A neutral diplomat who left Moscow some time ago after a stay of years has confirmed the Current belief that even a war of several months and on a localized front has frayed the already faut transportation system in the Soviet Union, with resulting acute shortages of even basic commodities Since the: renewal of the Soviet censorship any mention of food or other shortages in dispatches leaving Russia has been strictly forbidden, In fact, one correspondent had his day's story cut to one sentence: "It is very cold in Moscow today"—which sentence he promptly cabled to his office.
There was deadly monotony, with occasional shortages of fresh products usually believed to be caused by bad distribution and the state of the transportation, which always creaked and groaned. Queues for fresh vegetables or imported fruit were constantly part of the picture of the snow-covered Moscow streets, But staples such as flour, sugar, potatoes and meat of a sort were always available and in sufficient abundance, According to the neutral diplomat by the middle of January all existing queues had been lengthened enormously as compared with the previous three winters. The most serious instance was an acute bread shortage in Moscow the first shortage since the withdrawal of the bread cards in 1935, This lasted three days, during which it was impossible to obtain bread of any quality without waiting hours in lines running several blocks and with the temperature 40 degrees below zero, And bread is the basis of the Russians' diet. The luxury meats were still to be had, but were unbuyable with the average Russian income. Also, though the tinned-goods counter in the stores could still be reached, tinned goods were not possible for most incomes. At one time all house deliveries of milk were stopped and soon milk became dificult to get. Flour was lacking and tea was like a gift of the Magi.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.