The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-12-23
BY tn. NEUBAUER~
Moscow, November End, 1881


Con11nissar, Comrade Grlnko.
Con1rade Grinko heartily welcomed the work
nrs' delegates in the name of the Soviet Govern
ment and requested them TO put questions to
him. to which he would gladly reply. The Soviet
government, he said, carries on its work under
the control Of the broad masses not only OF the
Soviet Union but of the International proletarlat.
The first delegate to put a question to the
Peoples Comnissar was member of the Czech
national socialist party CBenes Party); he was
followed by a German social democrat, and then
a member of the Polish delegation. A number
of other questions were submitted to Comrade
Grinko in writing Comrade Grinko gave ex-
haustive replies to all these questions.
First question: What means has the Soviet
Government for socialist construction and from
where does it obtain these means?
Answer: This year the Soviet government has
invested 1900 million roubles in economic I'M
dertakings whilst last year 1t invested 10000
million roubles. Under the Five-Year Plan about
100000 million roubles will be devoted to social
ist construction.
The question, from whence we obtain these
enormous sums is perfectly Justified. We have
the possibility of obtaining them, and we are
obtaining them from the exceedingly rapidly
growing national income In the richest most
developed capitalist countries, and in times OF
prosperity, the national income increases by 2
to per cent annually or in the best case per
cent. With us, however the national income
increased last year by IS per cent, and in this
year we expect it to increase by 80 per cent. The
rapid growth of the national income renders
possible our socialist construction.
Further I will explain to you why our ma
tional income is increasing SO rapidly.
Firstly we have cancelled all the pre-war and
war debts This is rather painful subject for
-oF4l
a fact that if we had not cancelled these debts,
we should have to pay 1000 million roubles in
gold every year as interest alone to foreign
countries.
Secondly with us the national income is no
longer eaten into by the parasitic classes, the big
landowners and capitalists. In Our country you
do not see a parasitic class leading luxurious
life Many foreigners who observe our life only
externally, receive the impression that we live
very poorly. This impression is not correct but
it. is true to say we do not live opulently. We
do not squander the national income on unpro
ductiye expenditure But we thereby save vast
sums which we devote to socialist construction.
Thirdly. q further important fact in this con-
nection is the expenditure on militarisrn- Every
one of you knows what q large part Of the
budget in the capitalist states is swallowed up
by the army. In England nearly 40 per cent of
the budget is devoted to the fleet and the army,
to the apparatus of power for maintaining rule
over the colonies France, Poland CzechoSlovakia,
Rumania and Italy devote nearly the half of
their budgets, and other countries even more
than the half, directly or indirectly to military
purposes. We too incur expenditure on national
defense. We are surrounded on all sides by CAPT
talist countries It would mean neglecting the
csEse of the proletariat if we did not protect
ourselves against any attacks by capitalism But
cur outgoings on national defense do not con-
ftttute more than SO per cent of the State
budget. How is this fact to be explained? First
~, we are not preparing to attack anybody We
have only in mind the defense of our country.
Secondly we have no colonies and we do not
need any apparatus of power to maintain colon
ial rule. Thirdly, in addition to technics, our
defensive power is based upon the socialist con-
seriousness of the proletarat and of the peasants
of the collective farms Fourthly, we have the
sympathy of the proletarist of the whole world.
These are the reasons why We expend so much
less money on ornaments than the capitalist
countries; and what we save in this direction we
arc able to eXpend OIL economic development.
Another reason why our national income is
increasing SO rapidly is, because in all spheres
of the state and economy we strictly pursue the
policy of promoting national economy. Of the
81 600 million roubles which we are spending this
year OH further economic development we are
investing 1900 million in new works and fac
tories, 5000 millions we are devoting to extend
ing and enlarging the already existing works
and factories, and the rest we are devotng to
cultural purposes. From this it is to be seen
that the greater part Of these means serves to
develop production and thereby to increase fur
Their the national income This year we have
given to agriculture tractors representing al
together 100000 horse power as well as other
complicated machines amounting in value to TOO
million roubes This year we are starting 500
works and factories, including number of
giants which you have already seen Just mag
inc what effect this will have in increasing pro-
duction and raising the national income In adj
dition take into account the increasing activity
of the Masses the socialist competition the shock
brigades, the masses. AL this taken together
enables you to understand how such rapid in
crease of the national income is possible with
us The socialist system of national economy
gives quite other possibilities in this respect than
the capitalist economy.
l would ask the comrades to consider the pc
culiarity and the difficulty of our situation
How have the capitalist countries built up their
industry After the Franco German war; Ger
man industry made big step forward with the
help OF the 5000 million marks war indemnity
which the French had to pay at that time. Eng
land brought under its rule and exploited whole
Continents in order to be able TO build factories
on the little English isle, in Manchester Liver
pool
The u. S. A. has, before our very eyes, exploited
tho whole of Central and South America and
by means of the world war acquired nearly the