Evening star., 1922-03-10
10000 CHILDREN
OUT OF SCHOOL
Odessa One of Most Poverty
Stricken Citiesin Russia.
First U. S. Food Arrives.
BY LOUIS LEVINE

Copyright. 1922.
ODESSA. Russia, March 3 (De-
layed).-The correspondent has been |
in Odessa week and talked with !
persons of all views. Economically !
and politically Odessa is one of the |
worst cities in Russia today. OF ST. |
900 children between the ages of four
and fifteen years. only 1000 are at
tending school. The others are not !,
attending because the schools are
not heated and because shoes and |
proper clothing are lacking. Hun
dreds are out selling matches and
cigarettes or begging.
The 5000 children in soviet homes
are in a pitiful plight. AS the gov
ernment allows each child daily only
one pound of black bread, one ounce
of grits. a third of an ounce of fat
and an eighth of a pound of meat. the
morbdity and mortality are great.
The workers in the government fac
tories are underfed; those i'll the few
private enterprises are given higher
pay, but they are employed irrcgu-
larly because of the difficulties of i'm
porting and exporting. The worst
cases of starvation and the poorest
dressed people are the workers. 9th
ers Of the 100000 inhabitants. chiefly
petty traders and government en-
ployes, are also hungry and reduced
to beggary.
Interested Only in Getting Bread.
Enervated and discouraged they
have lost interest i'll everything eX-
cept the prospects of getting 4 piece
Of bread. The chief topics of con-
versation are pay and food. Many
pathetically walk through the mar
kets trying to sell whatever is left
oJI haN'
hurry to convert any money received
into bread and potatoes.
The prices of other things are low
compared with the prices of food.
Elack bread costs $4,000 rubles a
pound, meat $4,000, sugar $4,000 and
potatoes $4,000 rubles pound
In the midst of this misery some are
living well as the result of the new
economic policy. Several stores have
been reopened in the main streets
formerly known as Deribasovska and
Catherinska, which have been re-
named Lassalle and Karl Marx. The
establishments are small, reminding
one Of those found in thlrd-rate
butter. cheese. pastry, candies. dry
goods. hats. shoes and antiques. For
a pound of chocolates they charge
10000 rubles, a sum equal to the
weekly salary of the average soviet
employe.
Who enjoys the luxuries? The an
swer is invariab bly,. "Speculators and
those having things to sell"
People Fear to Venture Ont.
The depressed condition Of the city
is seen in the half-empty theaters.
where the audiences cannot keep
warm even with the aids of hats and
overcoats. The performances are duh.
the good artists having fed from the
city. One admires the courage of
those who on half-empty stomachs
sing and dance In unheated theaters.
There are no dances in the city. and
even the performances for the benefit
Of workers clubs are poorly attended.
The people prefer to stay at home in
half-dilapidated. unheated and insani-
tary rooms which at least are toler-
ably safe, while the dark streets are
considered unsafe late in the evening.
Naturally there is wide discomfort
with the government. The people
blame the comrades" fcommunists)
and give vent to their feelings frank
ly. But when they are asked whether
any other political group could i'm
prove conditions very few of them
answer in the affirmative. Most Of
the former bankers, traders, profess
sors and professional men. whose
anti-communist sentiments are be-
yond doubt. say definitely that con-
sidering the resources available moth
ing better is possible. They also ad
NIT that the government is strong
ana neeQ nave no rear.
Oppose Political Change.
Nobody wants or cares for a polit-
ical change. There is now a greater
sense of security and a gradual easing
of the political situation A student
expressed the situation when he said:
Before, if l was a little late in com
ing home mother was worried to
death: now she no longer feels
alarm" Several business men who
recently opened a cooperative COM
mission business said:
There is more confidence in the
future. That is why we are entering
business"
So far as can be ascertained the
city has been so stripped of material
resources that the effort to improve
it's condition is like trying to lift
ones self by his bootstraps
Odessa Has Little Hope.
Being at the end of a railroad line