Evening star., 1922-06-21
GRAIN FROM RUSSIA
IS SOLD IN POLAND
Food Struggled From Land
of Famine by Ukrainians,
Who Get Profits.
BY A. r. DECKER

WARSAW, Poland. May 15.-Busi-
ness with Russia is the all-absorbing
topic OF the countries bordering upon
the soviet-controlled area.
From the Baltic to the Mediter-
ranean goods have been accumulated
and men are waiting to enter Russia
and sell. Riga, Reval. Danzig, Stet-
tin. in the north. are points of de-
parture. while Marseilles. Genoa.
Trieste. Saloniki and Constantinople,
IN the south, have warehouses stock
ed with goods which the owners ex-
pect to dispose of in Russia at prices
approaching those Of war times.
The center OF the line is likewise
haunted by visions OF Russian riches
and commercial men are watching
from Wilma, Lemberg. Czernowitz and
Bucharest. 1t is like an invading
army waiting for the signal to go
over the top.
American Plans to Walk.
In Vienna I met an American who
was on his way to Riga. His plan
was to pack furs out of Russia on
his back. He had done this in Alaska
and was asking how many miles 1t
was from Petrograd to the coast.
Some Austrian naval off1cers-Au-
stria has no navy these days-have
rigged up a motor schooner and are
planning to carry goods to, odessa.
In Wilma 1 met number OF Ger
man business men who were actually
penetrating Russia but had not solv-
ed the transportation problem.
In Lemberg / came in contact with
| some Austrian Poles who were sin,
cere in their belief Russia would
prove gold mine.
One Important Shipment.
! actual cases of trading The Polish
textile manufacturers in Lodz had
shipped fifty carloads Of various
| cloths across the Polish Russian
frontier. This was the only import
! ant shipment / could find.
The Czechs have delivered small
amount of goods to Russia, but only
| a small amount.
1t seems that the biggest movement
from the west to the east is the
| American Relief Administration food
train. which passes frequently from
Danzig across Poland to Russia. The
Poles transport this food free OF
| charge as their contribution to Rus
| sian famine relief.
Strangely. there are food shipments
from Russia to Poland. This occurs
! along the poverty stricken frontier.
! where Ckrainian farmers smuggle
; grain into Poland for the purpose Of
i obtaining the higher Polish exchange.
| Prof Etnstein is right; everything
| is relative; and in Russia even the
| Polish mark is better than the Rus-
sian ruble.
Russians Have Little.
The frontier trade is very small, for
the Russians have little to give.
There is legitimate way of con-
ducting trading. for the Poles are
anxious to do business with Russia
and are ready to act as Intermediates
It is possible to bring Russian into
Poland for the purpose of supplying
him with goods.
This is the way it Is done: A Pole
who has the confidence of his govern
ment meets the prospective Russian
buyer at the frontier, brings him into
While in Poland. the Pole lie in charge
Of the Russian and is responsible for
him to the Polish government. This
Is to prevent the spread OF bolshevist
propaganda. When the transaction
ls completed. the Pole escorts his
friend to the frontier.
There are also a few towns along
the frontier where trading is carried
on in a small way. These towns are
the rail heads nearest the frontier az
Stolbzy. Pinsk and Rovno: the last
named Is the most important. The
! amount of trade is hardly worth con-
s!dering.
Once Exporter, Now Starving.
The truth is Russia has very little
to export. Before the war Russia was
a large exporter of high quality -four;
today Russia is starving. Before the
war Russia exported immense guam
; titles Of wood: today it is possible
to obtain a little wood from the re-
sion adjacent to the Baltic. but, the
railroads can not transport wood
from the interior and the rivers are
blocked with sand. Most Of the wood
is now coming from Poland and Fin
land
Before the war Russia exported
large quantities OF fax: today this
production has dw!ndled until the
british and the Czechs were forced
to compete for very small amount
which found It's way to Reval.
It is the same with the platinum
and mustard from the Trials and the
south. / am told some platinum is
drifting across the Polish frontier,