Evening star., 1920-03-15
IN RUSSIA
Of MIDDLE CLASS.
Official Statistics Indicate
Holdings Of Land and
Live Stock,
by MICHAEL FARBMAN.
CableGram to The Star and the Chl.
caEo Daily News. Copyright. 1920.

| MOSCOW, Russia, March 5. via Riga
Livonia. March 13.-What is going on.
| in the thousands of villages in this
country? That is admittedly a msst
important and yet a most obscure
question. The opinion of the outside
world about the changes wrought by
! the revolution in the economic affairs
of the villages and concerning the
peasants place in the revolution is
based on occasional observations and
is usually erroneous.
The central statistical department OF
the soviet government has just pub
iished some interesting figures on the
economic changes in the villages since
the bolshevist revolution. but SO far
these figures are confined TO the gov
ernments of Tula, kostroma and
Jarosiav. The department is contin-
uing the investigation and prom
lses to publish figures for tho other
governments in due course Of time.
inc hgures already published permit
some important general conclusions.
Changes in Land Holdings.
The most striking fact is the COM
plete disappearance of the peasant
Dourgeoisie, small as well as big.
nile per cent of the peasants in
1917 were possessors OF more than
sixteen deSsiatines (forty-threc acrcs)
each, and > per cent possessed more
than thirty dessiatines (eiehty-onG
acres) each. there are now left o,fy
six in 10000 possessing more than six
teen deSsiatlneS and none possessing
more than twenty-five dessiatinel
(hfty-nine acres).
On the other hand the number o.
iandiess peasants has considerable
decreased. In two years the percer1.
age of landless households has X
inlniShed from to per cent, VIII -
the number of peasants posseSsiat1
ono dessiat tine t2.7 acres) has in
creased from to % per cent. There
is also a considerable increase in tho
number Of peasants possessing twa
dessiatines GA acres) each, namel,4
from 26 to 36 per cent. From two IL
1our dessiatines I0.S acres) the ikv :
crease is very slight, but from fou4
dessiatines a gradual decreae beginA
Ihus those owning more than fouf
dessiatines have decreased from IL
to per cent. those owning more thaA
SIX dessiatines 16.2 acresD. from 9 to
D per cent. and those having more
than ten dessiatines (twenty-seven
acres), from to per cent.
Live Stock Statistics.
In the live stock statistics the same
tendency is shown. Peasant house
holds possessing no horses at all have .,
decreased in the two years from 80 to
19 per cent, while the households
owning one horse each have increased .
from 34 TO o4 per cent. Households
possessing two horses have decreased
from 26 to % per cent; three horse .
households. from to per cent y
while households possessing more .
than three horses have disappeared y
almost entirely. y
The number of households with no
cows has remained stationary at 20 per a
cent; those possessing one COW have
increased from 54 to g. per cent; those
having two COWS have decreased from
20 to lS per cent: those having three
cows have remained at the same figure
or Just over l per cent, while house. &.
holds possessing more than three cows
have completely disappeared.
Il these tendencies are confirmed by
the Investigations in other districts,
the following conclusions. according to
the bolshevik Statisticians, can be
drawn: First, a great reduction in the
number OF the agricultural proletaHaI;
second. the disappearance of the village
bourgeoise. and third, decrease in
the number of peasants of the middle
class. The villages, say the bolsheviki,
are becoming more homogeneous. hav-
ing no classes. no antagonism of in
terestS and no room for class war
From now on each small peasant
household will possess one dessiatine
CT acres) of land, one horse and one
cow.