Salt Lake Telegram | 1920-11-26 | Page 5 | Slat and Soap in Demand in Russia

t i I Al T AND SOAP OAr i J IN DEMAND IN 1 1 S R RUSSIA IA I Re Readily Exchangeable at Vast Vas t Advantage to Possessor Ir in Land of Soviets X NE v T YORK YORK Nov 26 Salt 26 Salt and soap are not usual forms of ot c currency but their buying power in Kle following following following follow follow- ing tho h recent repulse of the tho by the the h Poles was little short of re re- re A case caso of soap not viol violet t scented wrapped and glowingly advertised advertised toilet soap such as used to sell at any corner grocery for a nickel a pound would a man In Kief Klet in the millionaire class according to Colonel Cedric 1 E. E Fauntleroy co commander commander comman comman- der of Polish air forces on the s southern front who Is on furlough iri hi n the h United States to aid Herbert o Hoover in the destitute destitute destitute des des- effort to secure funds for feeding Polish children through the y year ear SALT IN DEMAND w We found said sa-id Colonel Colon l that one bar of yellow soap could b be be exchanged among the peasants in the e Kiev area In Russia for six fat geese Soap and salt were two of the things that the people In the neighborhood had hadnot not not been able to obtain b before Core for love Iove or money We had about forty pounds of salt which had cost us forty marks one m mark rk a a. pound We Ve n needed meat The dealers refused an offer fe of 2800 Polish marks for pounds of dressed beef but they let us us- have it for forthe forthe forthe the salt When salt stations were opened up In that territory r the peasants peasants peasants peas peas- ants used to walk from fifty to sixty sixty kilometers bringing their produce with ther exchange for plain salt boxes of ot matches match match- Half a dozen small I cs oS such as the cigar stands sell for tor a cent centra centa box in America could be ex exchanged exchanged ex- ex changed for one or two turkeys three r r four chickens and and several dozen IS I s SERIOUS Rious THIS WINTER WINTER The food shortage in Poland is more serious this winter than at any time since tho the beginning beginning- of the war and itis it itis itis is accompanied by a terrible shortage of clothing shoes and soap Colonel Fauntleroy said The soap shortage is the more serious because typhus is raging In the country and typhus is essentially a disease of filth It n It cannot be comb combated ted unless the people are re able to keep bodies and clothing clean There are many of them without change chango of un underwear Not hundreds but thousands of families families families lies in Poland have not had a 8 new garment garment garment gar gar- ment or or- new piece of linen of any sort not even a pair of shoes since the war began in 1914 When a person person person per per- son dies of typhus his clothing Is ispass pass passed d on to some one else and too frequently the disease goes with it As for food the drove to the very heart of ot Poland just as 1 the ha harvest es was ready They pillaged the country bare Peasants from the i districts rushed to arms atthe at atthe the call for volunteers and their farm work was more or less neglected In consequence LIMIT LIMITED D MEAT RATION You may judge how serious the theA food tood shortage is from the fact that A I we of the flying force were allowed one meat meal a day and only one but even at that salt mackerel was was substituted for the meat as often as eight times a a. month We had black bread with a small content of wheat but there were times when even eyen this this was lacking and potatoes were substituted substituted substituted for bread ten times a month In the Koval sector we were quartered in a castle where there were Polish orphans and for whole months they had only one meal a day consisting of of potato soup and a few bits of black bread There was probably probably probably ably not more than twelve pounds of bread a day for the whole children I during the entire period of the bolshevik bolshevik vik advance I havEr seen children two years old poor wizened little mites who have never known the taste of milk The Tho American Relief administration has been doing much to aid the children children children chil chil- dren and th the refugees s but it is a problem problem problem lem of feeding not a few but practically practically practically cally an entire country In the cities clUes where the Afi RI A. A kitchens are operating operating operating oper oper- the children are slowly gaining although many of them are still undersized undersized undersized un un- Not a few are crippled and will be crippled for life because of lack of nourishment ENTIRE FAMILIES GONE Polish families are arc large very large and many a family during the six years of war has lost its entire quota of breadwinners The fighting men have been killed or wounded The children children children chil chil- dren and women are left to struggle onas on onas onas as best they can And just as the oldest oldest oldest old old- est boy reaches the age where his earnings earnings earnings earn earn- ings might be of help he is drafted into the army That accounts for the tremendous tre tre- tremendous increase se in the orphanages for thelong the milk lines and bread lines lines and soup lines that are seen every every- w where re I know of nothing that can stay the rising tide of suffering and of I I actual starvation but generous and substantial aid from America