BOLSHEVISM IN PRACTICE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 280, 23 November 1918, Page 9

BOLSHEVISM IN PRACTICE.

BRITISH MANAGER'S EXPERIENCES. WnKKMKVS CONTROL OV A !<IIIPYAKU. T'io follow ir ,, rvc-witncse' account (in ,;. t . "l.oii.U.u "Tiiiu-e"! of tlio revolution , , ndeswi wliii-li ifivee v typinil picture ~, ~„ VnVustrial town under Bolshevist. ,„;,. i., ii,,:,, (he iiianap-r oi one ol tin; -,iril anil shipbuilding iiiiiir- ':n Muitlu'in Kiisaia: — Wlii-n the n-volutiun took plavc in }.■,.-,,, n t, \ I'UT, we ni oni-e bi-gan to have il:>lit-ttltii - nitli our caiplovcrs. On thi->i-,-i-inil ihiv tin , !|lt '" held meetings, and, .v- ,i iiriili. fleeted yard comiiiiiH'i'S, ilieu , I'i'iii:; a si'puratt. , com-iiiii;i-e lor i-ai-h depnrunent. A week or tun later they to hold general inoi-1 .ii!.'-. <-'■"' *ponkcre at Llieee meet- ,,., ;: >M r-. a s a rule, exUßiuista of the iim-i niiiid iy|»c. inclmliiifj eoine womi-n. »::,..- \iftt- were pariiv-nlai ly "adVt lir-t we uiaiuified to work fairly liui'iioiih u.-ly ttitli I lv , men s coininittc,.-. lull iui" tune went on matters U-,-n:.ir mvre ami move dillieult. They „;,.,,,..! (~ mke tin , eoutrolling part, and , •■-,< I'i.lvl iiei-uininodatiiin nil our pie- „',,,,-. so that tli,7 i-oiild ulwu.VH hold ini'etinus. s>it t iiij; euiitinuoiwly, if need 1',,.. eie'ir.ally dis.-u*inj.'. lir-t thi, qnostion Hud i. en that, nnd dohi.? ver) little

w ,,,-k. Hi.-!.' «a» line one a.<►istiiiil ili'li'iiiiti , . inn! a sliop-stcwuril for I:,,;, l i.-|i.irtiiii'iit. llu-v wore .ill setting ,!:,. iniiN .mini l-iilf cif'pay. but iloins; .„., ; ; al '■ n>i work at all. Their diitirn Mr.'i!rleu'.ite« took up all their

liii-i-. ill our expense. This ninximum, it ii:.i;. i ■ r.inarked, was something like thru' time- ihe rate at which they luul j.:-1■ \ i«-11-1 > been paid: further, all piecett,.rk iviH iibiilir.hed. The result, as iniu'lu be expected, w:is » very marked ilintinwtion oi output, anil in the end it wiii uiih about ii iium-trr of the normal Ptan.i.tnl.

We lii!-l referred the quewtion of wagee In tin arliitiation 'uoanl ta.it hail been

.-,■; hi., considering the demand*. of course, to be unite unreasonable. The boar.l. however, ilii-iile 1 ujiainat its. and we had to nt l'io deiiiiind.-i in Cull. ["lie nieetiny liauit w;i.« mic thut. -trpw. At first they held I heir mectinK* after working lio'ttr. but Iltiw practi-e tliev

