Evening star., 1946-10-20
BIZ A. Krdm0reD

BIZ A. KrdmayeD
Members of q Soviet collective farm
work for the state. They can own no
property and their remuneration is
reckoned by "labor days." a unit Of pay
based on standards Of production deter
mined by the Communist administrator
Of the farm.
These standards are high; peasants
daily assignment may be to plough, with
a single-bladed plough, 81 acres, or to
scythe 21a acres For an incompleted
assignment the peasant is credited with
only y or "a of labor day"
The quality of the work is also con-
sidered and for wedding poorly DONE"
or "scythed too high" the guilty man is
given an additional assignment without
credits. If a peasant is pronounced
loafer or"saboteur by the administration,
he is handed over to the prosecutor
| usually the quickest route to the concen-
tration camp. Some peasants have run
away in the hope of finding work in
cities; but no one-under the penalty of
"the camp'-would dare give them shell
| ter or work.
Once year, the administrator Of
each collective farm makes balance
| sheet. From the farms total yield, he
subtracts first that part Of the crop
| due the state-for direct taxes, cultural
| taxes, taxes for Asokim association of
friends of aviation and chemical defense
and industry, for Mopr international
| organization for aid to revolutionary
! warriors, and for insurance. He then
! subtracts portion of the crop sufficient
to cover the total cost of operating the
farm as we'll as asreserve for the fall and
spring sowing.
| Finally. special deduction is made as
voluntary contribution which, sc-
companied by most hearty greetings"
is forwarded directly to the leader of
the people-Stalin. This writer has
often seen trains Of carts-embellishe
with flags and accompanied by the
members of the farm administration
singing gay songs clarifying Stalin-de-
livering grain to the railroad Mean
while, peasant women from the farm.
who had handled the grain, cried bitter
tears knowing that their children were
left without food.
The leftovers Of the crop are now
| divided by the administrator Of the
farm among the peasants, each receiv-
ing his accumulated yearly earnings
according to the number of labor days"
credited in his book.
| Money is occasionally advanced to in
dividuals but never more than Is per
cent Of the cash value of labor already
credited to them. Except for farms rails
ing cotton and tobacco-all Of which is
taken over by the government which
collective farms normally get their pay
| In produce.
A labor day" in the fertile part of
the country equals, on the average. 2i4
pounds of wheat. This figure Is q little
| higher in some areas, but in other cases
averages only slightly over one pound
Of wheat. AS a general rule, peasants
working on collective farms earn enough
in a year to last them for six or seven
months. For the balance of the year
they have to live as best they can.
| - *
Originally. no provision whatever
was made for elderly people too feeble
to work Only after their sufferings
became an acute problem did the gov
ernment donate to each 1s pounds of
grain year.
The situation remained severe, how
ever. So the father of the people, Stain,
| granted peasants the so-called nearby
lots" small parcels of land surround
ing a farm, none over half an acre in
| extent. On these lots. the peasants
could do additional planting and gar
dening in their spare time to offset the
shortage of food.
| Their only alternative is to buy from
government cooperative stores. But the
peasants-who supply farm products to
the state at fixed low prices-have to
pay exorbitant prices to buy these verv
products from government co-operatives.
For example:
| Peasants Peasants
Tobacco i ID. 1920 s240
| Cheese "a lbs. 080 2400
Butter 24 lbs. 180 $500
Meat "a lbs OFT 1900 (from the
meat trust).
CThe original table shows Kilograms
and prices in rubles and kopeks, but is
shown here in pounds and dollars and
cents for illustration, though preserv-
| ing the ratios Of the original table
| Translator)
The farm administration, never less
| than Is per cent of the total person
| mel of a collective farm, lives gayly. And
| if the farm has distinguished visitors,
some administration members are
dressed as peasants. The chairman Of
the farm then leads the guests through
these houses to show not only victrolas
and city BEDS" but even curtains in
these homes of the happy and pros
porous peasants of the collective farms"
North American Newspaper AnianceJ
Hard on the Old Boys
From the New York Post.
AIz-.f l. ~ - ~.