RUSSIA’S DEFENCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1938, Page 6

RUSSIA’S DEFENCE

HUGE SUM PROVIDED THIS YEAR. PRESENTATION OF BUDGET. Finance Commissar Arseny Gregorevitch Zverev has announced before the joint session of the Supreme Soviet (Parliament) that 27,000,000,000 roubles had been allotted this year to Defence Commissariats. There was great applause, said Walter Duranty in a radio message to the “New York Times” recently

At the session of the two Houses —th'e Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of the Nationalities —there was much cheering for Joseph Stalin and other leaders as they entered the Kremlin Hall. In his address on the Budget,. M. Zverev said:

“Japanese military provocateurs have attacked us, and although our policy has always been peaceful it is our duty to protect our country and the interests and culture of the working masses everywhere. We stand for peace, but are ready to give blow for blow.”

When'the Commissar added, “If need be, the whole people stands behind the army and the Communist Party and oui’ great leader Stalin,” the audience rose to its feet and shouted for several minutes.

The two Houses of the Supreme Soviet first assembled separately, the Soviet of the Union at 2 p.m. and the Soviet of the Nationalities at 4. Both voted agenda of eight points, of which the first concerned the Budget. The Houses discussed this separately, but were expected to approve it by joint vote.

The- State’s income for the current calendar year is estimated at 125,200000,000 roubles. Expenditures are estimated at 1,800,000,000 roubles less. The main items of expenditure are 47,000,000,000 roubles for national economy, including capital investment 31,000,000,000 roubles for education and social benefits, 27,000,000.000 roubles for defence and 8,000,000,000 roubles for health. M. Zverev said there had been grave errors, treason, and sabotage in the national finances and that their effects were still being felt, but that the position of the country was steadily improving. Industrial production, he said, was now eight times the pre-war total and forty times that of 1921. In the first half of this year saving bank deposits increased by 1,200,000,000 roubles and were 40 per cent greater than last year.

During the two Five Year Plans the public subscribed 25,000,000,000 roubles to State loans and there are now 50,000,000 subscribers. The latest national defence loan opened on July 2, and 5,350,000,000 roubles was subscribed in the first ten days. The Supreme Soviet met in the great hall of the Kremlin. The hall has been completely redecorated in white, with ten great white lights in double oval rings. There are no red banners or other ornaments save a life-size white figure of Lenin, standing in a niche behind the table where Andrey A. Andreyev, chairman of the Soviet of the Union, and Nikolai Schvernik, chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities, presided.

Almost at the same moment of the issuance of a battle communique announcing a new victory over the Japanese, Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, entered the former Throne Room of the Kremlin and-was wildly acclaimed by deputies of the

Supreme Soviet, both houses of which were meeting in joint session.

Wearing a loose tunic and grey linen trousers tucked in high black boots, Stalin took a seat in the background among the commissars grouped on the platform. Outbursts of cheering, , however, compelled him to arise again and again. The ovation lasted ten minutes.