Russian local government during the war and the Union of Zemstvos

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1794855874

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-179223

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Polner, Tichon I. http://d-nb.info/gnd/172311195

Title:: Russian local government during the war and the Union of Zemstvos

Place of publication:: New Haven

Publisher:: Yale Univ. Press

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: XXV, 317 S.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter X. Participation of the Zemstvos in the work of supply

Collection:: Economics Books

ORGANIZATION OF SUPPLY 179 ing now under the direction of one chief, now under that of another, with the result that there was competition and constant friction among the government departments. The Government placed its re- liance upon the efficiency of the authorities rather than upon any clearly-thought-out policy. This disorganization of transport, in addition to the stringent regulations affecting separate localities, did much to undermine the foundations of private business and in- troduced into it an element of uncertainty and speculation. Shortage of Foodstuffs. In these circumstances, not alone the cities and towns but also the rural districts in the consuming areas, began to experience an acute food shortage. Not only individual buyers, but even codperative so- cieties began to find it impossible to obtain the foodstuffs that they required, and the zemstvos had to take measures to supply the de- ficiency. The food shortage was not always confined to the consum- ing provinces in the north; the producing provinces likewise suf- fered from the same distress, as may be seen from the following instance. In 1916 flour millers in the province of Taurida who had “un- limited supplies of grain” were forced to close down sixty-eight mills and to curtail operations in ninety-eight others for lack of fuel, and the result was a reduction of 7,400 puds in the daily output in this province alone. At the same time the millers in the neighboring provinces, in spite of the fact that they were supplied with a practi- cally unlimited amount of coal from the local Donets mines, were compelled to curtail production for lack of grain.* All provinces suffered in equal measure from a shortage of arti- cles of prime necessity other than foodstuffs. The unfavorable con- ditions under which manufactured goods were distributed in the rural districts were felt keenly by the peasants and sometimes even forced them to refuse to dispose of their grain for cash. They were dissatisfied, moreover, with the speculative inflation of the prices of such articles. Sometimes the peasants would openly protest against the fixing of the price of grain when the price of other articles of prime necessity which they were obliged to buy, remained uncon- trolled.® * Izvestia (Bulletin), No. 39, p. 197. 8 Ibid.. No. 40, pp. 207-208.

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