The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 1920. SOVIETISM PERMANENTLY ESTABLISHED.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3393, 24 January 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 1920. SOVIETISM PERMANENTLY ESTABLISHED.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post. and Waimarino News." A

There now seems little doubt that Bolshevisin has become a permanent fixture in Europe, and it yet: remains to be seen whether it can be so fenced off in Russia as to prevent it :influencing forms of government in neighbouring countries. Virtually Bolnshevism is accepted as a right for Russians to govern themselves in their own way; Britain has resolved to enter into'trading relationship with the. Russian people, be they Bolshevik or anti;Bolsllevik, and such trading must furnish the experience. necessary for realising completely and Correctly what the innermost nature ‘of Bolshevisin is, and what it stinids for in the world. If it is merely -9.. cover for world-wide brigandage it will not last long as 3. governing system, but if it should

evolve into a beneficent form of democracy it will doubtless spread to otlle.r countries and eventually cover the whole world. The methods of its pro-mot-erg and leaders have been against it, the unspeakable brutality for which it will for ever be notorious in history, has been enough. to set the world in fear of it for all time, but mankind soon forget. whatever injury they may-have been subjected to, and horrifying as the methods of. Bolshevism have been, it may be -said that they were only one degree worse than those of Prussianism. The decision of the B‘ritish Government to devote many millions of money to cultivating trade with Russia corroborates the contention that the falling out of any nationaal unit from the world’s economic system very seriously jeopardises t-he economic situation over the whole; it is an admission that trade is mightier than ‘the sword; that barter is more powerful than war. As the failure of one organic function in the-human system involves disease .and'decay of the whole, so” it appears that withdrawal of any nation from the World’s economic system is inevitably followed with disease that is fraught with the decay and destruction of an general and social conditions under which people live. Elimination of sources of economic supply has resulted in an attack of profiteering which that great statesman, General Smntz, characterises as the gravest problem civilised nations have to contend with. He ‘has realised that profiteering, after c‘reating economic chaos and revolution, will destroy itself and all who are involved in it; he sees ‘that men throw =thems-elves into the whirl of immorality from which they are» helpless to escape, and that they and their victims can only "be saved by resorting to old sources of life necessaries and the discovery of new, so as to reestablish a competi-

tion in human requireihénts too great and far-reaching for even multi-million trusts and combines to get under subjection. Britain is not entering 'into trading relationship with Russian 801sheviks from choice, but from compulsion; it is either that or failure to reconstruct society by peaceful means. The masses of the people in Britain, in fact, throughout the civilised world, i have been rendered desperate by profiteering and are on the verge of passing out of go\'e.rnment control. The British Government now recognises that the surest way to kill profiteering, to solve the gravest problem the world has to contend with, is torbecome a pal-mm. in a business for re-opening up trade relationship with Russia and Germany.

The position in whic}_l our Empire

istands is fairly wellknown to us, but we can only know the national and l economic condition of those. with whom lour Empire is going to trade by the [scraps of information that are cabled ' outito us. Cable. messages arriving in “the last few days have been of engrossing interest and importance. They aiindicate that Russians -are as anxious to trade with Britain'as Britain is with them; it is oflieially stated that Britain will risk about forty millions of money in establishing such -a. tradling scheme, and Russia, officially informs us that the Russian Government will deposit. forty millions sterling in foreign banks as a basis of trade, and that they have waiting one million tons of wheat for immediate export; they are also willing to grant very valuable trade concessions. It seems entirely beyond doubt that some :Irr.angement has been entered into between the Allies and the Soviet Govlernment for cessation of War and 1.6.1 I sumption of trade on a large scale, how

large may be approximately determined by the initial sums of money involved on either side, which means that} the trade volume will only be limited ; by what either ‘party has to Sell and} 3 the other party can buy. Addressing ‘the British-Russian Club, the British ‘Food Controller said: “Supplies oft food and raw ma.t,eria,l from Russia! were important from the view—point of [the world’s economic welfaLre; the dis- I eovery of new sources of supply gave] the best hope of reduction in the cost iof living.” In "proposing the toast Of “Russia,” on the -same occasion, Colonel John Ward said: “The opening of trade with Russia. was the begining of a .nl_ovomellt which would enable Soviet. power to establish itself {on a permanent basis.” To further discover the nature of the Britishiltussian arrangement, it is ofiicially stated that, “the Allied Supreme Counieil has decided to eoinpiétely raise the

blockade against Russia.” Lloyd! George is optirnistie, and he has deelared that the Allies will, in future, only act on: the defensive. against Russia. There are indications that the‘ Soviet is to occupy all Russian territory in Siberia to Lake Baikal, and ail recognised Russian territory to the westward, but there is to be no interference with Poland, or with Georgia, and other trans-Caspian States. In reading between the lines it appears that a ve-r_v c.ompreTlensive and definite agree-ment has been «already entered ;into, and the fact that Russian toasts‘ ‘are. being enthusiasticlafily drunk: in :\London Clubdom must. be taken as! {Very strong evidence -indeed in this ‘connection. For if it means anything! it is that the Soviet has undertaken to cease propaganda in Allied eoun- ;

tries, that propagandists and spies will be withdrawn, permitting all Europe to bend its energies in efl°ecting eCollonlic.'! and -social reco-nsti-uct.ion in the shorte_st possible space of time, each comm‘ try in its own wa_v.- The operation of! such an agreement will minimise obs-1 tacles to peaceful development in middle Asia, and particularly in India. Production will everywhere increase, I and if -there. is no lapse on the part of i Russia that country will have, next October, not one million tons of wheat I to sell to Britain, but several millions oi‘ tons; Indian. wheat will probably be available in larger volume,‘ and the whole of Siberia, that which is Red, as Well as that which is not Red, will have wheat and Wool, beside other raw materials to throw into competition. The policy of coercion has every- l where failed, nationally, ii'ulllsl‘rially,l socially, economically; the more military coercion was empl~oye(l the greater the impetus given to the growth of Sovictism. The most S3‘a]'pi‘§Sing disclosure is that Sovietism is not so bad but What ill may be l.”£'Zl(lGd with and negotiated with for a return I 0 peaceful relationhip; that liorrible brutality is 110’: peculiar to Sovieiism but to Rus- I

sizzn people generally, who have disas- ‘ ltrously lagged on the. trek to higher civilisation. The curtain on Sovietisnr has been lifted, and surprising as the discoveries are, there is the outstanding fact that Britain and her Allies have found in Soviet Russia the one sure step towards national and social ' reconstruction. Soviet Russia is ready | to pour out millions of tons of thei “st.afl",of life” into the lap of. Britain, 1 a rosy prospect of bread being purehusable at a. price the British masses are able to pay. Aljove all we have to understand that Britain has entered into trading relationship with the’ Soviet Government; that S.‘ovietisnl is supreme in Russia; that the savagry of anti—'B'olshevik troops have driven all‘ the trans-Baikal region of Siberia tel WOICOmO- Sovietism with open arms; that it is -impossible to reconstruct. -an anti-Bolshevik government; that Britain has met Russia on an equal trade footing, and that the Allied Supreme Council has completely raised the blockade; thus putting Russia. on friendly terms with the rest of HlO great nations of the world. This also completes essential repairs to the world’g economic machinery. which, as it rapidly brings into competition! hundreds of millions of pounds Worth of food and raw material, will Sound the death knell of that gu-avast of all problems the World is faced With———profifeering.