OUTLAY ON ARMS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1938, Page 5

OUTLAY ON ARMS

ONE=QUARTER OF TOTAL RUSSIAN BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT TO SUPREME SOVIET MANY PLACES LEFT VACANT BY PURGE ■ By Telegraph—Press Association. Copyright. MOSCOW, August 11. The Finance Commissar, M. Zveryev, announced at the session of the Supreme Soviet today that armaments would absorb a quarter of the Russian Budget. The military budget amounts to 27,000,000,000 roubles, compared with 20,000,000,000 roubles last year. In addition 7,500,000,000 roubles have been provided for defence industries and 4,300,000,000 roubles for the Interior Department, which controls the border troops and industrial and military projects. The total expenditure is 123,000,000,000 roubles. Revenue is estimated at 125,000,000,000. Health expenditure accounts for 8,000,000,000, and education for 20,000,000,000 roubles. The rouble is worth nominally 21 3-Bd, but its internal value cannot be quoted. The ravages of purge were apparent at the opening of the Supreme Council. Nine of the 25 People’s Commissars chosen in January, 1938, have disappeared, those missing being the Vice-Premiers Chubar and Kossior, both members of* Stalin's political bureau, Navy Commissar Peter Smirnof, Internal Trade Commissar Mikhael Smirnof, Agriculture Commissar Eikhe, Machine Construction Commissar Bruskin, Public Health Commissar Boldareff, Food Industry Commissar Ghelensky and Agricultural Stocks Cofnmissar Popoff.