New-York tribune., 1921-10-16
Russian Capitalists

10 come TO our second point, the
place of Russian capitalists under the
new economic schemes must be consid-
cred Those people are not, so far as
| could gather, to be treated with the
tenderness that is being offered to for
eign entrepreneurs. The latter are to
be given Gin theory free hand to run
their concerns as il they owned them;
but the Russian capitalist is offered
nothing more satisfactory than the po-
sition Of Technical adviser" in his
own business.
few daring spirits may conceivably
return to their enterprises on these
terms, but for most of them ore would
imagine that the risks they would run
tar outweigh the Hypothetical sdvan-
tages. | certainly did not meet a sim
gle Russian business man who was pre-
pared to take the risks, except one or
two, who assured me that they would
take n chance if they could feel con-
tident of being able to bribe their way
along and thus prevent interference
from the government. However, this is
Il slender hope on which to revive .
dead industrial society.
The position in regard 10 small in
dustries is quite different | was told
by Tchitcherin that enterprises employ
ing net more cnan twenty workers may
be treated by the entrepreneurs as pri-
vate property in the ordinary sense of
the words. That here, too, the question
of negotiating with labor through the
trade unions will complicate matters
seems pretty obvious, but this is per
haps not an insuperable difficulty.
think the Bolshevist leaders labor un-
der the pathetic delusion that the Rus
sian workers admire and are grateful
to them. For example, it was suggest
cd TO me by one Of the Bolshevist min
lsters that the trade unions will dele
gate special corps of men to work in
the foreign-leased factories as. so to
speak, an act of self-sacrlfce, in order
th0t these men may afterward return
TO their fellows and tell them how in =
iinitely preferable it is to work in one
Of the state-capi italist undertakings of
the Bclshcvlst government to working
Tor the foreign bourgeois capitalists. i"
l feel that the result viii be exactly
the opposite. From what Russian
workmen have said to ME gather that
they are only too glad to be able TO
have the chance to work once more for
private employer, who will have, in
his own interests, to treat them with
more consideration than is being
shown them by the government super
vlsors in the sadly mismanaged surviv-
ing government enterprises in Soviet
Russia.
Priuofe Enifiatiue
Perhaps the most interesting de-
yelopment of Russian economics theo-
retically to-day is the attempt that is
being made by the Soviet government
or perhaps without any particular de-
sire on its part-to lease undertakings
to corporations Of workmen, either in
the shape Of trade unions or in the
smaller grouping OF artcls. i. e. small
associated groups Of worknen Fac
tories are being offered 10 such groups
on the same terms as the larger con-
cessions arc being offered TO foreign
concessi on&ires, namely, in exchange
tor lump sum annually o. monthly
and share in the profits. But so far,
despite the huge amount OF pretence
that has been made by the Bolsheviki
That these negotiations have reached
attn advanced stage of development, lit
lie, ! believe, has been arranged Thus
in one province of Russia hundreds Of
tenders have been made for various
sorts of undertakings, but the only
definite lease that has been sattled is
for q soda water factory! Industrial
development in Soviet Russia will not
get very far on these lines
Perhaps the most curious result of