The food shortage assumed dangerous dimensions, but the only food policy of the Government was to repress every effort by the nation to find a remedy. Any popular initiative for any purpose was promptly repressed by the Government. Only charity or Red Cross organisations were tolerated, and even barely tolerated at that. The Zemstvos and Town Councils were simply detested by the Government.Their efforts were hampered in every way. They would have been suppressed but for the worship the soldiers had for them after experience of the good they had done. But the most grotesque instance was the hostility of the Government towards the popular movement embodied in the War Industries Committees, which was started to mobilise and organise the production of munitions all over the country—a most necessary task in view of the failure of the Government. It was first a case of jealousy and then of fear. The Government was afraid of any popular organisations, and particularly of any popular demonstration of the national ability to do better
