consists of
a pound and half of bread and a
portion of meat or fish and tea. The
system has been perfected to such an
extent that the ignorant peasant
who, in many instances, might have
doubted the efficiency of the Soviet
system, has become not only recon-
ciled but, recollecting his poverty
stricken condition under the cars
regime, is now convinced that the
new form of government is equitable.
Headquarters in Moscow.
The headquarters of the Supreme
Economic Council is in Moscow and
employs $4,000 persons in that city
alone: the total number of employees
all over the country is near the mil
lion mark. The Council has adopted
the simplest method of distribution
possible. Surveys of the food On
hand are made with the utmost ex-
actness and then, when the fall har-
vest has been estimated, it is doled
out on basis of population all over
the country. Making due allowance
for the governments lack of expert
ence and the Generalization Of the
arteries of distribution, the Soviet
government has succeeded admirably
in feeding the population Of Russia.
What is notable about all this is the
astonishing fact that never before
in the long history of Russia has
every element been fed. To be sure,
the feeding is inadequate and is far
from meeting the needs of the peo-
pie; but there Is no actual starva-
ton. Mothers with babes at the
breast receive a special allowance,
as do all children, for the Soviet gov
eminent holds that the future of
Russia lies with the children. 1t is
interesting to note that while the
upper and middle classes in Germany
are we'll fed, the laboring population
is on the verge of starvation. In
Russia there is absolutely no dis
elimination.
Certainly the system as I saw it at
work is by no means free from minor
abuses, as we'll as the intricacies of
red tape. But on the whole it does
the necessary work admirably. In
Moscow l watched the food distrib-
uting agency perform it's offices with
remarkable efficiency. Professor
Mlutov showed me through the de-
partmental Offices and warehouses
and outlined the machinery Of distri-
button to me. In addition to a CEN