The Washington herald., 1922-08-07
Russia's Greatest Menace.

are highly colored and exaggerated as
were tales OF German atrocities in days. The
credulity OF the American public has been taxed
into revolt. The correspondent who paints fres
Goes OF red sunrises around his pictures of Soviet
land now is set down at a man convinced
OF the inherent good of communism who refuses
to let his vision stop with the cloudy horizon The
man, on the other hand, who adds a canto to an
terno' after few weeks in Moscow and the
provinces is certain to be considered as pilgrim
wandering with black veil over his face nsistent
that morning is midnight.
A few facts, however stand out clearly One
concerns the desperate condition of Russian rail
roads. This was emphasized during the famine, due
to lack OF transportation rather than from lack o
grain. The breakdown of Russian railroads means
OF course, the breakdown OF Russian civilization
regardless OF what sort OF government sits in
Moscow. Any other European nation could exist
bare as the existence might be- with a minimum o
tracksge. The roads of England, France Germany
or Italy could be torn up tomorrow and still the
states could continue to function. They cover COM
paratively small areas, we'll watered that boats
could transport necessities of life points whenc.
distribution could be made by horses and mules.
Russia, like the United States, depends entirely
on railroad transportation. Bands of iron alone
bind its scattered together Life other thar
IN state OF semi-savagery, is impossible in it:
great plains and forests without an efficient trans
port system-just it would be impossible in tn.
American Middle West
For evidence to the railroad condition il
Russia do not need to depend on accounts o.
prejudiced observers. We have the word of tn,
Soviet Council of Labor and Defense as quoted
from its official budget in the weekly bulletin o.
the United States Department OF Commerce. l,
gives by no means a hopeful picture:
series OF conferences which took place
recently at the commissariat of transport
brought out in clear outline the entire picture
of conditions railroads and the desper-
ate necessity to fill in, at all and any cost, the
gaps threatening the future OF our entire eco
nomic system
The percentage of unsound locomotives has
mounted at the end of May to &c per cent
I26o7 out OF total of Io,oo3), instead OF the
10 to IS per cent average OF pre-war days and
the 81 per cent of May 1921. Matters are
with freight cars; at the end of
May although 10000 are counted under "op-
Grating stock out OF total number OF 3o2-
900, there are so few left on the tracks fit
for transporting any valuable cargo that, not
withstanding the closing OF the seed and potato
shipments, there is still shortage OF sound
cars for moving freight from the ports.
In illustration of this state Of affairs there
may be cited the general order for the whole
system, dated May 81, whereby the time al
lowed to consignees for discharging the cars is
reduced to six hours, against twelve hours
before the war; free storage Of freight is also
cut to twenty-four hours, instead of forty
eight: while demurrage and storage charges
have been doubled
The condition of track and buildings is no
better-rather worse-than that of rolling
stock
The problem of tie replacement remains a
growing menace. For example, the most i'm
portant artery-Moscow-Petrograd- provided
with stocks of ties only to so per cent of the
quantity required.
The facts mentioned above characterize
adequately the condition of the railroads, and
it is not surprising that railroad wrecks will
increase in frequency.
Commercial traffic is not developing; not
because there is lack of freight to haul, but
because under conditions existing on our rail-
roads few will take the risk of ntrust-
ing their property to them. Aside from the
extreme difficulty in securing cars, there is no
guaranty whatever that the freight will arrive
at its destination. At the time the rail-
roads assume no responsibility for theft of
goods; and of late the roads do not admit even
private guards to accompany the shipment in
side the freight cars, although nowadays this
appears to be the only safeguard that will to
some extent insure the shipper fsom plferage
route.
This is hopeless enough and it is drifting from
bad to worse. The Soviet government is not likel,
to fall because of outside interference or because
internal revolt 1t will fall because the steel band
that bind the eask together will drop away, leav
ing only useless staves 1t will not be revolution
of men, 1t will be revolution Of lfeless WOO,
and metal against neglect. Such will be the mos
effective revolt possible
1t might be both pertine.i and impertinent