Evening star., 1938-12-18
Soviet MertiIess
In 0usting Those
Found Incompetent
U. S. S. R. Pushes Onward
To Find Men Who
Can Do Jobs
BY WADE WERNER.

BY WADE WERNER,
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent.
MOSCOW, Dec. 17.-Restlessl,
the search for men competent t,
master the Soviet Unions bigges
tasks goes on, with no mercy fol
those weighed and found wanting
Out OF three vice chairmen of tn,
Council of Peoples Commissars IL
ofdce at the beginning of this year
two had been removed before No
vember. Out of ~ heads of com
missariats, 10 were gone; also th'
head of the State Bank of tn,
y. s. 8. R. and Is vice commiSSarS
CRecent cabled dispatches from
Moscow have disclosed a con-
tinuing rapid turnover in Soviet
government. On November 16
Robert Eikhe was replaced as
commissar of agriculture by I. A.
Benediktoff. On November "a it
was disclosed Communist party
boss Alexander Ivanoyich
Ugaroff had been removed, with
M. Sherbakotf taking his place.
Give days later Sergei
Chvialeff was relieved of his
duties as commissar of foreign
trade for transfer to other
duties" On December 8 Nikolai
Yezhoff was relieved at his own
request" from the post of COM
missar of internal affairs, which
includes the important political
police.
(On December 10 a shake-up
was indicated in Osaviachim, the
Soviet civilian air and chemical
defense organization. The lead
ers were accused Of incompetence
in the organizations official
paper.
tOn November % the Soviet
youth organization, "Komsomol,"
was "purged" of five high officials
charged with protecting morally
corrupt elements)
High Turnover in Republics.
In the II constituent republics
OF the U. S. s. r. similar high
turnover among men in key posi-
tions could be noted. High off,
cials removed from office since
January included:
In the Ukraine-A president of
the republic, a premier, three vice
premlers, seven commissars and two
vice commiSsarS.
In the White Russian Republic-A
premier, a vice premier, six COM
sixVvice commissars and
two party secretaries.
In the Azerbaidjan Republic-A
president, a premier, three commits
sars, two vice commissars and two
party secretaries.
In the Tadjik Republic-Nine
two vice commissars.
,wo party secretaries.
In the Kazakh Republic-A presi-
lent, premier, two vice premiers,
'lx commissars, three vice COM
nissars.
In the Kirghiz Republic-A presi-
lent, a premier, four commissars,
bur party secretaries.
Little Publicity Given.
Ordinarily little publicity is given
o such changes. Often the removal
4 a high official is never formally
nnounced-simply the name of the
lew man on the job.
The new man is not given a long
ime to make good. Last December,
or instance, the removal of v. 1.
vanoff as commissar for timber in
lustry in the U. S. S. R. became
,nown when he was mentioned as a
rightist spy" during trial which
eSulted in the execution of nine
of various Soviet timber
rusts.
AS successor to Invanoff was
lamed M. I. Ryzhoff. After a look
It the situation he inherited from
lis predecessor, Ryzhoff in February
II this year described the work of
ne timber industry during 1897 as
disgraceful" and plunged into the
ask Of cleaning up the mess.
RyzhOff's Removal Revealed.
Before the end of October a two
Inc item in the Moscow papers an
lounced that Ryzhoff has been re-
leved of his post" Incidentally it
vas bruted abroad that timber pro-
lucing during the first nine months
4 1888 was only 40 per cent of the
ears plan, and 81 per cent less than
Turing the same period last year.
Often there is not even a two-line
tem establishing definitely the fact
I a high officials removal. Espe-
tally is this true in the armed forces
Although official quarters no longer
other to deny the removal of Mar
hal Bluecher, former commander in
hief OF the Soviet's Far Eastern
Irmy, no definite announcement of
lis removal had been issued up to
november /.