According to Trotsky, Rykov’s figures, depressing enough in all conscience, did not disclose the full gravity of the situation. The real number of disabled locomotives was greater than the figures given, he said, for the reason that “we frequently call ‘sound’ half-disabled locomotives which threaten to drop out completely on the morrow.” Rykov’s statements do more than merely confirm those previously quoted from the _Economicheskaya Zhizn_: they show that from October to January there had been a steady increase of deterioration; that conditions had gone from bad to worse. The report proceeds to illustrate the seriousness of the situation by concrete examples of the actual conditions confronting the government: We have a metallurgical region in the Ural mountains; but we have had at our disposal until now but _one single special train a month to carry metals from the Urals to central Russia_. In order to transport 10 million poods[58] of metal by one single train per month several decades would be required, should we be able to utilize those scanty supplies of metal which are ready in the Urals. [58] One pood equals thirty-six pounds. In order to deliver cotton from Turkestan to the textile factories in Moscow, we have to carry more than one-half million poods per month--up to 600,000 poods. But at this time we have only about two trains a month; that is, scores of years will be required for transporting under present conditions from Turkestan those 8 million poods of cotton which we could convert, but are unable to deliver to the factories.