A GERMAN SOVIET

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1942, Page 3

A GERMAN SOVIET

VOLGA REPUBLIC

LOYAL RUSSIAN TROOPS

German-speaking Soviet soldiers appear in the news from Moscow now and then. The explanation is rather surprising. Among the selfgoverning republics that make up the Soviet Union is the largely Ger-man-populated "Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic" which occupies an area almost as large as FJelgium, or, to make it more understandable to New Zealanders, practically as large as the province of Nelson.

It lies on both sidles of the Volga River, about 400 auriine miles north of the.-Caspian Sea and 450 miles south-east of Moscow, so that at the furthest point of. the Nazis' recent drive into they were not many dozen miles away from this remarkable republic. More than two-thirds of the republic is on the left bank of the Volga, in the dry steppe region; but tne most densely populated -part is on the betterwatered ri#ht bank of the river

•German Spoken

Two-th&-ds of the 605,000 persons in the \folga German Republic are German by extraction and language Russians and Ukrainians make up much of the balance. The republic is divided into 12 administrative districts., in six of which the language in common use is German: in two German and Russian; in two German and Ukrainian, and in two others, German, Russian and Ukrainian.

The Volga Germans enjoyed certain privileges under the old regime an Russia, and they were the first ethnic or racial group to achieve autonomy under the Soviet Government. Organised in 1918 as a "Labour commune," the region became an autonomous republic in 1923. With its early-granted cultural liber ty went the right to give preference in filling local offices to its own nationals. Just what the attitude of the population is to the present struggle between Germany and Russia is has not transpired, but it well may be that the Germanic people of to-day are just as loyal to Russia as are the Germanic people of New Zealand who established settlements here some 60 or 70 years ago. An Advanced Community The Volga German Republic is one of the most advanced areas of Russia. In 1936 there were 90,000 peasant householders, scores of libraries, and almost 200 village reading rooms. Agriculture is by far the leading occupation, the land is almost completely collectivised, and farmers use the most modern agricultural machinery. Hard wheat, sunflowers and mustard are the chief crops; beef cattle are bred. Tremendous increases in agricultural production are expected to follow on the completion of the huge Left Volga region irrigation scheme, already under construction.

The output of Volga German industry has increased at least 15-fold within the past 15 years. Machine building and timber milling have been developed. In Engels there is a large meat "combinat," with a tannery and bone works. Russian sources claim the establishment of several universities and technical schools in the republic and say the region publishes 20 newspapers and has two German theatres.