FAILURE OF COMMUNISM

Hokitika Guardian, 24 September 1921, Page 1

FAILURE OF COMMUNISM

(Sydney Paper). The whirligig of very limited Time is bringing in his revenge in Russia. Set up less than four years ago, and acclaimed hy theorists the world over as the State system which would usher in the golden age, Communism is now being discarded with a rapidity which almost exceeds the original rush that put it hi to operation. During the past few months hardly a week has gone by without the receipt of cable messages. at iirst from outside sources, and latterly from .Moscow itsclt, announcing the granting t.ogjppgn eapiiit list s; of concessions foffne exploitation of Russia’s vast natural wealth. mi- reporting the abandonment of communistic theories in relation to tiade, industry, finance, or property. The reasons' for this "volte face” on the part of the Soviet Government are not far to seek. .The vast stock of pinducts, materials, and gold reserves which had been accumulated in Russia under the capitalist system has been used up bv the Rolsheviks; ami, as they have not heen able to produce wealth out of their own inner consciousness, or hv the application in practice of their communistic theories, they have heen forced, not so much to a compromise with, as to a complete surrender to that capitalistic system ol which lhey were confident they had sounded i he'death knell. They have urged their theories on the .Russian people with a ruthless severity unparallelel in hisloiy. The iniquities of Torqm-ma.la and the 1 uquisiliou pale beside the e of Lenin and his Extraordinary Commissions. Russia lies prostiatc and bleeding, her industries are ruined, her transport is disorganised and her people arc starving. The very sadness of her position calls for pity and immediate succour rather than for ironic laughter at the spectacle of the Soviet Government making supplication to the once despised capitalistic Governments to feed the people made destitute by the Rolsheviks themselves. In March last, almost concurrent with the signing of the Anglo-Russian Trade Agreement. it was announced that Lenin had allotted a very large portion of Russia’s natural wealth to foreign capitalists in order to provide credits which the Soviet needed. As a commentary on this the American Secretary of State, Judge Hughes staled a month later that, although the Bolshevik Commissariat of Foreign Trade had placed orders tor (i.dIHI million cloll:iis’ worth ol foods in Europe. America, and Asia, shipments were uegliejl.de owing to the inability oi the Bolsheviks to pay cash, or to obtain credit. Realising that concessions abroad must he accompanied by luucessions at home, if the State were not to wither ■uvav completely, almost innumerable deeiees were promulgated, the object Iteing the temoval of the economic re-

st,-a lions in Ros-ta v.he I, had rendered capital inactive there. Ihe principle of private gain was admitted and permission was given to peasants and town workers to carry on unde and barter. The requisitionings of the ponsmils’ surplus corn were discontinued ami .1 corn tax wits substituted. In the industrial sphere the hist step taken was to dc-nal ionalise all factories and nulls which had loriiictly belonged to foreigners. This was billowed by a de. isniii to retrain Irmx nationalising business concerns (presumably Russian) employing I'ewet than 7T persons, and finally, in dune, came news „f the

eomplele abandonment of I lie policy of factory nat ionalisa I ioii v. ilh the annn'inccimml of •,he eiidorseinent. hy the Soviet Cabinet, of Lenin's proposals for returning to privaie enterprise all commercial and industrial businesses lak- , n over liv the Siam. But concession ohvlnlislv eollhl Hot slop I e: e. Il lai - lories well- 111 he n• t 111 m l to t he:: owners there would he no reslrietion on the minium of i-ish factory owners could hold, so a hill wic dialled lemming the rest! let ions oil the possession oi money hy private' pet.soils ami ordering the restitution "I sums alreadv seized unless such were eoniiscaletl hy judicial process. The hoal blow In ( oiiimiinism was dealt by the aha odoiimen t. ainioumed a week ago. ot iH, nat ionalisa i ion ol houses in I’elrogiad. Addressing communist paiiy agents in April Lenin admit ie! that a return to free trade meant the re-int rodiirliou of eapitalism into Busin. which would become a capitalist Stale. Willi the deftness ol the politician eapit ilia I ing to the inevitable, he added that lie did mil tear capitalism while lhe State possessed jaetorii'S. ti a iispoi I. and a monopoly til Inreigii trailr. As imlieated hy .lodge Hughes Russia has practically no Inreigii Irn do; visitors have told Us ul I lie In iiicniiible stale of hei t I'iinsport sysIcin, and Lenin’s ability m make lisa of t.lie State faetorie.- and works iillustrated hy the giant of a coneessio'i In Messrs \ iei;er and tln Arm'l i nil • Whit wind h Company to work the greal Slate dockyards at Nikohtielf. on the Black Sea. il hy relaiimig any reninant of his theories ill llie winking ol Stale-owned factories Lenin eniild have assured himself of success .he would nut willingly allow one of the most vnltiahlo State properties lo pass undet lie eoinrol of foreigners.

Russia is now looked upon line! favourably hy those with money to invest. The fact dial Lenin prnpn s t lecognise Russia’s public debt, an I that he promises to pay interest in Ifl'J/i, dotlhlless gives eolllidenee to ill\‘eslors, for new companies are scekiiig concessions and die old companies am preparing to renew opera I ions in Russia, many of these latter with ihe cheering assurance that their old workmen will he glad to see them hack. The modeiate elements in the Soviet arc striving to adapt a system and to create an atmosphere in which foreign and Russian capital can operate and restore Russia to her lornier strength. It is probably that for Ihe present the attention of all responsible persons is directed towards the rcliel ol the la-mine-slrieken millions. I| may he, if the worst, fears are realised, that ihe Russian State and people will go down before an appalling catastrophe ; hill il happily disaster is averted il is to hhoped that capital and la,hour. having lioili learnt a lesson in the fires of hard experience, will provide a model lor the rest of the world which will he as excellent to follow as the Soviet’s com- i monistic plan was desirable to avoid. 1