The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-12-09
Russia's Tragedy
of Ruined Trade.
Figures From Soviet Periodi-
Gals Reveal Paralysis Of
Economic Situation

washington, Dec. Judging by
the statistics of Russia's foreign
commerce. compiled from Soviet
periodicals by Secretary Hoover's
experts, the clustering talk Of Z
Russian diplomatic agents and the
defiant pronounciations of the die
tators at Moscow are uttered on
an increasingly empty national
stomach. S.
The bravado Of the Soviets in-s
ternational spokesmen, in the cir
cuastances. is something ike that
Of Old Boccacio's story-tellers who
decided to take the lid off and put
up the most engrossing diversions
they cold Imagine. while the plague
!fraged all around them with its un-s,
escapabIes doom. Only. Boccaeio's
ribald romancers were trying to J
fool themselves alone. and they
were in no way responsible for the
horror that was deyouring the
land
From Soviet publications of an,
official or semi Official nature the
United States Department of Com {
merce finds that of the total as
serted value of Russian imports
for The first half OF 1922. nearly
half consisted Of famine relief
contributed by foreigners, while {
about half of the imports not IN the
charity category We're foodstuffs
which the Soviet government it,
self purchased because of the fa-
mine, conditions. Imports other
! than famine relief and foodstuffs
| were valued at 78.590,000 rubies, as
compared with 1872, 900 rubles in I
1921. Russian exports for the first
half of 1922 increased about 25 per
cent over those Of the entire year;
| of i921-but even at that they
amounted to only 24.974.000 rubles.
or less than S L. 200, 900.
! Exclusive of famine relief i'm
| portations; contributed as charity
or purchased by the soviet govern
menf out of the rapidly dwindling
remainder of the old Russian gold
reserve, the statistics compiled
! from Soviet periodicals show that.
| the commerce Of Russia is declin
I. ing as a whole even as compared
j with previous totals under the Sn-
4 Wet regime But the real signif-s
| cance of the situation is not re-z
vealed until the present totals are
compared with those of Russian.
commerce in the pre-war days. Says
the Commerce Departments bulle-
! tin. ~;
Excluding famip. relief, the im-.
! ports OF the first half OF 1922 were
equal to a little over one-tenth OF
1 the imports for the full year 1919
Imp orts other than foodstuffs and
famine relief were equal to about
z per centof those of 49, The exs
ports for the first kali of 1922
Were equal to Is per cent OF those
in the entire year 1:,f ffss.,' ].
/ Another feature Of the eompar-
ison with pre-war Russian trade Is
that the: balance is heavily against
I Russia under the Soviet adminis-
/ trat;cn, whereas before the World
War it was heavily in Russia,s
favor. From 90s to 1913 taes
average annual vahie ce E.sss<a'a
1 experts was 1,50o;ooo, 900 rubIes
/ and the average annual value of
i her imports was 1,140,000, ,000s
irubie balance in Russia.s favor
In 1921 the excess of imports into
/ Russia was twelve times that OF ex--
ports from Russia For the first
I; six months of 1923 the ratio of
! imports to, exports was almost; as
overwhelming and even if famine
relief is deducted the imports ex-
ceeded the exports five and one
half times.
= Il is understood that the excess
of imports over exports is being
paid for chiefly by shipments from
! the old Russian g,1d reserve, OF.
which only about sloe, COO, 600 is
believed to: be left With the bal
anee of trade running against Rus
sia at the rate Of at least 500.
| 600, ,D00.5a year. it does not take
much of a calculation to figure
how long the Soviet,s gold VIII.
last.