STATE FARMS IN POLAND

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28539, 19 March 1958, Page 13

STATE FARMS IN POLAND

“Tacit Admission Of Failure* (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, March 18. About 3680 square miles of nationalised land in Poland is to be sold to individual farmers. "The Times" reported from Warsaw.

The newspaper said this tacit admission of failure of the State farms was due to mismanagement and low production on this land.

It contrasted with the notable increase achieved on privately owned farms and holdings since the liquidation of most of the collective farms.

Polish State farms had been running at a loss for many years and there had been sharp criticism of their inefficiency, said “The Times.”

There had ' been a suggestion at the last party plenum that Mr Khrushchev’s idea of disbanding the State tractor stations might be adopted in Poland. Another consideration was the high unemployment in industry (reported to be more than 300,000) which made it necessarv to redirect redundant labour back to the countryside. “The Times” said there was. at the same time, pressure froiji the peasants who wanted to acquire more land.

The huge area to be sold. by the State might be only the first instalment.

In any case, part of it was to be set aside for reafforestation. In addition. the demand created by the return to individual farming had increased the price of larvi. The Government hoped, not only that the output of privately owned lands would increase, but that the treasury would acquire sorely needed funds.