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Siberia. Undoubtedly the Czechoslovak soldiers sympathize with the Russians, rather than with the Japanese, in the quarrel which arose after the withdrawal of the other allied contingents from Vladivostok. But that alone would not affect correct relations between Japanese and Czechoslovak soldiers and officers. The trouble was caused by Japenese attempts to control the railroad by which the Czechoslovaks were concentrating from the interior on Vladivostok and by the rough treatment of the Russian railroad employees who went on strike as a protest and tied up the railroad. But although there were a number of casualties on each side, there is no danger of serious conflict in the Maritime Province. Dr. Girsa, the Czechoslovak representative in Vladivostok, and Gen. Syrový, the commander, will in co-operation with Minister Pergler in Tokio reach and understanding with the Japanese authorities; this ought to be easy, as the Czechoslovaks desire nothing more than to get out of Russian territory and go home.

As spring comes, the food situation becomes the subject of anxious discussion in Prague newspapers, and to some extent even the football of politics. Everybody agrees that things are far better than a year ago; the ration is larger and costs less. There are no famine conditions anywhere in Czechoslovakia than can be compared to the famine in Austria and Poland. But the requisitions did not bring in as much grain and meat as the authorities figured on and expensive purchases must be made abroad. A lot of American flour was bought and hurriedly unloaded in Děčín in March. The government coalition blames the national democrats or rather their leader Dr. Rašín, the former finance minister, for failure to buy flour last June, when the purchasing power of the crown was several times higher than now. Even in the coalition itself the socialists and the agrarians got into strenuous arguments about this matter. The agrarians demand that the coming harvest should be released from state control and that farm products should be traded in freely; otherwise the farmer will greatly restrict his operations, because they would be unprofitable, and the harvest will be smaller than ever before. Against that the socialists point out that abolishing maximum prices and allowing the farmers to sell their products at the price fixed by demand and supply would inevitably mean a serious increase of the existing inordinately high prices. It seems that for the present the city will have its way as against the country. An American financial commission has examined in April the industrial and economic conditions of the Republic and was very favorably impressed with the advanced state of the country.

A statistical report has been published on the import of food from January 1, 1919, to January 31, 1920. The bulk was brought from the United States, the total value being 54 million dollars loaned by the American government; from Great Britain only 300,000 pounds sterling was imported, also on credit; importations from France, Italy, Jugoslavia, Argentina and Belgium were paid for in cash or by export of commodities. From America was brought in principally wheat flour (95,800 metric tons), rye flour (22,200 tons), wheat (15,000 tons), rye (16,000 tons), bacon (18,000 tons), lard (3000 tons), condensed milk and other supplies. From the army stores in France the Czechoslovak Republic bought on credit 5000 tons of corned beef, 3500 tons of bacon, canned goods, biscuits etc. Rice was secured from France (6250 tons) and to a smaller extent from Italy. From Jugoslavia the Republic imported 1011 steers and 5374 pigs, from Argentina 30,000 tons of wheat and from Belgium 36,000 tons of American white flour. All these food supplies were distributed to the population by governmental agencies on, cards at maximum prices.

They do not believe in prohibition in Bohemia, but nevertheless they get little beer and practically no spirits. In the year before the war the production of beer was 10.5 million hectoliters (a hectoliter is 26.4 gallons), in the year 1914–15 only 9.68 million hl, the following year 6.32, then in 1916–17 the production went down to 1.36, in 1917–18 to 1.6, and last year it rose again to 3.87. But this year the brewers are complaining that the government has failed to let them have even the promised one fifth of the pre-war amount of barley. In spite of this situation and in spite of prohibition in America the price of hops was never so high. A 50 kg bale of hops of Žatec (Saatz) was worth in September 1919 3000 crowns, and in March 6800 crowns.