The Washington herald., 1922-02-05
Communism Tried, Found
Wanting, Say Press Critics
New Economic Policy Promises Russ Awaken
ing, But Production Revival Matter
OF Decades.

or late there have been indlea-
tions Of a reawakening in Russia
The new economic policy. enunciat-
ed by Lenin and approved ey the
All-Russian Soviet Congress At It's
recent sessions, has at least permit
ted people that individual in
terest in life. which gives . super
hcial appearance Of activity. and
which is genuinely promising for
the future. On the other hand, sta
tistics. such as are available, indi-
cate the depths to which Russian
industry has sunk and the long
climb upward which Is ahead. A
recent issue of Montague's Review
gives a glimpse sf the more cheer
ful view. This periodical says;
The streets Of Moscow are no
longer deserted: cafes. restaurants
and bakers shops are open all over
the city. Money is again being
freely used. This is plenty OF food
and q good meal can be had for
about shIllings 6 pence. Another
sign OF the times is manifest in the
return Of the houses 10 their former
owners. nominaliy on leases for
nifty to ninety years The houses
thus returned are In a dilapidated
condition. and all such obstacles 60
free ingress. such a. locks. bolts
and bars. are found to have been
removed - probably because their
presence Indicated some rights of
private ownership. The peasantry
has proved TO be an infertile soil
for the sees OF Communism. Com
munism has been tried and found
wanting"
That Communism has been tried
and found wanting Is also the CON-
clusion Of DR.. Hans Won Eckhsrdi
in a recent number OF the Oester-
reichische Volkswirt. In which he
points out the decline In industrial
production under the Bolshevist re-
gime in Russia. DIR. Won Eckhardi
gives the gloomy side OF the pic
ture. clearly indicating the Ions
way Russia has TO go to reach Geo.
nomic health. Some of the informs.
tion from DIR. Won Eckhardt's arti-
Gle is the following:
Industrial FaII-on Huge.
The coal output fell from l.777.-
ooo. 200 pools in 1913 to $4,000. .oeo
pools in 1890 and $4,000. .ooe pools
in the first six months of 1891 The
output of opes dropped from 51z'-
$4,000. 900 poods IN 1913 to s,42o,-
00o. 900 pools in 1870. and only 2st.-
OOo. .e6e in the first six months OF
1921. Similarly the gold output
(3.714 pools in 1919 was only lee
pools in 1890 and Is in the first half
of 1921. and the platinum output
fell from 3s7 pools in 1913 TO 20k
poods in 1890. and only in the
first half of this year. Against an
output of ASSOC pools in the pa
per industry in 1913. the figures for
the first half Of 1891 were only l.
100000 pools. The worker no longer
takes any pleasure in his work;
there is a shortag' of not only
skilled. but also OF unskilled labor.
The works are going to rack and
ruin owing to the labor shortage
This is entirely due to the Soviet
regime. Communism wished to dc
away with earned incomes: the
workers believe that they will nc
longer make a profit from their la
Dor. and so are vanishing from the
labor felds. The principle of SOL
idarity has turned out to be a fiasco
Only in places where remuperativ'
labor is to be expected, wheHe pri'
vate management OF the new capi
as of old, the worker can expect &c
earn more for his services, new
groups OF workers are collecting
Government undertakings are be-
coming continually more empty. II
Is the labor problem which is fore
ing Russia to restore the capital
istIc system. The Russian prole'
tAriat was ruined by the dictator
ship OF the proletRriat.' and is today
refusing to work in undertak'
ings wholly or semi-socialized. Tho
tragedy is that the government
whcih is to blame for all this, ow'
ing to its ignorance of the work
ers' psychology while il is changing
its economic policy, can no Longer
remedy the labor shortage and th'
disinclination to work. II will TAKE
decades to revivify production.
DR.. Won Eckhardts prophecy thai
decades will be required to rcvivtf,
production is rather gloomier' thar
most. His view that production un'
der the Bolshcvik rule collapsed be
cause individuals want the fruits o.
their labors is generally aecepteS
by all reliable Observes OF the Bol
shevik experiment. The Commnn
ism of the Bolshevik was contrar!
to human nature. Now, Russia
task is to work out a system IL
harmony with human nature with
ont fiyinr back into economic reac