Evening star., 1932-10-08
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH G.. BOWERMdN.

RuSS1a'S SWampmg the leading capitalist
nations, especially the United States,
the recent book, Red Smoke" by Isaac
Don Levine, will be distinctly reassuring.
We are accustomed to hear of Russia's
vast resources of all kinds, only waiting
to be developed. Mr.. Levine apparently
shows, entirely on the basis Of Russian
authorities, that those resources are not
so remarkable after ALL In his first
chapter he gently criticizes those who
write voluminouSly about the five-year
plan without having ever read the Off
cial plan itself. Direct observations
during short trip to Russia, interviews
with Russian officials, workmen and
members of the intelligentsia, extensive
reading of newspaper and magazine
articles-none Of these does he think
sufficient preparation for writing about
Russia. More can be learned about the
facts of Russian resources from "the
five-year plan, the original and only
official record OF the plan issued by the
Soviet government" than from all other
sources. The famous plan. in its origi-
nal and basic and only authentic FORM
is quite different from the various po-
litical interpretations Of it which enjoy
such popularity throughout the world
I am referring to the exhaustive COM
pilations Of the leading Russian econo-
mists, geologists and technologists, pub
lished in four volumes by the Soviet
government, under the auspices of the
State Planning Commission. This rec
ord embodies the research and study
OF several hundred scientists. This was
the only f1ve-year plan ever adopted by
the Soviet government"
:;
An intensive study Of this official
five-year plan leads Mr. Levine to con-
clude that the natural resources of
Russia. in conjunction with unalterable
geographic factors, are such as to con-
denim her to an existence OF relative
poverty in the role OF second-rate
agricultural state" He finds the great
mineral wealth and the natural trans
portation facilities which have made
America 'the industrial giant of man
kind" lacking in Russia. which ranks
low In these respects among the coun-
tries Of the world. Industrial develop
ment in any country must primarily
depend upon power resources. (Recog-
milton of this fact is the reason why
power is such an important political
issue in our own country) Soviet econ
omists have concluded that Russia's
most important source of power is fuel:
water and wind are relatively unim-
portant. But they admit in the plan
that Russia's fuel resources compare
unfavorably with those of the United
States, England and Germany, and that
the importation of foreign coal has
often been necessary. Mr.. Levine says
The total combined coal resources of
an Of Russia are less than the coal
deposits of the single State of Wyoming
and are but little in excess of the
coal wealth of the State of Colorado"
Peat is found in abundance but is
low grade fuel and the value of its
exploitation would be doubtful Timber
resources in the region of industrial
development have been to a great ex-
tent exhausted and the vast forests in
the north of Russia and in Siberia are
too remote to be depended upon by in
duStrial centers. Russia possesses large
oil deposits, concentrated in the Cau-
casus but oil in refined forms lis far
too expensive to be used as a source of
power for industrial needs" Water
power is lacking, because Russia is
such fiat, low country, and can fur
nish only about 3 per cent Of the
industrial power"
X X
Other mineral wealth of Russia and
the transportation possibilities in con-
nection with it are discussed by Mr.
Levine in the order of Importance.
Russia is pronounced poor" in iron.
copper, gold and silver The United
States, one-third the size of the area of
the Soviet Union, has five times the
amount of iron ore" Also, ''the total
known copper reserves OF the Soviet
Union. expressed in terms Of American
production and consumption, would be
exhausted within a period Of u to Is
months, according to Prof. A. D.
Breiterman, the leading Soviet au-
thority on copper" Goii cannot be de-
pended upon for any unlimited wealth,
for AL the unmined gold In the bowels
of Russia is but twice the amount
which France took out Of this country
(the United States within a period Of
six weeks IN the Summer of 1891"
Transportation difficulties seem almost
insuperable in Russia She has a
negligible sea coast ana almost her
only good harbors are on the Arctic
Ocean. The fact that Russia is IAN
immense reckless plain makes the
building of railroads and highways
difficult and expensive and at present
there are but $4,000 miles of paved
highway in the Soviet Union. Judged
in the light of her power resources and
her potential means of communications.
it would be impossible for Bolshevist
Russia to catch up with and out
distance America in our Gay or at any
future date" But, of course. the known
resources of any country are
discoveries Of mineral wealth may be
made in Russia.
X
Metternich has always been so gen
orally regarded as a symbol of re-
dictionary craftsmanship, as Machiavelli |
has been of tricky diplomacy that his |
personality has almost been lost sight /,
OF. The biography "Metternich," by
Arthur Herman, performs the service |
OF presenting him as real man, some |
thing of dandy, Don Juan. cosmo-
roItan, liberal in culture if illiberal in
politics. In his youth and even at a
later period, he loved fine clothes
embroidered satin coats and waistcoats. |
lace ruffies. jeweled snufTboxes and |
canes. His love affairs entertained
society among them was one with |
Nine. De Lieven, wife of the Russian |
Ambassador to Great Britain Mr
Herman says that women touched his |
senses: he never let them interfere with
his mental life nor divert him from his |
political goal" The excesses of the |
French Revolution made of Metternich |
reactionary. Until his death at the
age of 86 he devoted all his energies to |
the maintenance of the old, established |
order of things. After the downfall of !
Napoleon, when Metternich was chan |
cellor OF Austria. he used the Holy Al |
lance. in which Russia. Austria and
Prussia were participants, to uphold |
and autocracy.
* :; * ,
Pond Hall, of 400 acres of pasture
and arabic land. is the largest farm in |
its parish. 1t has been in the Brundish |
family since the latter part of the six
teenth century. The Brundishes are
the subject of H. w. Freeman's latest |
novel, Fathers of Their People" For |
many generations they have been pros
porous, because they have been hard |
working and thrifty. and each head of |
the family has increased the acreage !
before passing it on to his son. Three
generations occupy most of the story.