i-nrroii-.-hi'.l iurthcr and further upon ' working ti-i,. . n-itil nnwt nf the day's j "work" I'oimiett'd i)f meetings. „ A (.1 VKI) UVKU THE WORKS. c Matter* went on thus for some little j time, until new* rami , of KorniloH'e. i , oiiiitpr-r ,, voliiliimary movement. To' mpi'i tiiis IU-il liuarJe were formed at | I liiwsa, and -.1 guard nac placed over ouri work.-. Tli i- ••pnitiM Liuii." however, had to ho paid for. At the end of the first week oi the Red (iuarde , existence we - wen , prct-eiiti-d with a very long bill for tlie puaids' services—day ami night and overtime. The method adopted by them to enforce payment was simple anil direct, '.lalf 11 dozen oi them came into my office armed to the teeth, rilles, ti.xed !iayoneU>, and haiul grenades, ready for in-tant action, I was a.-ked quite politeh in ~..-ii ii document aiithoii.-iie payment. Naturally I did a> I was 1 mitdr it n 'tin lit ion, however, tliat only th.. -.• iv !i.i actually .li.i giiarii duty at the yail should hi , paid by lie. Tlu«a *ame m.thodr- nf • ol lectin- 'moneys due were. I ascertained, carried mil all ovor ttic town and diatriet, but 1 gathered thut i he cimilitiuiiji that linna eliould only be. railed upon to (lay for guarde actually ■loins; July on tiicir prcniiscß was by no mean« -iriipuloin-ly ohrierved. For instance, a few days after the incident I have ju,-t related, 1 received a visit from one of the Red (iuards—a man unknown lome with a request for nignature authoripins payment for "jruards" eup|.iiel L.j fu:uc other establishment. 1 irfiiMMl in -iLi.i tl.i- until it had been -.itt tionc'l hy the Workmen's Committen. With tiiis he said he hiul nothing In do. aii'l refloated his request. ] af;ain I refui.e.l, und lie then llueateiied mc with ; a liia-leil revolver. IVinporit>iriK with j him for a iiuumnt. I railed lor the I leader oi our "fruard," , and represented' the eiriMim.itanitv to him. He upheld I my rontrntion. There tlien followed a I most violent altercation between him an,! mv visitor, each threatening the! other with hi* revoher. with terrible I oath- and insult.". HlooiMied nccnied | imminent, but I inanaaed to .se]«irato them, and persuaded the stranger to j;o and i-oii?iilt with the Workmen"* Com mittre. Tli s '.vvy sulkily, lie did. returning shortly a ft ci wards with Ui , ' nne.rlful sanction. Such the ease, I had. or uoiirse, no option but to conntrrsisn it. as he had urifjinally asked, lie left mc in the end on excellent term--: he wag only a youth of IS nr so, and I was aide tn take him in band and talk I" him like ii father. \\C went on in this iasliion for quite ] an nppreiiuble time, and, in fact, bejpui tn Kvt iiivustominl to it. Of course, we. wondered all the lime where it was to lead ami how it would end. Had we only knnjrii it our irouliles al thin stage were only n very mild foretaste of what wan In "follow. ' Thirn,'- were certainly hart ami i-hnnti ■ enouvrli. but we madv the '■•■-! i,f ilirm. and tin's carried on. RI'SSIAN SIIIIiKKK.S FKU.M X S IJ LA SU. ■\ felt lire "f tiii~ period \v;irt the liiimcr oils thilt were held by the workmenV anil revolutionary orpanisii !;■'!!>. Ainoiiu , tlut-e waI'm, eompor-ed of Ivii.-sian.-, who had re turned to their own country in prefer-! ••',.■■■ to -i-rviiiK in the Uritwh Army. 'J i.- pro. it-si.in vvis su))p..-,(i lo be in '■'•lebratiiui of "pc.ice." The men t.ik:ic . pan in ii were fuil of urievanern and "iniplaint-i airain.-t Knfrland, and gave | voii-i , to many dire ihrcals as to what Was to befall her for casting them out. Thus »|. eonlinued. accepting tlie in-; fviiaiilc and adapting ourselves to cir-j '■"i;-!. We received fresh demands \ frnin the < rnpioy Sometimes wo. '■"injiroiMi.-e.l; inei<tly we n:et the-m in! full. Wur-e. however, was to follow.; with I In- fill of I lie Kerennky (iovern "lent, and the advent of the BoNhevints to power. The HoMievists were a I once] fecoxiiiw'il by Ihe workmen, ami uurj Hfst definite "intimation of the change of 1,,,!; ili,. shape of a ycL further "ipmanil for increased vvaKe.-. " This was lot made tn us direct, but formed the! I s "hje.| of '•neffi.tiiilione"' between aprecil j uc,ej;a.Lii(tis of workmi'ii and employers, j The demand »a> njrrecd to by the. latter.' out I was afterwnrdfl told that .i power ■ul factor in reaching this agreement, w as tin- fact thai at the final inert in j;! °f the dileL'iite- those representing- tin-«-orki-rs w,.,e armeil, while thoep of the "mployiTs were not. Thp IH-μ -i;,..,. «|,;,.], fnllowetl the fall! "' I'll , Keien«ky liiiverilllient was i! ■icmaiiil i!i it r.-|ire.<ent.itiviw of work ! ™en should [ilw.tyn Iμ- [iri'stMit al our 'mid meetinfft.. ' With tlii* also « T ! "H of cuursc, to comply. As v uiut-j

i ter of fact, the reeull.s of the presence of workmen's representatives at our directors' meetings wore not at all dis-' .iLTPeahle. They aw our prohlema and dilliriilties at close (|iiarter.s, and were ahle to appreciate our point, of view. As it eon«ei|uenee, when thpy left our nieetinirs they tried t>> reason with their . romrades. At first they were atten-' lively heard, -hut hhhii the majority of the men became, tired of these, representatives who would listen to reason :it our board meetings, and elected other in their place«. only In depose them in turn for the same reason.

We learned in ,Ith' course of the de cisiun of the Hiilshi'vfsl' (ii)vernment to expropriate all industrial establish nienU. The manner in which our own hoard of director was displaced was characterised by the same simplicity ahail al tended certain oilier measure-. One of the nittinpt of the board was in lerrupted by the entrann , of six workmen's representatives, who infi-.rmi'd us thai I hey were taking iHissession of our

works in aeeonlnnro with 11 decree of (ho Oolshevisf (lovprnment. They eximwi'il ri'jtrpt. oayinj; thai their relations with the iliri'i'tur* had always been smooth ami eatisfaclory. Hut '"mijjlit u< rijjlit."