RUSSIA'S NEW STAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 309, 30 December 1922, Page 7

RUSSIA'S NEW STAGE.

STATE CAPITALISM. AUSTJIRAIJAN VISITOR'S VTEW. , LONDON. December 29. Mr. E. T. Asche has returned from Russia, and is sailing by the Jervis Bay for Australia. Interviewed on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand Press Association, he said that he had spent two months in the famine areas of Buzuluk and .Samara and three months in Moscow. Though there was. no food shortage in the cities and towns, the needs of the famine area were as great as ever because the American relief organisation had ceased feeding adults and was confining its attention to'children. The Society 'of Friends planned to continue their relief operations till September, but without further funds they would have to curtail their programme. Mr. Asche intends to carry on propaganda in Australia on behalf of Russian relief funds. He is convinced that the terrible plight of Central. Russia is not due to political causes but to three years of drought following' the war and revolution. Starvation, he declares, would have been inevitable under any Government. The political experiment now being carried out in Russia, he said, was most interesting. Moscow now was one of the pleasantest capitals in Europe, in which the livery fluctuations of the rouble did not affect the people's lives. Exchange had increased from 18.000.000 to 220.000.000 roubles to the pound in five months, but wages went »p with, and often prior to, the advance of prices, with the result that there was no poverty. Lenin's Government was conducted by able, efficient and zealous men. The present new economic stage, known as State capitalism, was intended to be an educative intermediate stage between military communism and national communism. The State owned all lands and properties, and all people were either lessees thereof or employees of lessees. .Life was secure and safe. The Government had nHvlo many arrests of proved or suspected anti-Bol-shevik agents. These were well treated. He was once arrested and imprisoned for a week as a suspect, but he underwent no hardships and was liberated as soon as he had satisfied his questioner? of his bona fides. On the other hand, when he was penniless he went to the Communist headquarters and was iral mediately given a free hotel room and I one free meal daily. j For British and Australian tourists. said Mr. Asche, owing to the value of ' sterling. Russia was the. cheapest and most interesting country in the world I to-day. He hopes to be able to retain i for further relief work. — 'A. and N'.Z.'l