The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-12-27
YEAR OF STRUGGLE
IN SOVIET RUSSIA
Government Monopoly Gives
Way to Capitalistic
ls Methods
LITTLE FOREIGN
TRADE SECURED

Investors Afraid of Government That
Once Robbed Thenl--Secret Service
Largely Controls, Foreign Trade-Ex-
ports for Year Largely Raw Materials
MOSCOW. Dec. 27-GAssociated
Fresa. )-Ninteen hundred and twenty
one has been q year Of diplomatic and
economic battling for Soviet Russia. 1t
brought the abandonment of the govern
ncnt monopoly Of domestic trading and
gradual reversion to capitalistic methods,
tempered in such n way as to prevent dan
geroua splits. in the small communistic
group which dominates the government.
| But the trade for 1921 has been many
times what it was in 1920. and the re-
opening of shops on the old capitalistic
basis has offered an opportunity to sell
lin a legal way manufactured articles
which are i'm great demand
| Hampcred By the triple desire to es-
; tablish trade relations with important
foreign powers. to protect the third inter
natioualc. whose headquarters are in
Russia and to hold the COmmunistic party
in Russia intact, LCninc and his ass0ci-
ates were in a precarious situation even
before the drought produced widespread
famine in the Noiga area.
Few Trade Agreements.
KraSsin managed to negotiate trade
agreements with England, Germany and
several minor powers. but the foreign
trade commissions which came to Russia
failed TO find the large supplies which
Bolsheyist leaders had heralded through
out the world. The concession plan
which kraSsiu and his associates had de-
yiSed did not appeal to foreign investi-
gators Confidence was lacking. old
owners had no desire to invest more money
in factories which had been taken away
from them and other foreigners could not
he induced To take factories whose title
was ciuuded.
The BolShevist lacked the gold neces-
. sary 90 bay abroad and could not find
creditors. The government announced il
would make import and export business
possible for individuals and corporations
under government control. This belated
statement came ia October Commits
sion~ are working out customs tariffs and
1872 VTohObIy VIII see Il far larger ex-
port and import trade if the government
makes good it's promise To release its
grip ou foreign business
Fears Secret Service
Leslie Urquhart British mining man.
who attempted % obtain concessions to
work the mining properties which lie con
trOlied in Russia before tine Bolshevist
regime said it would be Impossible for
MN 10 operate IN kfI>~E3 until the govern
mcnt stops the activities of the Chcka. or
secret service. which he insists Is stronger
than the central --nrernlEeut- EEith which
concessions are negotiated.
, The thcEa always has had an i3por-
tant part i'm directing foreign trade ar
Engagements. Many commissioners sclec-
ted by the foreign trade council have not
been permitted 10 leave Russia. For
ciguerS an" unable 70 understand the re-
lItiuns between the Cheka. which oper-
atcS under tmSlicht. and the s0-caI'cd
central government. IL is not clear whe-
Their there is a dual government or whe-
thcr the men who are generally recog-
ni2ed "a heads of the government use the
thcka and thus avoid direct blame FOR
IactA which meet with public diSapproval
] Exports for Year.
-Cficial figures for the foreign trade
Of Russia during the first nine months OF
this wear show that the exports totaled
roughly l"O.0u0 tons These exports
welr chiefly raw materials OF partly
manufactured articles such as timber
railway ties, leather. fur, tar. briStIeS.
hair, asbestos and graphite. Thirty-three
pCr cent OF the exports went To England
Forty->iX per cent. chiefly wood and fax
went t. Latavia for expectation to var
ioUS countries. The value of goods OK
ported abroad from January | until Au-
gust 81, was about S1.14O.000.