There was a more than usually good attendance of members of the Rotary Club at the weekly tiffin held on Thursday at the Cafe Parisien. After an excellent lunch interspersed with jovial song, Dr. Petit, the Club's President, vacated the head of the table in favour of Mr. G. F. Ashley, chairman for the day, who officiate ed in introducing the speakers. After explaining the various reasons why it had been decided that the day's meeting should be mainly devoted to, Siberian topics, Mr.
ashley called upon Mr.
Tinkham, who has recently returned after spending a year and a half in Siberig with the Y. M. C. A., to relate some of his experiences.
Artitupe or PeasaNtry.
Mr, Tinkham, in the course of a most instructive address, gave his opinions with regard to things Siberian as he had been able te observe them from three different points of view, firstly with the Russian White Army in the neighbourhood of Ufa, secondly in Oms< while that town was Koltchak's headquarters and finally in Irkutsk after the retreat, Mr. Tinkbum stated that when he had first joined the expedition he was bitterly anti-Bolshevik and enthusiastic for the cause 2
Koltchak, and he was still bound to say that he believed the reports of Bolshevist atrocities to quite true. At the same time while at Ufa and near Samara was much struck by the apathy among the peasantry regarding what rule they fell under—White or Red. The Red soldiers fought with more vigour than did the Whites, but then they received 300 roubles per month while the latter were only paid 30 roubles.
Unsympatnetic Uren Classes.
In May of last year he had returned to Omsk and had been much impressed by the large numibers of well-dressed Russian officers who were strolling about idly having a good time and utterly the retreat of thei army. He found that the upp. class Russians were unsympathetic with regard to the soldiery and even the sick and wounded; they seemed to look upon them as something lower than human beings. At Irkutsk his enthusiasm for Koltchak had received another bump when he had seen something of the merciless behaviour of the Cossacks and soldiery under that Government. The Bolshevist rule was a rule of one class only, and as that he did not think thit it ~—-74 last for long; but still he would sev that it was good or Re—*- het the Koltchak Government was finished, 1
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.