FRIENDS OF SOVIET

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 94, 22 April 1935, Page 9

FRIENDS OF SOVIET

TRAVELLERS FROM RUSSIA

Experiences in Soviet Russia were related to the annual conference of the Friends of the Soviet Union,.held during the weekend., They were described by Messrs. Max Riske and Ted Warner, who left their jobs to spend eight weeks in the Soviet land to study the collective methods and r.eport to interested bodies in New Zealand. Efforts are to be made to secure both men their work, and the conference decided among other things to make efforts to send seven delegates to the Soviet next year.

Satisfaction was expressed at the conference because the Government did hot exercise its power under Order in Council to prohibit the" re-entry to New Zealand of persons who visit the Soviet. Resolutions were passed, and action decided on, with a view to securing reinstatement of the delegates in their jobs.

The first twenty minutes of proceedings were occupied by the reading of letters, and telegrams from a variety of persons in the Dominion. There were apologies for absence from various socialist and peace and communist organisations. Also, greeted with much laughter, opposition was expressed at length ;by the New Zealand Labour Party and by an- organisation called the Socialist Party of New Zealand, as distinct from the New Zealand Socialist Party.

Mr. Warner, in his address to the conference, said that foreigners of all types who had lived in the Soviet for periods were met by him. From them ne/ checked up on information given him by the guide who showed him about the country from Leningrad arid Moscow to Baku and the Caucasian Mountains, where there were 150 sanatoria—one for each industry—for free treatment of sick workers. Mr. Warner said he found Russians to be well clothed, well fed, and of good stature. He was impressed by the happiness of the people.: . , GRAPHS EVERYWHERE. Graphs were to be seen everywhere, said-Mr. Warner; he had never seen so many graphs before. Instead of advertisement hoardings, one saw graphs recording progress in this, that, and the-other undertaking. In the workshops- competitions were held. Russia at present had only Socialism and it was not expected that the country would have Communism for some years to come. A published statement that 'people lived 25 in a room was confirmed. "When I was travelling; I had to sleep 50 in a room!" said Mr. Warner. The trouble was that house building, though going on apace, had not caught up" to the demand. People were flocking from the country to towns which did not have accommodation. TWO ANGLES ON RUSSIA;' Russia of today had to be considered in two relationships, said Mr. Riske— firstly in relation to Russia as it was, and secondly to the world as it was known today. The standard of living in* New Zealand was extraordinarily high. That was precisely because New Zealand people never had got down to difficulties however hard they might have been. It could be seen strikingly that in Europe the people had got down to the level of the old Russian regime. One could not judge Russia by itself. Compared with the standards of Europe today, there was only one word to describe Russia—progress. Russia compared more than favourably with other European countries. There were constant changes taking place; in Russia those changes spelt progress; in other European countries, the changes spelt retrogression. While Mr. Riske was in Russia one strokeof policy changed the whole economic and cultural life of the people—changed it in "one day. One day people had to line up in queues for bread; loaves of bread were slapped on the counters with the "take it or leave it" attitude. " And "leaving" meant no bread. The next day dozens of shops opened and people, actually / wearing aprons, greeted bread seekers with smiles and asked "what can I do for you? What kind of bread do you want today?" and cultural thrill that it was, the bread was actually wrapped up to take away. Anyone could buy any sort of bread from any shop at any time now in the Soviet.

"No good for shipping is ever achieved by the initiative of Governments. Shipping finds by its own skill and experience, and by the skill o£ inventors, improvements that are worth while, and ■ adopts them. Where Governments usefully come in is to compel minorities to follow a' line of progress which may be against some individual interests but is necessary fo» , the common weal." —The president of th« British Chamber of Shipping (Mr. L. C.j Harris!,