The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 6, 1926, Page 9

By T. LEON. HAT the Soviet Union has made marked ‘progress toward its ‘eco- nomic reconstruction ig a fact which is no more questioned, That muceh is .conceded not only by so-called “im- partial” bourgeois observers, but the worst enemies of the Soviet govern- ment are now forced to admit that all their predictions and black prophecies regarding the economic future of the Soviet Union—prophecies which only too frequently have been supported ‘by active interference—have failed to materialize, The Soviet Union enters the tenth year of its existence with the produc- tive output of material values of the country practically brought up to the pre-war level. In the year just pass ed, agricultural production stood at about 90 per cent of the pre-war, and industrial production was brought up to about 95. per cent of the pre-war. During this year industrial output was increased by 42 per cent over the preceding year. According to con- servative estimates based on the pro- ducing capacity and actual financial and technical means of industrial Plants both pow operating and in the process of construction, the ~ output during the ensuing year will increase 18 per cent and the pre-war level will thus be surpassed, This achievement of the Soviet Union in the economic field has not been rivalled by any other of the Eu- Tropean countries which had been en- gaged in the world war, notwithstand- ing the fact that they had eight years of peace-time development while the Soviet Union, for three years after the termination of the world war, haf been engaged in a fierce and devast- ating civil war followed by the fam- ine, and not before 1922 was the coun- try in a position to start on economic reconstruction. .In only four years the Soviet Union has completed the “Work of Téconstriction, a task which it took other European countries eight years to perform only in part, since most of these countries are still con- siderably behind their pre-war econo mic status. A further comparison of the roads traveled toward economic reconstruc- tion by the bourgeois nations of Eu- rope and by the Soviet Union would bring out some more striking facts. The former, like the nice little bourgeois darlings that they were, have been aided along continually by American capital which has been anxious to stave off “the tide of Bol- shevism” and to reap some substan- tial economic advantages in the pro- cess. Bourgeois Europe was. enabled to attain some degree of “stabiliza- tion” only with the assistance of heavy loans and investments “gener- ously” showered upon it by American capital—and at the expemse of its economic independence, at the ex- pense of the laboring masses, at the cost of materially lowering the living standard of the workers of Burope. The Soviet Union accomplished its economic reconstruction not only without any outside assistance but against the combined hostile efforts of the bourgeois world. It retained its economic independence, The work- ing day has been reduced. The aver a “praise” of bourgeois economists, just age wage of workers in terms - money already almost equals the pre- war wage. And, considering the ma- terial and cultural advantages ‘placed at the disposal of the workers in the Soviet Union, actual wages and the standard of living are considerably higher than ever before the war. LING in their predictions as to the “imminent collapse” of the Soviet economic system, the protag- onists of capitalism are now eager to ascribe the economic ‘growth of the Soviet Union to the adoption of “capi- talist methods.” ‘There is much talk about the Soviet government “surren- dering its Communist principles” and “returning to tie policy of bourgeois commen sense.” However, the facts attending the economic development of the Soviet Union belie the present venomous as the economic progress of the coun- try belied their earlier jibes and pre- dictions, The economic system of the Soviet Union at present represents both the elements of socialism and certain forms of capitalist relations. ‘ The basis of the socialist economy are the state industries and enterprises, while the capitalist forms of “economy pre- vail in agriculture which is based on individual production. Since both these pasically contradictory elements are parts of one eConomic organism, they necessarily tend to influence and shape each other. Accordingly, the economic policy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union has been determined by the task of attaining the co-operation of the two opposing economic factors for the sake of the economic development of the coun- try while, at the same time, insuring the growing influence of the socialist glements in the economic ‘system. ‘To what extent the Sovii vernment has succeeded in this ‘may be seen from a few fundamental facts and figures illustrating the inter-rela- tion of the two forces in the econo mic development of the aountry dur- ing the past years. .. Agricultural production amount- ed, in pre-war. prices, to 8,858,000,000 rubles in the economic year 1923-1924, and to 11,306,000,000 rubles in 1925-1926, showing an increase of 27.7 per cent. The output of thg industries was valued at 3,414,000,000 rubles in 1923- 1924, and 6,923,000 rubles in 1925-1926, showing an increase of nearly 103 per cent. Which means that industry, the basis of the sotialist economic elements, has grown at a rate almost four times as fast as agriculture. 