Evening star., 1920-03-28
RUSSIANS ACCEPT
40NE-UN|0N" PLAN
Co-0perative Workers De-
cree Fails to Agitate People
Under Soviet Rule. {
BY MICHAEL FARBMAN.


eaxo Daily News, Copyright, 1920.
MOSCOW. Russia, March 6 (via-
Riga, Livonia, March 2o).-Many
things astonish the observer in soviet
Russia, but the most amazing Is that
people accept as natural and normal
things which. IL introduced in west
ern Europe or America. would agitate
public opinion greatly For instance.
the decree of January 81. uniting all
the cooperative societies into one all
Russian union and making all Rus
sian citizens practically members OF
the cooperative. was accepted oy the
people without astoniShment.
In introducing the decree In the
central executive committee Lenin
said: I'VE desire to create CO.
operative of all workers and not CO
operatives of small propriet etors
clamoring for free unrestricted trade.
which is nothing but freedom Tor
profiteering for the few and poverty
for the rest. Russia will become a
united all-Russian cooperative of all
workers. That is our aim.
have just had long tax win
Andrew LeshaNa. president OF the
Central Uaion ot Co-operatives.
Yes" he said. Russia is now one
hig cooperative union Every citi-
zen is a co-operator. Soviet Russia
sia. The mutual relations between
the soviet government and the CO.
operatives have undergone great
changes in the last two years. At
first there was a natural rivalry De-
tween the co-operatives, which found
ed their activities oN unrestricted
trade, and the government, which en-
deavored to monopolize trade and
distribution.
Coouerotiv>.s-p place In Syafen.
However, the co-operativeS have
gradually been drawn into the frame
of mind Of the revolution. and have
been given a most important function
in state economy, namely snare IN
the distribution of commodities. To
the governments own organ for dis
tribution, the food commisSariat, is
reserved exclusively the provision and
storage of all monopolized staple
comm ODDITIES, such as grain. meat, nSh,
ing to the co-operatiyes the provision
and storage of the rest OF the COM
nnodities-not menopoliZed but con-
trolied by the government
1t is noteworthy that monopolized
commodities must be delivered to the
state by the producers for seed and
fodder. Non-monopolized commodities
may be sold and distributed by the
producers. Non-monopolized food is
stored exclusively by the co-opera-
tfves. AS a rule the co-operatives do
not pay the producers Instead they
are supposed to exchange manufac-
tured commodities. for produce. The
greatest difficulty so far has been the
lack of manufactured goods and the un-
willingness of the peasants to part with
their products for money.
THAT difficulty has now been over
come" said NJ. Leshava. Propaganda
by the government and co-operatives
has succeeded in imbuing the peasants
with the spirit of solidarity and trust
in the new state. This year their de-
livery of monopolized articles as well
as food, was excellent, and now the food
commissariat and the co-operatives pos
eess sufficient stores to satisfy all the
needs of the cities. The only difficulty
at present is the breakdown of the
transportation system
Blames AlHes' Blockade.
The president of the co-operatives
spoke long and bitterly about the eff
feet of the allied blockade on the
food distribution. The occupation of
Baku and the prohibition by the Brit
Ssh of oil shipments to Russia had
stopped many factories and prevented
the use of the big fleet of small craft
on the Volga for bringing fish from
Astrakhan to the starving Russian
cities. II is said that there are more
than 100000 pounds of dry fish in
the Astrak ian state fisheries. Con-
sidering that the total annual fish
consumption oe the whole of Russia
is about 12.00eO0O pounds. this guam
tfty could have greatly alleviated the
critical food situation.
Yet" said the president, I'VE are
ready to forgive and forget. We well
come the awakening of Europe to the
truth that the Russian revolution is
frrevocable and that the blockading of
Russia is hitting not only the Russian
but the European workers as we'll"
In reply to my question as to what
he thought about the allies desire to
trade exclusively with the co-opera-
tives. M. Leshava said: We welcome
it. for we ourselves wish trade with
the co-operatives. But if Lloyd George
and the supreme council think that
while trading with the co-operatives
they can continue hostility to the
soviet government they are greatly
mistaken. The co-operatives are now
simply a part of the soviet govern
nlent.
NJ Leshava explained that the de-
sire to resume trade relations had not
yet entered the stage of actual busi-
ness. The Russian co-operatives
would consider that a real start had
been made if they were permitted to
send their own delegations to Europe
and America. He pointed out that
their only representative now in Eu-
rope was NJ. Litvinoff, the others in
Europe and America having left Rus
sia long ago, when the co-operatives
were quite different, and, consequent
lv. they were not able To sneak for fha