4 MARCH 1922, Page 3

In :the House of - Lords on " Thursday, February 23rd, the

Archbishop;of Canterbury called attention to the gravity of the Russian Famine and quoted. from the very able -report by Sir Benjamin Robertson,. the 'well-known -expert in Indian famines, who has visited-the- Volga. regions. LordeEmmott most wisely argued that it was absolutely necessary, o feed adults as well as children if we - wanted to keep. the population alive. . It, was elcarly_tneor interest to helpehe peasaaats of the Volga mgions till.they could once, more ,grow grain for Europe. - As. Chairman of the: Russian FanaineRelief Fund he .explained thatrmany the. stores presented by the Government out .-of the surplus; of the War were:either unsuitable .or were in bad-condition. What was the use,for example, of 200 tons .of lime juiceY .That-could not bring much relief to dying people. The Government had also presented £21,000 worth of stores: in Egypt, which included moth-e,aten.clothing and .medical stores which would be of such little: use inc.Ruesia thatetke3r had to be elivertedee the :use of refugees in• Constantinople. Lord Curzon apologised for the unsatisfactory .:eharacter of what had been given. As for a direct money contribution: from- the Government he. confessed that (he had been- :unable- to- persuade the 'Chancellor of the Exchequer. :He: suggested that, pressure. should be brought, to bear on the Government, by -means of an appeal signed, 'bp two or three ,hundeedemembera of Parliament.