Communist Shadow Hangs Over Finland

Chronicle (Levin), 1 October 1949, Page 5

Communist Shadow Hangs Over Finland

AUCKLAND, Sept. 30. "There is a shadow over Finland — the shadow of the Soviet Union." said Mr .Tames Freeman ( viee-nresident of the New Zealand Timber Workers' Unionl, speaking of Finland 's struggle vesterdav after his return from tlie Tntemational Forestrv Congress at Ilelsinki. ITe said evervthing in Finnish life was geared toward the fulfilment. of the r^paration programme. Nevertheless, the Finns were working desperatelv to gomplete it ahead of sehedule. feeling that this was the only way of ensnring freedom. "The Government 's attitude to the Soviet," said "Mr Freeman. "is 'very eorreet' and in tuni the Finns give full marks to the Russians for ihe 'correetness' of their behavionr. There is always the fear that anything interfering with the reparation programme mav lead to a change in the Russian attitude." IMr Freeman visited a factorv, the dailv output of which was 68,000 feet of timber, all of which was sent to Russia. It was only one of manv such factories affeoted. The programme was bnsed on quantitv uot eost. The financial strain, therefore, was much greater than was anticipated when the reparation agreement was reached. Finland 's serious housing shortage had been complicated, he said, by'The Russian acquisition, under the agreement, of the Karelia Province. "Voting with their feet," 500,000 ICarelians had walked out leaving farms, factories, homes and bnsinesses, and had made for Helsinki, where the Government rationed housing space to accommodate them. Tt cut up large estates and reduced the size of large farms. New villages sprang up — ali because Tvar'elians preferred not to be under Russian rule. Class Strife Reduced. Social refonns in Finland in recent years had done much to ameliorate class strife, said Mr Freeman. "The morale of the people is high," he stated, "and there is a spirit of national imity as distinct from nationalism. " Legislation introdueed sinee the yrar included laws relating to accom-

modatiou for forestrv workers and also hvgieno- aud safety in factories. A mill worker's house eompared more than favourablv with those iu New Zealand. Emplovers provided summer camps for workers who reeeived a fortnight's pnid holidav annuallv. They had a 48-hour week with work till four o'clock on Saturdavs, and the number of women emploved in sawmills and factories was striking. The New Zealand delegates, he said, were impressed with the possibility of New Zealand. adapting Finnish forestry methods to Communist* activity was said to have increased in Finland in the past year. Commimists were working harder there than in New Zealand" The Government had replaced the Commnnist Minister of the Tnterior and had abolished the Communis+controlled "politic.al poliee" but still > the attitude of thc Russians remainedl "eorreet.51' v