The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1955-09-16

far as | can see, anyway"
Olsen explained that the state
owns the land. On each big collective
farm, hundreds-even thousands-ot
farmers and their families live. The
farm owns no heavy machinery. The
state-owned machine tractor stations
handle this work Each MTS may
serve several collective farms.
When the years crops are in, Oh
sen said, the first share-the Sobli-
gatory"-is sold to the state at about
one-fourth its market value. This is
the rent the collective farm pays for
the land.
A second share pays the MTS. A
third share goes into what the Rus
slams call seed fund-for seed, build
ings and land improvements, and fer
tilizer. Then a fourth share goes to
the farmers as wages, figured accord
ing to a complicated system of work
day units.
If there's anything left, the collec-
tive farm may sell the crops and di-
vide the money among its farmers.
1t may sell either under state con-
tract or on the free market. Almost
always, Olsen said, the free market
price is higher.
Russian farmers generally live in
collective farm villages, Around each
village are small H-acre to 2-acre
plots, also state-owned, that the farm
assigns to each famer-member of
the collective. Except for nominal
rent, each farmer gets for himself
whatever he raises on his assigned
plot.
"And, boy, do they make these few
acres produce" Olsen said.
"The ordinary Russian farmer has
a COW, calf, one or two pigs, and a
few chickens. These are his. He and
his family live largely off this live
stock and this small plot-and he
generally has something extra to sell
in town."
Selling these. crops is chore, for
there's no mass marketing in Russia
of this private produce, Olsen said. A
farmer may walk five or 10 miles to
4 city or hitch a ride on one of the
collective farms trucks, and in town
ne rents a stall in the marketplace.
zone things encouraging" Olsen
aid. "A few farmers are beginning
% pool their crops and produce
through an informal kind of market
ng coop. The coop hires an agent
o take the shoats and grain and to-
natoes to town for them-maybe in
ne of the collective farms trucks.
"These are free co-ops-owned and
ontrolled by their members and per-
APPS the only true co-ops in the So
let Union. But still they handle only
n insignificant share of even these
crops"
The Russians are proud of what
ney call consumer co-ops," Olsen
aid. He visited one-called Vreusk
Torkers Cooperative Society--in W.
ekh republic and talked to it's chair
ian, Sagatova Hyroneca.
each member has $50 rubles in
ested in the organization. 1t sells
othing, shoes, canned foods, beds,
9th, and other items at exactly the
Lme prices as prevail in the state
wned stores. And state officials
low pretty well who's going to be
ected as directors" Olsen said.
"Mrs. Hyroneca explained to us
at the coop pays out $3.50 of what
takes in for handling, 209o. for
lture, 200 to the workers, and $50
its members. Members get their
turn on what they have invested
they share equally.
"The state sets up the rules and
ms the show in these organizations.
1--WE learned of no voluntary farm
CARNATIONS in Russia" Olsen said,
ven for fraternal purposes.
Unwilling as any of us would be
trade places with them, we found
ssian farmers generally optimistic.
ey take long view of things, and
eyre very patient.
''The government may spend years
tting up building that would take
ly few months to build here. Each
AZ, the construction moves ahead
little. And each year, the Russian
mar looks at tha hI1i1dinU and saws