The food situation was very serious. For many years, Russia had been the
granary of Europe but during the winter of 1916-17 suffered from shortage
of food. Passengers told how in southern Russia grain and flour were
rotting and yet in northern Russia the inhabitants were starving owing to
the breakdown of the transportation system. It was pointed out that while
the railway officials refused to give cars for bringing in the necessities
of life, yet articles of luxury, expensive fruits, and such things did come
into the city--a state of affairs which meant, of course, that some one
was grafting. Sugar could be obtained only by cards and in very limited
quantities; flour could not be bought at all, and black, sour bread could
often be had only by standing in long lines and for hours at a time. There
were no shoes and people asked what became of the hides of the thousands of
animals that were annually slaughtered and shot. It was said that these,
like other things, were sold to Germany.
As usual the poorer classes suffered the most. The well-to-do sent their
servants who after a time returned with bread; at the worst it was only an
inconvenience, but the workman had no servants to run his errands. In
the morning, the laborer left his home for his work with little or no
breakfast, at noon there was no luncheon for him because his wife was
standing in the bread or sugar line, and when he returned in the evening
there may have been bread enough but little else.
Pages:
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66