RUSSIA’S NEW CENSUS

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 September 1938, Page 5

RUSSIA’S NEW CENSUS

LAST ONE FALSIFIED

MOSCOW, August 1

A new census of the entire. Soviet population is to he taken next January. The results of that taken in January. 1937, did not satisfy the authorities, who have never published them. The last one published was in January, 1933. The population was then given as 105,847.100. It is declared that the Central Statistical Bureau was last year in the hands of a “gang of wreckers” headed by Prof. Kraval, who not only falsified the actual count but even introduced “wrecking” principles in drawing up a list of questions to be asked of all citizens to establish their nationality and religion.

The. people were allowed, for example to state to what “National culture” they claimed to belong instead of declaring their race by birth. Thus a Jew or a Soviet Pole might claim to be a “Great Russian” or a Ukrainian.

In the next census they will be compelled. as in all Russian censuses before 1937, to disclose their race by birth and their native language. Again, in the census of 1937 all citizens were invited to declare their “religion.” A surprisingly large number seem to have declared themselves to be “Russian Orthodox” under the misapprehension, based on the traditional habit of mind of the old regime. that all “Great. Russians” proper and all Ukrainians belonged by race- to that communion, just as German Russians were necessarily Lutheran, Calvinist or Mennonite and Polish Russians were necessarily Roman Catholic. Next time only those professionally employed as priests will be compelled to declare their religious convictions. Another interesting point about the 1937 census is that Kraval and his fellow “wreckers” in the Central Statistical Bureau seem to have made a. grossly exaggerated estimate of the population in 1934 because they tailed to take into account the wastage ol population during the hungry years. By next year, however, the full effects of the repeal in 193(1 of the law permitting free abortions and iae severe penalties which, were then imposed on those practising such operations will have become evident in a crept increase in births and therefore in the> population. These will counter balance the losses

in earlier years in the grand total, allhough, of course, there will be a higher proportion ol' infants to men of fighting age.