Evening star., 1933-05-21
RUSSIA iHALTS MIGRATION
!, In WAR AGAINST FAMINE
Passport System Used to Keep Farmers
Out of Crowded Cities and ON
Productive Soil.

/ ton OF the Ukranian peasants to the
| Caucasus reached its climax. The hun
cry invaders drained the food reserves
! even of the comparatively well-off Cau-
cas.an districts They plundered the
crops in the fields at night and bar
tered their last belongings for food.
In some towns local authorities placed
armed pickets at highways to turn back
the invaders. Skirmishes occurred. and
there were casualties, but this could
not keep the invaders out.
Then, last Fall. when the Northern
Caucasus was stripped of food. both the
invaders and the natives began to
migrate farther to the east-an army OF
hungry men, women and children.
This Winter and Spring have been
quate reserves of food left from last
years crops were rapidly being ex-
hausted. And this applies in equal
degree to the Caucasus, the Ukraine
and the Volga regions.
Recently, a German colonist wrote
to the Kolische zeitung from a village
in one of the Vo,ga provinces
Famine has reached here in such
proportions that one can bear it no
longer. We eat cats, dogs and the rot
ting meat of fallen animals Men
swell from hunger and fall from weak
ness while working in the fields. All
the food there was in the village has
been taken away from US
plot Is Uncovered.
Officially the Soviet government does
not admit the existence of a famine
Yet two months ago the Ogpu. the
Soveit secret police, announced that it
had uncovered an important counter
revolutionary plot. The plotters, most
Of them important officials of the Com
missariat of Agriculture. it was an
announced. has caused the wrecking of
tractors. the overgrowing of fields with
weeds, the deterioration of crops, the
burning down of tractor stations, etc"
And this, it was explained. had done
great harm to the agriculture in the
Ukraine, in the Northern Caucasus and
in White Russia. Seventy plotters, the
announcement stated further. were ar
rested; 35 of them were shot, and the
rest sentenced to prison or banishment
Thus, in its fashion. Stains govern
ment apologized to its subjects for the
famine: 1t blamed the results of its
own m.sdeeds and blunders on the
charms Of a sorce: er, and solemnly
burned this sorcerer on the pyre.
The object of the recent measures
intended to "tie down" workers and
peasants is obvious. In the first place,
the Soviets want to improve the deplor-
able living conditions of those workers
who will remain in the cities and in
dustrial areas. In the second place, the
migrating hordeS of hunger-crazed
peasants present a grave political dan
ger. They may start rebelling and re-
voting on a large scale. 1t is safer to
keep them out of the cities.
But will these measures work?
The decree attaching workers to fac
tories was published four months ago;
yet during these months the fluidity of
labor has increased. not decreased.
And as for the order keeping peasants
out of the cities, where is the colossal
administrative machinery needed to
prevent the gradual reinflltration of the
deported millions?
Peace without Plunder.
There Is only one way of tying peas
ants to their farms-let them work in
peace and do not plunder them of the
fruit of their labor. Here, however. the
Soviet government finds itself in a
vicious circle: Not to deprive citizens
workmen would starve.
Can the Soviets find way out?
Much depends upon the crops which
will be harvested this July and August.
If they are good, Russia will pull
through. But if they fail, we may wit
ness next Winter a repetition OF the
terrible famine of 1922. which cost Rus
sia more than 100000 lives.
What are the prospects Of these
crops?
Although the Soviets have loaned to
the collective farms considerable
amount of seed grain, there is an un-
deniable shortage of that grain in many
localities: despite threats, peasants have
are out of repair. And the horses are
weak and disabled.
Peasant Looks to Fate.
But the chief thing is the peasant.
And he is depressed and bewildered by
the profusion of DEGREES pouring from
Moscow. Seeing the incompetence OF
the president of his collective farm, the
chaotic disorder and the red tape reign
ing on it. he gets lost. At moments
rage seiZeS him. Then he wrecks the
tractor. frenziedly beats his emaciated
horse, drives his pitchfork into the local
Communist or joins the army Of migrat-
ing peasants.
III one Ol us TeC6IlL ISSUES FIdNud ut-
scribed the opening day of this years
sowing campaign in village in
Ukraine
All were ordered to gather in the
village square at am, so that they
could march together to the fields. but
the square was still empty at 7:30 and
o'clock, and later it was learned that
the supervisor had forgotten to awaken
the men. At $50 peasants began to
gather, and finally, at 9, they started
cut. 1t took them an hour to reach
the fields and then they rested for an
hour Thus their working day began at
IL o'clock. In addition to blowing, the
workers were supposed to sow the oats
But the president of the farm had for
gotten to sign the order for the deliv-
cry of the seed to the peasants and
that part of the work remained un-
done
So rural socialism works. May fate
bt kind to the Russian peasant.
No Organized Crime