The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-05-08
May CATCH LENlNE /
IN HIS LAND TRAP.
Peasants Distrustful of His
New Policy and Refuse to
Grow Extra Grain.
FOOD SHORTAGE SURE
Capitalists, Fearing Death
or Prison, Slow to Take
Red Cars Promises.
DOWNFALL INEVITABLE
Russian Nationals, Stirred by
New Spirit, Beyond Com
plete Soviet Control.
FOOD SHORTAGE SURE
DOWNFALL INEVITABLE

Special Correspondence TO The New YORK
lTEaAIp.
REYAL, April 15.-Lenne at last has
eaten his words and admitted that
without the right of private property
and the incentive of competition and
individual initiative the mu2bik will
not grow grain for export. At least he
has eaten some Of his latest pro-
nouDcements, for In his pamphlet,
Tho Need Of the Village" he declared
himself, long ago, In favor of giving
tho peasant absolute liberty to dispose
Of his land as he wishes. Since 1905,
however, he has consistently main
tanned that all land should belong to
the State.
The agrai.ian policy which he an
nounced at the Tenth Communist Con-
gress is midway between these two
contradictory policies. lie allows the
peasant to enjoy the fruits of his
labors and admits the principle or pri-
vate initiative by declaring that the
peasant who sows more for himself
Will reap more for himself, but he
limits this concession to ten years and
does not surrender the claim OF tho
State to own all the land.
The peasant Is not satisfied with this
arrangement and will refuse to cult
vate any more grain than Is necessary
for his own requirements unless Lenine
gives him fun possession OF the land
which he cultivates and allows him to
hand down that property to his children.
And g. general decree to that effect will
not be enough. The muzhik attaches a
superstitiouS Importance to sealed docu-
ments, and Lenine must give to him a
paper signed at the Kremlin and deco
rated with an imposing seal. otherwise
there will be nothing doing In the
matter OF cultivating grain for export.
And IL nothing IL done the food posi-
don In Russia next spring will be worse
than 1t Is to-day. for the worlmen's or
CARNATIONS already have informed Len
Inc that by the abolition of the RAJ
verStka' or method or taxing from eacn
province a certain quantity of grain tho
towns will get from the country about
100000 pools of grain less than the
absolutely necessary minimum. Lenne
calculates that the necessary balance
will be got by the towns giving the
manufactured articles which they pro-
duce or import in exchange for the peas
ants superfluous grain. but II is by no
means certain that there will be any
superfluity or that the towns Will have
n sufficient supply OF manufactured ar
ticles. The most that Russia can do
this year Is to feed herself. so that she
cannot expect to get any large amount
oe foreign manufactures for some time
10 come.
AS for tho bringing I'm OF foreign
capitalists or factory managers. II Is
= very doubtful prospect. as foreign
capital is shy and factory managers are
moro concerned about their lives and
their personal liberty than about large
profits. Their experiences under the
dictatorship Of their own workmen have
been told hundred times. and there is
no need of repetition. They admit that