The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-01
.FINANCIERS SHY
In AIDING RUSSIA
UNDER RED RULE
Swedish and Norwegian
Bankers Decide to With
hold Their Support.
SHORT ON PRODUCTION
OF 100000 Reds, More Than
Half Are Officials and a
Tenth Workers.
CAN'T FIND SPECIALISTS
Textile Factories Slack, Rail-
way Shops Faulty, Coal
Output 80 Per Cent.
CAN'T FIND SPECIALISTS
BY LAURENCE HILLS.

by LAURENCE HILLS.
Staff Correspondent Of THE HERALD.
Copyright, 1890, by THE New YORK HIKlLD.
PARIS, Sept. 30.-Russia has become
nation enmeshed in the snares of
bureaucracy and utterly lacking
trained workmen essential to the res
toration Of her industries. AS a re-
suit Of this condition banking groups
which were considering the financing
of Russian factories have decided to
withhold their support, even though
the collapse Of the Russian industrial
system provokes new disaster from
which the Russian people will suffer
for generations.
These altruistic bankers who are
now disillusioned regarding Bolshevist
Russia, it was learned here. represent
mainly Swedish and Norwegian finan
cial firms. After an exhaustive study
of conditions in Russia they have
come to the conclusion that the Boil
shevist regime has had an irrepar-
able Consequence. With the rise of
the revolutionary spirit among the
Russians there has come a decided
abhorrance of work. Less than 10
per cent. of the BolsheyilSi are en-
ployed in productive labor says the
bankers report. The significance Of
this Is apparent.
Many Bosses, Few Workers.
With 100000 members in the ruling
party in Russia. there are less than co.
600 workers. out of the remainder, 160,-
900 men have been drafted into the Red
army and $4,000 have been attached TO
the various administrative Offices and
police services thereby rendering no
benefit to the population. but living on
the fat of the land. merely because they
are dupes of Lenine. Trotzky and their
colleagues
'Tt has become practically Impossible
to find specialists in Industries which
have always been the foundation of the
nations production" says another OBJ
server of conditions there. During the
first months of the revolution every one
was accepted In the Communist ranks
on n mere profession of faith. Little by
little these functionaries gained
greater hold on the Government. Now II
Is impossible to oust them from their
highly paid and well fed berths which
they prefer. naturally to the unproflt-
able and menaced life of a Russian
working man.
Unfortunately these functionaries
were recruited from every branch OF
labor, where their presence was most
needed to prevent an Industrial catas-
trophe. "Lenine and Trotzky are now
merely paying for their folly and short
sightedness."
Idle Factories and Shops.
The figures compiled by the Swedish
bankers strengthen these conclusions In
the textile industry, for example. out of
a hundred factories nationalized only
twelve are operating. and they are run
ming on part time, because workers can
not be found to handle the technical
end of the business.
In one year the Russian railroad
shops have been able to turn out only
eighty locomotives. q majority of which
were not 1T for use after q few weeks OF
service. because of their faulty con-
struction.
Coal production is only 80 per cent of
normal, even the Red ariny's working
contingent not providing enough trained
miners to properly systematic this one
branch OF production. which would en-
able the Soviet cause to continue in
definitely.
Even IL Russia we're provided with
raw material and credit II would be diff
ficult. II not impossible. to awaken her
to her former Industrial activity" the
Swedish investigators assert. Her la
boring elements have been dispersed and
are unproductive in the midst of Russia's
vast natural resources. Wherever there
Is work to be done. II is only under
force that Il Is performed and then un-
der the supervision OF hundreds OF Soviet
agents and spies.
TrotxIsy "Invitfng Disaster"
"Trotzky realizes that the future is
not reassuring, and while he admits the
disappearance of hundreds Of thousands
OF workmen. he Is authorizing the trans
portation Of the Russian masses to in
dustrial centres where the most rigid
discipline is enforced and even the In
Fiction of tho death penalty IL per-
mitted"
The logical decision by the Scandi-
navlan bankers is that Lenine. having
ruthlessly killed the non-Communist
workers and built up his administration
by robbing industry OF It's trained per-
sonnel. now is provoking further disaster
by forcing unwilling and incapable la
borers to perform delicate, technical
tasks a system which is certain to prove
Improbable.
Under such conditions" the report
ends. ~ would be unwise for European
financlers 20 lend n helping hand to Rus
sian industry until the Soviet system