The Hawera Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1924. THE RUSSIAN TREATIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 25 November 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1924. THE RUSSIAN TREATIES.

Delivered every evening by 8 o'clock in Hawera Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham. Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere, Frasex Road, and Ararata.

As was to be expected, Mr Stanley Baldwin’s Government, has speedily shown that it is not prepared to confirm the action of Mr MacDonald in making treaties with Russia, which have been described as “vamped up.” There were two treaties—the Commercial Treaty and the General Treatv—which were hastily drawn up early in August, and which Mr MacDonald seemed extremely anxious to sign. He obtained freedom to sign the treaties after reiterated assurances that the fullest opportunities would be given members to discuss, reject or amend the main treaty. The fate of the MacDonald Government was sealed in the autumn session, and the general election was the outcome, the return of the Conservatives with an overwhelming majority indicating that the people of Britain were not favourable to entering into such treaty arrangements with the dictators of Russia, who had over and over again sought to bring about the downfall of the British Empire by revolution. The publication of the Zinovieff letter, which is regarded as authentic, has made the chance of the Russian treaties poorer. Russia wants capital for her industries. In an article by Professor Condliffe, of Christchurch, published in the New Nation, some enlightening statements by leading Russians are published. It'will be remembered that early in the Bolshevik regime definite efforts were made to dispossess the land-owning classes. The peasants were keen to get the land into their own hands, but they did not de-

sire to go further with the revolution, and'they have refused to recognise the so-called virtues of nationalisation and large-scale farming of the State-Social-ist type. Professor Condliffe states that “this is really the important clue to all recent developments.' ’ He has given careful study to the question and has gained his information from the best sources available. “There is,” he says, “no doubt that the destruction of the capitalist system went on very merrily for the first few years, and, to begin with, the Communist Party was rather prone to claim credit for pulling down the enemy institutions so rapidly and effectively. But they see clearer now that what actually happened was a falling to pieces of the little industry that had established itself in Russia.” As is well known the power of the Soviet lies in the cities, and the fear of the dictators is that the peasants may recover their power. Lenin knew this in 1920, when, speaking of the suppression of the Sukliarevka (market place) in Moscow, he is reported to have said: “The Sukharevka does not exist any longer, but I am afraid not of that Sukharevka in Sukharevsky Place, which it was easy to discontinue., I am afraid of the Sukharevka which lives in the soul and in the deeds of every small farmer. That Sukharevka is the mainstay of capitalism and it must be closed. So long as it exists we are not guaranteed against the return of capitalists. ... So long as we live in the country of small farmers capitalism will have a stronger economic foundation than Communism.” Lenin’s successor, Rykov, speaking two years later, in September, 1922, was even clearer on this point. - “The harvest,” he said, “has revealed a fact which is of great economic importance to the working classes,, namely, that agriculture is capable of recovering more speedily than the large industries. . . . One year of good crops after an unprecedented famine is apt to turn the scales in favour of the peasants and the Now if agriculture can outrun the workers in the course of one year, in two or three years the economic significance of th’e peasantry will have completely “ superseded that of the ’ working classes.” It is interesting to note how much the Bolsheviks fear the small farmers, and it does not seem to be unreasonable to think - that Russia’s great anxiety to secure foreign loans is mainly due to the Bolshevik desire to strengthen the industries in the towns and cities and so be in a position to continue the repression of the peasants. Large-scale production, modern scientific methods, and organisation were the means by which Lenin hoped to wean the peasant from his small-scale co-opera-tive methods of farming and drive him to nationalisation. At the present time the Soviet leaders are trying to- secure capital from Britain for this purpose, while at the same time they are seeking the overthrow of the British Empire by propaganda among the workers in the industries. Can one wonder at Mr Baldwin’s Cabinet making such a definite decision against the treaties which Mr MacDonald . signed and which are regarded as full of dangers?