The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-04
HOW A COLLECTIVE FARM IS
ORGANIZED IN THE USSR
The Fall OF the Old Oak

pending upon the low cultural level of the vii
lagos, increased their resistance to the new
measures in every possible way
In the village of Klucheva, the elders of the
church gathered the kulaks together ostensibly
for choir practice, but in reality to discuss the
best ways of breaking up the seeding cam
paign.
Rumors and Islander are the best weapons
in the hands of the kulaks, and they under
stand well how to use them. Here is an exam
pie: A hospital train with wounded soldiers
from the Far Eastern Army passed through
the station of Sergatchsk Right along the
track the population enthusiastically greeted
the Red heroes. Even in the little town of
Sergatchsk where the train arrived at night,
the station was full of workers, tossing pres
ents to the Red Army men. And on the next
day kulak rumors began to creep through the
village: "Have you heard-they are bringing
in wounded. The war isn't over. The Soviets
will be defeated and the kulaks will smash
up all this collective business"
In the settlement of Kozhno, when the de-
cison was taken to enter the collective farm
en- masse, all the men voted for the collective
farm and the women against even raising two
hands And how could it be otherwise, for
the ''holy pilgrims who are wandering from
village to village, are talking of the end of
the world which is at hand.
1t is impossible to repeat all the rumOrs,
each sillier than the previous one, which the
kulaks and priests are sending around the
villages. And after the rumors come actions.
The collective farms are gathering seed.
At the same time the church elders announce
a registration of believers. The church 'bri-
gades" go round the peasant houses, and so
collectivists Immediately apply to leave the
collective farm.
But what is more dangerous is the fact that
the kulak, as he sees the approach of seeding
time, and sees that the collective farms will
be ready, INDUCES in active destruction of
property.
On February 20, in the village of Pogi-
blovsk, the barns of the collective farms
with all their seed valued at 1000 roubles
were burnt.
300 Communists, 800 YCLers, 600 active
non-Party peasants.
This is the advance guard of the $4,000
army of collective farmers at Sergatchsk, this
is the cement which binds them together in
the struggle for the socialist reconstruction
of the villages.
We have something to learn. Firstly tempo,
shock work. Secondly, unity and revolutionary
daring
All the best forces have gone into the vii
IdSeo' CiICe LIey nave Deen SOnLln-
ually working in every village and hamlet, and
whole brgades of propagandists and organ
izers are Immediately sent to help them in
weak places.
The struggle against waverers had to be
carried on very fiercely in the first period
One day the peasant will be in a collective
farm, and the next day he will leave it under
the influence of kulak propaganda. The next
day he will again decide to join the collective
farm. And so on for several times on end
In such cases not single application to
leave the farm is left without investigation.
Some one goes to the peasant at his own
home, talks to him, discovers the reason that
he wishes to leave, and in SO cases out of
100 the peasant returns to the collective farm.
The work is difficult, heroic But it bears
fruit. Instead of taking two years, the dis
trict has already been fully collectivized As
a result, big district collective farm has been
formed with an area of 100000 hectares.