Evening star., 1924-08-26

the peasantry OF other agricultural
machinery.
How badly traction. not necessar-
lily motor. is needed for the Russian
peasants may be shown In Soviet
statistics on tho number Of peasant
holdings without even a single draft
animal to haul a plow or pull a farm
wagon. In three typical provinces
or the central Russian grain belt
which were not affected by the re-
cent crop failures and famines, the
percentage Of peasant farms without
a draft animal increased from 3o.2 in
1920 to 37.7 in 1923, while in the 1921
Famine area the percentage increased
from 25.5 to Az in the three years
Which perhaps accounts for dimin-
fshing crops despite claims Of in
creased acreage under cultivation.
Last year, for instance, the on1cial
statistics showed 20 per cent more
acreage planted to grain than In
1922. but 4 per cent less grain har-
vested.
l mentioned two other bolshevist
visions to make Russia the modern
agricultural and industrial Utopia
the electrification program to cover
all Russia with q network of electric
stations. using either hydraulic power
or Ignite deposits. and supply cleo
tric power universally to city. viii
lage and farm, and the replacement
program for the depreciated equip
ment OF Russian industry. Factory
equipment. according to report of
the Council of Industry and Com
merce, had deprecated 30 per cent in
capital value under bolshevist ad-
minfstration between 1917 and 1922
due to abuse. poor raw materials and
failure to keep up running repairs.
The depreciation in plants Of the
metal industry was even greater-s
per cent during the same period
Take into consideration the rundown
condition of industrial equipment at
the end of the war and, the Is months
additional depreciation since the date
OF the report, and it will be seen
that the machinery in the Russian
factories is now badly in need Of
replacement.
To Raise $50 900.
The bolshevist administration, how
ever. has heretofore failed to make
any provision for replacements or
calculate depreciation into it's esti-,
mated costs Of production. Its ex-
perts have now tardily awakened to
the necessity for replacing the out
worn machinery, and have evolved a
plan to raise 10000. 600, rubles for this
prices Of industrial products and eo,-
100000 by dipping into various insur-
ance and other funds. Seventy mill
lion rubles $3S, 200, ,ooO w6tth OF
new factory machinery to be pur-
chased every year would seem to pro-
vide great opportunity for. Ainerir
can manufacturers in Russia. The
plan to finance the requirements H.
however. entirely on paper. Prices
OF industrial products are already so
prohibitively high that it is, quite out
OF the question to work in the extra.
100000. The funds. too. whence IT
is proposed. to transfer the .furthSf
10000 900, exist. only on paper, the en-
terprises having been unable to lay
by the prescribed amounts in reserve
In addition, the government two
months ago required all the Industrial
syndicates to invest any surplus funds
IN government bonds to help meet
the 4o0,0o0.000 ruble deficit in this
years budget. Hence only those
American manufacturers can sell ma
chfnery to the Russian state indus
tries who will accept bolshevist prom
ises to- pay. in exchange and wait, for
their money till it is earned by the
enterprises. This applies, too, to the
alleged intentions of an American
syndicate to undertake the moderni-
cation Of the Russian textile indus
try, about which Moscow papers re-
Gently have been talking. -
The electrifcation scheme, too, has
no cash money for American manu-
facturers of electrical equipment
This was one of the pet projects Of
Lenin, appealing to his sense Of
great achievements to be accom-
plished by bolshevism. For q year
or two, while bolshevism was in
FUNDS from the imperial treasury and
Rumanian gold and other sources,
the electrifcation plan was pushed
with some energy, but funds and en-
thusiasm are now forthcoming in
much smaller measure. The biggest
electrical project. known as the Volk-
hovstrot, started in 1918, which is to
replace 10000 tons of coal and sup
ply the Petersburg district with cleo
trio energy derived from Ignite. was
all but abandoned last year, owing to
bolshevist financial difficulties. The
PROJECT was finally saved and COM
pletion is now promised by 1926.
Several smaller enterprises are COM
ing into operation, and much is made
every little while of the fact that the
huts In this or that village are now
lighted by electricity. Ftrther de-
velopment of the electrific ,tion pro-
gram has ceased, howevel, and al
though the budget estimates for
1s24-25 contain an item of $4,000 900
rubles for electrification, only part
of this probably will be actually
turned over to complete the volk-
hovstrof and other plants In constru-
ton. The rest. like major parts Of
appropriations for distributing ma
chinery. subsidizing new industries,
spreading education, ETC.. which regu-
larly appear in the Russian annual
budget estimates, will be cut out,
owing to treasury embarrassments,
when the time for payment comes.
Copyright. 1924. by Public Ledge Syndieate.) }
and unique asset and try to make