BOLSHEVISM IN RUSSIA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 104, 27 January 1919, Page 5

BOLSHEVISM IN RUSSIA

REVIEW OF ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

AMBITIOUS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME By TelegrapH—Press Association-Copyright /'•"•' London, January 22/ A "Manchester Guardian" correspondent who was engaged upon the Society of Friends' Relief Mission in Russia, in 1917 and 1318 has provided an interesting ■review of the economic conditions in rural Russia'under Bolshevism. He saye that co-operative societies have now secured a virtual monopoly of trading, and have put the small traders out of business. The societies get credit from the Soviets, and are regarded by the railways as a Government Department. ' The profits are reduced to the minimum, and are devoted to education, including classes on modern languages, history, and bookkeeping. The Bolsheviki commenced with an ambitious educational prcßTamine, and aimed at establishing a school in every village. This project was abandoned owing to the lack v of teachers, and instead of it the Bolsheviki started 'training colleges for teachers, financing the colleges.

The immense enthusiasm for education ■was a great Bolshevik:..asset. The Boy Scout movement is also flourishing. The Soviets control jmost of the factories and forests. The Bolshevik leaders for a time gave the local Soviets control of local sections of the railways/ but tho scheme soon failed, and complete disorganisation followed,- as the' Bolsheviki desired, and national control was resumed. :.'■.- .:

Regarding the ownership of land, there is a difference of opinion. The Bolshevik leaders want to manage the large estate , through' their own experts, but the peasants do not desire nationalisation but village ownership. The Bolshm-ikl have.eecured taxes by. capital .levies, from which none are exempt, and by commandeering, stores and selling 'them at high prices. : Justice is. eemired by the election of older, men as .Magistrates. The Red Guards have sometimes overridden them, but on the-whole* the Law Courts are more reliable, and the police administration more just, than . under ■ the old .regime. There, is no blackmailing in connection with illicit vodka stills.. The ■.Bolshevik; simply confiscated the still and deprived the maker of supplies ol grain.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. THE EVACUATIONjCF PETROGRAD ■ ALL SUPPLIES REMOVED FROM ' .... THE CITY. •,' '■ • (Rec. January 28, 5.5 p.m.) London, January 23. The "Morning Post's"' Stockholm correspondent, etates that, according to Helsingfors telegrams, Trotsky telegraphed toi the War Minister as follows: "The Bolsheviki; are compelled, to evacuate Petrograd without a fight, chiefly owing to the last.defeat on the northern front, when, the whole army, with the general, deserted." , '■.■'■■■' Sixty thousand workmen in Petrograd have been on. strike since January 1C All supplies have been removed from the city. .Trotsky has removed his headquarters to Novgorod. The Red Guards wha invaded KaTelia at Suojervi'were beaten off,' and are now in full retreat. They are snffering from >a shortage of food.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Asen. .'. : . . IMPORTANT ESTHONIAN ADVANCE. (Rec. January 20, 5.5 p.m.) London, January 23. : The successful advance of the Esthonians towards Petrograd is important. The defeat of the Bolshevik is duo partly to the trouble in Petrograd and partly to the disaster at Porm. The British have handed to the Esthonians captured torpedoboats, which are being used against the Bolshevik flank.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. . ■■•'.■•

DESERTIONS FROM BOLSHEVIK .•■.:■.:.'■■ ,: XRM_, ( SIXTY THOUSAND MEN GO OVER TO THE ESTHONIANS. / (Rec. January 2G, 5.5 p.m.) Stockholm, January 23.Trotsky's statement in reference-to the desertion of the whole Bolshevik army refers to sixty thousand men on the Narva front who havo gone over to the Esthonians.' The , evacuation of Petrogrnd was necessitated by the heavy BolsheviK defeatat Perm.—Aus.-N'.Z. Cable Assn. ON THE ARCHANGEL FRONT; ALLIES COMPELLED' TO 'RETIRE. New York, January 23. Dispatches from Archangel state that the Bolsheviki are heavily shelling the American and Russian armies in the TJstpiiiega region, and them is heavy fighting.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ; "(Rec. January 27, 11.5 p.m.) ... . Washington, January 24. ' General March announces ,that the Bolshevist attacks on the Archangel front compelled the retirement of the Allies, .whose'losses, however, were small.—Aus.-'' N.ZI. Cables Assn. ... TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY THE SCHEME OF CONTROL. (Rec. January 2G.-5.5 p.m.) ,■ 'New York, January 23i Dispatches from Vladivostok state that the Americans will ■ control* the transSiberian railway from Porgraniohana to Omsk, under the agreement as to international control,- and the British from Omsk to the battlefront. The _ French will control the Khabarovsk section, and the Japanese the sector from Blagoviestcliensk to Chita—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. OPPOSITION FROM JAPANESE ' LEGISLATORS. (Rec. January 27,' 0.30 a.m.) New Yqi-k, January 23. Dispatches from Tokio state th«r nemibera of the Lower House of i v arliament opposed the international control of the Chinese Eastern Trans-Siberian Railway. They said that the American control disregarded Japan's special position in the Orient.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.