The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-07-31
PAPER MONEY
OF RUSSIA
solshevlk. Government Turns 1t Out
as Fast as Printing Presses
Can be Kept Hum
ming.
TBy Frank J. Taylor, United Press
Staff Correspondent

by FRANK J. 1ayioT' oAleo AiooS
Staff Correspondent.
NEW YORK, July S1.-"The Brit
shevik monetary system is probably
the most spectacular financial ex-
pertinent in history. At present IL
is a neck and neck race between the
printing presses and the decreasing
value Of the ruble, as evidenced by
prices. which are soaring steadily
higher.
The bolshevilss began their finan-
cial experiment with the following
idea in mind. They said money was
the source of all evil, since 1t repre-
scented wealth. According to the boil
shevik creed. individual wealth is
bad. It causes luxury and privilege,
they said. So the bolsheviks de-
cided to ultimately abolish money.
The bolsheviks had to tolerate
since the people had guam
tiey OF It and refused to countenance
it's abolition outright. Money was
needed to win support and build up
the bolshevik government machine.
Then some bolshevik had a happy
idea, which was readily adopted, IT
was to print more paper money, ana
print it in such enormous quantities
that the government could not pos
sibly be short of funds.
Since the bolshevik government
had conflscated everything and there
fore owned everything in Russia, IT
could print money without bothering
to provide for special securities. the
leaders reasoned. Hence the money
was not numbered serially. Nobody
knows how much exists.
The paper ruble Is decreasing in
value. But that fulfills the original
idea. Eventually the ruble may be
worth nothing. Then nobody will
want rubles, says the bolshevik.
They claim that money will then auto
matcally disappear. Thus 1t is only
a question of speeding up the print
ing presses.
However. money has not disappear
ed SO readily. despite the simplicity
of the plan. Unexpected difficulties
have arisen.
In the first place, prices soar as
money decreases in value. To meet
the cost of living, wages are raised
by the unions almost monthly. The
Industrial unions dictate the wages
in Russia.
Even with the rapidly rising wages
it is difficult for the workman to buy
the necessary food, especially IL he
has family. In most families every
body lie working.
To make matters more compli-
Gated, the peasant is baking at sell
ing his products for holshevik paper
money. The peasant farmer has been
the conservative in soviet Russia.
He wants to be shown. He is sus-
picious of this new small-sized
money.
So the peasants have insisted on
gold or money of the old regime, in
exchange for his products. He can
not buy clothes and implements,
since none are manufactured. He
refuses to hoard anything but the old
styled money, and he already has a
good share Of that in his possession.
The peasant does not subscribe to
the communist doctrine that the gov
eminent should own everything. and
sees no reason why he should give
up his products for either credit or
paper which will buy practically
nothing.
In the cities the bolshevik govern
ment met similar situation with
regard to the shopkeepers by means
jof conflscation. But the government
fears to conf1scate from the farmer.
The peasants are too numerous, and
would resist the plan too strenuous
ly So far the government has been
meeting the situation by paying enor-
nous prices for products, which 1t
sells at the co-operatives at a loss.
The loss is made up by printing more
money.
But there is limit to even that
system, and the bolshevik financial
experts" are up against it. One of
them in seriousness told the United
Press correspondent, IF we could
only get some new and modern
printing presses from America, we
would have the problem solved"
The government has reqmsitioned
all the bourgeoisie newspaper
presses, but shortage Of machinery.
ink and paper still hampers these
printing press finances.
The bolshevik ruble is small
note. about two inches long and an
inch and a half wide. The most COM
mon pieces are the twenty and forty
ruble amounts More recently one,
two, three. and five ruble pieces
have been added.
These rubles, especially the twen-
ties, are printed in big pages like
stamps. except that there are no per-
forations between the individual
notes. They are spent in pages very
often.
1t is common sight to see com
missaire reach in a desk drawer and
pull out page of rubles and hand
lit to subordinate, giving orders to
run out and buy something. A hun
dred or two hundred rubles are torn
J off with the finger nails leaving an
irregular margin, often tearing the
notes themselves, when a bill is paid.
Big bills are usually paid with strips
or pages of rubles. Only the poor
! have time to tear off individual
notes. For small change stamps are
used Oddly these are the same
stamps used by the old regime, and
bear the bust Of czar engraved on
them. The new government has not
been able to have new engravings
of Lenine or Marx made up. On the
back of the stamps is printed state
nient that they are to be used as