UNDER SOVIET RULE.

Taihape Daily Times, 25 July 1919, Page 6

UNDER SOVIET RULE.

,‘ CONDITIONS IN BUDA PEST. ' A “GIDBERTIAN TRAGEDY.” : STATE OWNERSHIP FARCE. If you will imagine a tragedy Written by Gilbert. and Sullivan you will have a good idea of the conditions that {prevail here, wrote Mr O.- H.’Huefl‘Ter, from Buda Pest, recen-tly. - Externally, the city, in the brighét spring sunshine, has a rather “Sundayfied” -airfwith most of the shops shut, and there is no trafiic except the electric trams, the horse cabs, and the au-tomobiles confiscated by the Government, and now flying red flags. The pavements -are crowded with unexpectedly welhdressed people, and the cafes are doing a .great business in imitation coffee, as the sale of intoxicants is now prohibited. Everywhere there are red’ emblems—on soldiers’ caps, and in civilians’ buttonh-oles—— and there are huge red flags on the former Royal Palace, and the Government Buildings, with only an occasional black flag for variety. My hotel is crowded, especially at meal times, with people who _seem to tfind no difficulty in paying the price for the very exig'liolfs' meals that. are supplied, ‘and stalk and laugh in What seems -to be a creditable imitation of the normal. 0 Yet none of them have any property ; at all, and no one has any income‘ above £25 a month. For everything has been confiscated by the Soviet, and éilv ‘-T?r‘7:::el' owners -are only allowed to draw one-tenth of fiieir income up to a maximum of 2000 crowns—now nomin- ' ‘ally worth that amount, although worth practically nothing. r - Similarly, all shops and businesses have been confiscated, and the few which are new re-opening are managed for the Soviet by a committee of the former employees. "Thus, my hotel is new managed by -the former Waiter,l the :>.<:=i.-fizzwit porter, and the chamberanaid,‘ and, I must add, not well managed.

Nevertheless, this confiscation is not ‘universal. for the new authorities have found not unnatural reluctance on’ the part of the working class to part With their savings, while the peasant wel-t comed -the confiscation of the great esta.'tes only in the belief that they would be divided up among them, and are not at all Willing to give up their own possessions. How the new Government, when it is firm in the saddle, will deal with this difliculty remains to be seen. WORKMEN IN A PALACE. - Meanwhile, the condition of what were formerly the Wealthy and the bourgeoisie is deplorable enou’§'h. Not only their property, but their houses, furniture, jewellery, pictures, and eventheir clothes have been taken. Those who are still in their own houses must share them with the workmen ’s families. Thus the former Count Julius‘ _.Andra.ssy, one of the greatest names of Hungarian nobility, now lives in three rooms in his former palace; all ':the rest is now a vast lodging house. The one patenf"of nobility in this royal city is now a certificate of membership of a. trade’ union. Lacking it you cannot "even enter a t-hetare until -the sovereign caste has been provided with seats. And the most curious circumstance is that the sufferers endure this with absolute docility. It is as though they are so crushed by the remembrance of the graet War that they are thankful for permission to live. Scarccly a shot was fired in ldefence of the old system, and I can see no prospect as yet of any attempt from within to overthrow the new.

Forbidden to leave the country, those who were not so fortunate as to escape ,'earlie_r, ‘remain ,‘rtremb!i,‘ng in their homes. ‘I have heard a story of a ‘banker who somehow secured an aeroplane and reached B'ohemia, carry—ing some millions of securities. The machinery of Government continues to work. Most of the Govern: ment Clerks retain their positions; the lower grades were formerly so ill-paid that it is scarcely surprising ethat they welcome the change. It must. also be remembered that more than a quarter of the population is Jewish. Much of the retail trarfleiis in Jewish hands, and the Jews had small cause to live the old megirne. - ‘ '1 fl What I have said applies particularly to the city. How far it will sueceed in the provinces remains to be seen. The position there is complicated by the intense national feeling of the peasants égainst the Czecho-Slo-vnks and Germans. ‘ ' SOCIALISED FACTORY. I have to-day visited a, factory which is conducted under the new socialised conditions-—-the largest electric lamp and telephone material works in Hungard before the revolution, 9. limited fompany with 10.000,000 kronen capiW: employing 3600 Workers. mostly 1‘f‘Om"I1. It. is new managed by three G°V°"“““—‘T‘t Wmmissaries and 3, council ofseven r-vnvi.-_n,.s_ ‘ ‘mt: Who pays wages any appoints the ‘commis-saries. The icouncil is elected by the workers. The

solar-ies vary according to the Skilfulness of the work. (- eHithei*to there have been no COlll-i plaints of lazy workmen, but‘ such 3‘ cases are treated, not by dismissal, but it by moral suasion, including the with- ;‘ holding of fcsod. On-e-tenth of the ‘I. capital ise held by na American coln- ‘ pany, the dividend on whose shares is being credited to ‘them, and will be paid when circumstances permit. I 4 AR-MY AS EMPLOYMENT AGENCY, *: §§‘imilar conditions are being intro-“ duced into all factories which employ “ more “than twenty wol'kpcople—thosel with less are to remain in private pos~ ; session for the present. 1 For the time being, the great bulk of the population of the capital are undoubtedly pleased with the new con-’ ditions, despite the shortness of food,‘ rand the lack of coal and raw inaterial. TTherc is very little unemployment, Ins‘ those who are without work are automatically drafted into the Red Army. I should like to contradict the ex» aggerated reports of the disturbances here. I cannot speak of whatever executions may have taken place in pri-E vate._ So far as the public incidents‘ are concerned, the recent transference’ of power was as bloodless as any revo- ! lution in history. i ‘What may happen in the case of ‘in- E terfer»:lnco from without I can only sul' ' mise. '