Evening star., 1940-01-29
Member of the Associated Press.
Soviet Breakdown

Since reimposition of the Soviet
censorship, news of what is happen
Ing in Russia has been so scarce and
so distorted when permitted to be
sent from Moscow that it is impos-
sible to know the true picture Of
Russia in wartime, but diplomatic
channels, which are not subject to
censorship, have brought out of the
Soviet Union reports of internal dis
organization and near breakdown.
Most recent of these reports re-
ceived in Washington tells of virtual
collapse of the Soviet railway organ
ization and consequent increase of
some IS per cent in food prices in the
Moscow region. This, it is said, has
come about as the result of break
down in Soviet railways induced by
two things: The severity of Europe's
winter and the unusual burden i'm
posed on the railways by Russia's
military activities.
The railway problem is not a new
one for Russia. Under the Cars
Russia was everlastingly plagued by
both ineff1ciency in operation and
tnadequacy in mileage of track and
rolling stock. The failure of the
railways under wartime demands
In 1915 and 1916 was vital point
IN Imperial Russia's collapse before
the German offensives. With mil
lions OF men at the front and in re-
serve Russia was unable to keep
them properly supplied or to rush
reinforcements when necessary.
Under the Soviets the progressive
decline of the railways contributed
to the starvation of the civil war
years, notably in 1921, and the in
ability of industry to recuperate.
At one time during the civil war 81
per cent of Russia's locomotives were
unfit for use, and the rest of her
rolling stock had fallen proportion
ately into disrepair.
The Soviet Union now is reported
to possess some IS per cent more
new single track than in 1918, two
and one-half times the freight car
capacity, and ATS per cent more
trunk line locomotives, which con-
tinue to be the weakest point in the
transportation system. The great
burden upon this rolling stock and
trackage is indicated by the fact
that the amount of goods carried in
1887 was four times more than in
1913. Intensity of freight traffic is
estimated to be three times greater
than that Of the United States and
Germany and six times that of
France. Thus there is not only an
acute shortage of rolling stock, but
vast problem of repair and replace
ment.
Famine and skyrocketing food
prices are not new phenomena
for the Russian city dweller, and
the Moscow worker for many years
knew not only fantastic prices, but
rationing, which made it impossible
sometimes to get food at any price.
Discomfort is the inevitable by
product of hunger and inability to
obtain the necessities of life.
Whether this discomfort ever reaches
the point of stirring the masses to
political upheaval is determined by
the promptness of relief. When
spring comes weather difficulties will
largely be removed so that traffic,
which must be kept at high speed
under best conditions, may be re-
sumed, but the difficulties then will
be the demands of intensified war
on Finland and the possible need for
moving troops in other directions in
response to political exigencies.
There is also Germany's growing de-
mand for war aid, which in itself
would be heavy burden upon the
inadequate Russian transport system.
The revolution of March, 1917, be-
gan as an unorganized strike of the
Petrograd workers for bread, which
was very scarce because Of break
down of transportation and distribu-
ton. Few realized after it had come
that a revolution had occurred.
The question might now reasonably
be asked: Might not prolonged
shortage of food among the Moscow
workers lead to disorders culminat-
ing as disastrously for the Soviet
government as the Petrograd strikes