The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1930-01-10
By WALTER DURANTY

Special to the New York Times.
Moscow, Dec. 31.-The year 1929
has been the third great twelve
month in Soviet history, counting
1917, with the revolution, as the
first and 1921, with the new econ
omic policy (Nep), as the second.
In 1917 Lenin hitched the Rus
sian wagon to the red star of COM
munism. In 1921-so it then
seemed to the world-he admitted
the failure of communism and sub
stituted the compromise capitalism
of the new economic policy. In
1921 Stain re-established 100 per
cent communism and began to sue
coed, where Lenin had failed, in
forcing it down the unwilling
throats of Russia's backward peas
antry.
Now 1929 has been year of fgo
outstanding achievements = the
positive and undeniable fulfillment
of the first years program under
the five years. plan, the initiation
of which was received with scorn
and incredulity in many parts of
the world, and the no less positive
and undeniable upheaval of the
flat, drab and muddy surface of
the Russian land. which had re-
manned unchanged for centuries. !
Among these "dark people," as
they call themselves and as Rus
sian writer's call them. there has
been thrown a bright light. Some
it has dazzled. others hated it. But
none could remain Indifferent.
Stain Ousted Old Comrades.
To do these two mighty deeds
Stain was forced to GUST tried and
trusted comrades bis comrades
and Lenin's. GAS the wheels of
revolution turn, they break hearts,"
said a brilliant woman member of
the "eld group" not long ago. She
said it sadly. But the result is that
for the first time in many years
the administration is as truly
"monolithic" as its stalwarts de-
mand, and its energies are being
directed to work instead of being
wasted in discussion and internal
strife. That is the third and per-
haps not the smallest achievement
in this memorable year.
The cost of these accomplish
ments has been and is great and
may well be greater still. In this
fiftieth year of Stains life hlA
iron has entered deep into many
Russian souls, though bloodshed
and suffering have been caused by
the class war in the villages and
towns, and has broken the hearts
of some Communist leaders who
are aghast at Stains audacity.
Commodities Scarce Despite Gains.
Upon the whole population of
100000, 900 there has been imposed
burden such as no nation ever
supported save in time of war. And
worse, the Russian people today
bsuffer the additional torment of
Tantalus in Hades. They read
each day of increased production
the mills, factories, mines snd oil
wells are surprising pre-war fig
dres by 35 to 70 per cent. Yet each
day the people find goods scarcer,
not dearer. but harder to buy. This
includes all goods. everything from
food to alarm clocks, from matches
to galoshes.
Take galoshes and you get the
answer. An American expert, who
knows too much about factories to
be fooled, recently visited two fac
tories jointly producing 100000
pairs daily. One was in Leningrad,
and the same afternoon in Lenin-
grad streets he saw long line of
people waiting to buy galoshes, but
half of them did not get any.
At the factories they told him
and he believed it from what he
saw-that the production Of ga
loshes was nearly twice the pre-
war amount. But, they said, "much
of it goes for export to paw for the
five years. plan" And that IS the
answer, or part of it, whether the
commodity in question is caviar OF
eggs or thread or matches.
Of course, there are other rea.
sons-the currency increase of 70
per cent in one year, which raises
the buying power of the popula-
tion hoca1-ee of fixed r~ices nv pre-
ciselv that amount Then there s
wider distribution Of Goods thru-
out the country as a result of the
a0rarian reform.
There is an old story that If ev-
erv Chinese peasant would buy a
new hat each year Stetson would
be richer than Rockefeller But
Chinese peasants do not buy hats.
they lust make them of straw. To-
day in Russia. on the contrary. the
peasants do buy hats. Thus tbe
butter of commodity production IN
stead of being spread thick nm
small slice of bread. is Trimmed ont