Show soviet loviet russia on last legs reports from many sources indicate early collapse of bolshevism EMPIRES SUPPLIES USED UP industries unable to meet Count rys requirements broken RaA railroads roads complete disintegration of authority washington soviet russia la Is on the eve of collapse in the opinion ot of the best informed officials and diplomats in washington the best confidential official information has indicated tor for some time that the soviet leaders were confronted by such a failure of their economic and social experiment as probably to bring about the downfall of the kentne regime this year now it seems probable chato that the collapse will come even sooner col edward W ryans report from north russia after a visit to that part of the country with the Esth onlan pence peace mission that soviet russia will not cot be able to hold bold out for six months Is considered both important and significant ant by high officials here colonel ryans ability as an observer of russian conditions Is well known to officials and they do not believe he be has overdrawn conditions as they exist in russia other reliable reports reaching washington through official or diplomatic channels during the last few days indicate that the soviet government of russia Is no longer able by an outward manifestation of strength to conceal a general disintegration which has been steadily taking place within the bolshevist organization from a neutral government information has reached washington that conditions in petrograd Petro grad are extremely bad in every respect in well informed quarters here the belief exists that the soviet regime Is weaker at present than at any time since the summer of 1918 it has been stated by at least one authority intimately ti conversant with russian affairs who hitherto has been convinced of the permanent establishment of the bolshevist authority that the present reports differ so radically from previously received as to indicate a possibility that within six months the soviet power as it exists today will be a thing of the pat past disintegration confessed A marked tendency toward disintegration within the soviet state characterized recently published reports by the bolshevist laadt lenders rs with particular reference to the economic situation in russia the reports were not intended for publication abroad these reports commented upon the critical nature of the economic situation with nith soviet russia the demoralization of transport rt facilities and the inability of tile the devitalized soviet industries to utilize even such raw materials as could be obtained and transported to the factories the bol leaders in these same reports also gave attention to the existence of an acute labor shortage shor taRe in russia simultaneously with a notably slack demand for labor because of the reduced industrial production all three of the documents said that russian industry was falling far short of meeting the count rys most meagre requirements and that there appeared to be no available means of remedying this situation it was stated that russia had been living on supplies left over from the period of the Roma romanoff reff government ern ment these supplies were rapidly being exhausted and bolshevist industry was incapable of replenishing them the reports maintained that the situation would not be improved by the liftin lifting g of the blockade and the resumption of international trading since russia could only purchase materials from abroad with raw materials of russian origin and these could be neither produced in sufficient quantity nor transported by the rus railways to where they would he be needed similar critical conditions were stated to exist in the matter of 0 fuel and food supply with a resultant growing discontent among the people corroboration of ryan the report of colonel edward IV ryan red ked cross commissioner for north russia and the baltic states transmitted through red cross channels and published a few days ago Is regarded ns as significant in official circles in that it confirms what the soviet reports had indicated colonel ryan htyan visited soviet russia with the Esth onlan peace delegation and his firsthand first hand observations confirmed previous advices advises and show how rapidly the untenable economic conditions in russia are resulting in a disintegration of the bolshevist organization through neutral countries the state department has received confirmation of many of the points brought out in colonel ryans report advices advises through official channels have shown lately that the soviet organization has at no time been able successfully to extend its authority with any completeness into the rural district even of central russia its control in the cities and the industrial centers has haa been complete and this control is said to have extended along the railway lines from point to point it has not however according to the reports extended into the rural districts further on the average than three miles on either side of the railway line |