RUSSIA’S WORKERS

Grey River Argus, 17 May 1946, Page 3

RUSSIA’S WORKERS

WHAT PURCHASING POWER ? A Lively Debate COMMUNIST v. EX-MINISTER TO MOSCOW. SYDNEY, May 15. Two prominent men, both of whom have had first-hand experience of Russian problems, met in a challenge debate on Soviet Russia last night. They were Mr J. J. Maloney, the former Australian Minister to Russia, and Mr E. Thornton, the Communist, who is National Secretary of the Ironworkers’ Union. The argument became so heated that after an hour of clashes across the table, on which was a radio microphone, they continued the argument privately. Mr Thornton attacked the public statement by Air Maloney- that, except for a relatively short period between 1935 and 1940, there had always been rationing of food and clothing in the Soviet Union, and that the common people received very little of either commodity. Air Thornton quoted the early history of the Soviet system and said that rationing was not. introduced until 1925. It was abolished in 1938 and it did not operate again till,after the German attack in 1941. The Soviet Government had announced its intention, before this, of making the issue of all bread free. This was to be followed by the free issue of milk and other commodities. He said that Russian workers received supplies from closed shops, where prices were very low. Commercial shops handled less than 5 per cent, of the Soviet trade, and they were introduced to combat the black market. Thousands of homes he had seen were up to Australian standards. Afore than 6,000,000 buildings had been destroyed by the Germans, and 25,000,000 people rendered homeless. It was indecent to criticise the country for the food, clothing, and housing shortages caused bv[ a war of destruction. EX-fil I N 1 STxER’S REPLY.

Mr Maloney, in reply, said: No one wishes more than I do that all the wonderful things pictured by Mr Thornton were enjoyed by Russian workers. He said thdt legal black markets were introduced by the Russian authorities in 1930 and were used as a means of decreasing the purchasing power of the workers. When rationing was> introduced in 1935 the price of food to the worker rose by 57 per cent. Only the top strata could frequent closed' shops.

A worker would have to toil for hours to buy one egg, and over nine days for a loaf of white bread. To obtain the price of a woollen cardigan a girl would have to work move, than three weeks. The purchase price of a man’s first-class suit was equivalent to 13 months’ work.

It was pertinent to ask why the Soviet Government allowed rubber goloshes to sell at 22 roubles in a closed store and 180 in a commercial store.

Officers of the Red Army received a 50 per cent, cut on goods compared with the 20 per cent, received by the workers. 7\n old age pensioner received 60 roubles'monthly while the widow of a Russian hero received 200,000 roubles or 2000 roubles monthly for life. The shortage of houses was present before the war. He said: “The whole place is falling to pieces.” Replying to a question as to the main motive in the mind of the Soviet Government, Mr Maloney said: “I have lived in Russia for two years, and I feel that the present rulers are obsessed with Russia’s' old power. The old imperialistic ideas under the Czar are present, and the Russian Government is just as imperialistic as the Czar.”