THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN.

Evening Star, Issue 20898, 15 September 1931, Page 9

THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—‘l notice that the New Zealand Welfare League is particularly interested in developments in the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, and, judging by efforts to discredit the new system of common ownership set up in this great country, it would appear that tike league is not particularly anxious that the workers of this country should be acquainted with the facts. The league compliments Dr Salinond for his wise policy of confining himself to more or less general opinions about Russia. Tins statement gives one the impression that Dr Salmond did not have the courage of his convictions, for if he really believed that the svstem was a failure he would have stated so, for lie would have had no fear of being subjected to the humiliating attacks of siich bodies as the New Zealand Welfare League, which are serving the Capitalists’ interests. One of the most striking features of the league’s outburst in Monday s ‘ Star ’ is the number of quotations from Communistic documents which uro generally regarded as unfit for the workers’ consumption, and, of course, are placed on the banned list. I would like the league to inform me where such publications as The ABC of Communism ’ can he obtained, so that 1 can seo whether its assertions are correct or not. It certainly seems a strange thing to mo that one section of the. community should be privileged to analyse the discoveries of, Karl Marx and to consider other works by his ardent followers. The league boasts about freedom and equal rights to all under Capitalism. Let the league prove these great words to be true by announcing through the Dress that Communist literature can be road by all, and give some indication _ as to how and where it can ho obtained. Vurtherinore, despite the efforts of the Welfare League to discredit the

Russian system, I would like to point out that in tlie latest number ot ‘ Community Planning/ official organ of the Town Planning Institute of New Zealand, in an ai'ticle written by Robert Whitten, city planning consultant, New York City, he states that in the U.S.S.R. the city planning concept is accepted more completely than in any other country. ‘ The State Planning Commission is the head of a planning organisation that has its roots in every province, region, republic, governmental department trust, combine, co-operative and collective throughout the Soviet Union. It has at its disposal unusually complete statistical data and research and technical assistance of every kind. Its problem is to work out a general control plan to co-ordinate the entire .industrial and cultural activity of The union toward the carrying out of a long-term programme of industrialisation and socialisation. Its ‘annual control figures/ after receiving the approval of the all-powerful Political Bureau of the Communist Party and the formal approval of the Council of the People’s Commissars, become the goal that actually controls, to a greater extent than would seem humanly possible, the direction and tempo of the life and work of 160,000,000 people.” And thus the article continues giving actual examples of what has_ been, and is being, accomplished in this first workers’ republic.—l am, etc., Observant. September 15.