2. The total production of private enterprises, both agricultural and in- dustrial, was 8,657,000,000 rubles in 1924, and 11,349,000,000 rubles in 1925- 1925-1926. A growth of 31 per cent. The production of state enterprises was respectively 3,384,000,000 ‘and 6,455,- 000,000 rubles, showing an increase of 91 per cent. The output of the so- cialist state enterprises has thus grown at a rate almost three times as fast as that of private enterprises. At the same time the output of co-opera- tive enterprises has also grown from 231,000,000 rubles in 1923-1924 to 426, 000,000 rubles in 1925-1926. Leningrad, Smoiny Institute, Directing Center of Revolution in Nov. 1917. ‘tives was 3.4 per cent in 1923-1924, ae Building a Socialist Economy 3. The relative positions of the state and private enterprises. in the marketable part of the total agricul- tural and industrial production has changed as follows: In 1923-1924 the share of the state enterprises in the marketable part of the production was 39.4 per cent, and. that of private en- terprises was 57.2 per cent. In 1925- 1926 the share of the state increas- ed to 49.3 per cent, while the share of private producers fell off to 46.9 per cent. The share of the co-opera- number of agricultural co-operative societies in the Soviet Union, outside of the Ukraine, has grown from 28,- 840 with 2,056,000 memers*on Oc- tober 1, 1924, to 33,500 with 5,948,460 members at the end of the fiscal year 1925-1926. An increasingly important factor in the collectivization of agri cultural production has been the growing use of motor power in agri culture (tractors and other modera agricultural machinery), 7. The number of members of con sumers’ co-operatives has increased from 7,129,300 in 1924, to 11,632,900 in 1926. The number of peasants organ ized in consumers’ ¢o-operatives in the Soviet Union, outside of the Ukraine, in 1926 was 6,434,000, and 3.8 per cent in 1925-1926. ' 4. In 1923-1924, state organizations controlled 31 per cent of the internal trade; the co-operatives—28.2 per cent, and private traders—40.8 per cent. In 1925-1926 the share of private traders in the total internal trade turnover was only 24 per cent, while that of the state increased to 35 per cent and that of the co-operatives to 42 per cent. 5. Outside of agriculture, industry, and internal trade, there are a num- er of economic functions which are entirely in the hands of the’ state. Such are the transportation system, the postal, telegraph and telephone system, electric power plants, foreign trade, the banking and credit system, etc. 6. The socialist elements of econo- my are making inroads into the field of agriculture thru the growth of the agricultural co-operative system. The 8 Out of the total capital assets of the country, the Soviet state com trols 55 per cent, while only 44 per cent of the assets are in private hands. The co-operatives hold 1 per cent of the capital wealth of the country. Thus, in addition to the growing relative importance of the socialist elements of the national economy, the proletarian state wields a tremendous economic power Which is consciously directed toward the building up of a socialist economic system. The nomic development 6f the’ Sdviet U; ion is clearly determined “by ‘thy, dency manifested in thé past years reconstruction—it is toward socialism. s The Red Poet By ADOLF WOLFF. I'd rather fashion jingles To help the workers’ cause Than ooze poetic opium For the bourgeoisie’s applaus My lines shall be a challenge Without restraint or fear, To all, that’s dead and rotten In the social system here. My source of inspiration Ig not-a woman’s eyes But crimson Revolution, That all tyranny defies. My words are rough and simple, The burden of my songs Is of the proletariat, Of their struggles,. hopes a4 and wrongs. My voice is of a prophet, My eyes are of a seer; I blow a herald’s trumpet, To announce that Dawn is neart No languid lisping verses e For elevated brows! Like hammer blows of rebels, Like deeply cutting plows. f To Eugene Victor Debs. The beat of his heart no longer drums The drum of his mortal cloak; The words of his mouth are now still crumbs That only grim death can choke. ; The flame of his life is now died out “aa But in its red-roaring life ‘ To all who are men it hurled a shout: Prepare for a coming strife. é Now that the grave has taken its toll Of flesh that has fought our wrongs, Let’s kindle in us the flame of his soul With fighting and with red songs. —David Gordon. te,