Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1923-02-13
famine Still
HOLDS RUSSIA
IN IT'S GRASP
8-Million People Need
Feeding Before
Harvest
MAY BE OTHERS
All Famine Area is Gov
cred in Nine Thousand
Mile Trip in Quest Of
Facts

a
Eight million Russians will
starvc before the harvest Of 1925
unless relief is continued and in.
creased. This is the conclusion
Of the Commission on Russian Re-
lief Of the National Information
Bureau, which, after three months
Independent investigation in Rus
STA, made its report today at
the annual meeting Of the or
ranization in the Hotel Aston,
New York. About 100000 peo-
pie are now being fed by Ameri-
can and European relief agen-
cies in Russia and this will be liz
creased to 100000 or more by
midsummer according 70 plans al
ready announced. a varying and
indefinite number are being fed
by the Russian government. The
Commission believes that the fig
ure of 100000 is minimum
and that by the end of summer
ten million people may be in
volved.
Allen Wardwell, of the law firm
Of Ste,Soa, Jennings and Russell.
New York, who was Fed Cross
Commissioner to Russia in 1918.
headed the Commission. which IN
Guided Graham X. Taylor, of New
York. special assistant to the
American Ambassador in Russia
from 1915 to 1919, and Allen T.
Burns, director of the Nationa;
information Bureau. with Dr..
Henry o. Eversolo, of Los Angc-
les as pubijc health adviser
The Commissioners visited near
~ all sections of the famine area
in the course of nearly 5000 mites
of travel, They report that ther
had COMPLETE freedom of move
ment ard that both American re-
lief workers and Soviet officials
gave Their, every assistance in de-
tcrmining the facts.
"Orly about half the normal
area was Sown last year in Rus
sia," the Commission reports.
"and smother severe drought in
the same provinces which suffer
CT FROM The great drought OF
1921. together with locusts and
Other pests. cut 50 deeply into
the small crop of 1922 that over
q considerable part Of last years
hunger zon2 q new famine is the
result"
While there was good crop in
northern Ukraine and sou beast
Crn Eu sia, the Commission found
that there were clready the be-
gjuniues of starvation in the pro
vinccs east of the Nolga and in
southern Ukraine. normally Rus
Sia's hes, &rain-prodGeing areas.
I'm tn worst districts, such a.
Pu%achey county in Samara prov
iuce, and Nikola;ev provinces in
the Ukraine, peasants were again
leaving thcjr farms in search Of
food: and there was much hunger
i'm The middle &C Octoher-onjv
two months after the harvest. In
NherSon county in NikolaiCv. 49,
Geo ont Of 4 population Of 90
coo wcro az that time already IN
need of food and there we've
deaths from starvation daily.
"The new economic policy" the
report continues. "haS done away
with The coniScatjon Of crops.
and the grain tax now imposed by
the Soviet government leaves the
peasant m possession Of 4 COCA
part Of such surplus as he can
raise. The peasants, VINO had
been sowing smaller and smaller
areas. may now be expected TO
increase them So far as they can.
and the outlook for the ultimate
recovery Of agriculture is hone
full But this will be impossible
unless food is provided this year,
and unless the draft animals.
which have almost disappeared
from the famine districts. are re-
placed. 1t is impossible to raise
adequate crops 50 long as peas
ants have to pillow ny hand. with
cows, or with miserable skeletons
of horses, rs they are now do
inc.
"TherA arc rerhaps three Will
lion orrhaus and abandoned chill
dron in PuSSip. The condition O,
the institutions in which pprv
Of them are housed is an indi-