RUSSIAN PEASANTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 26 April 1928, Page 4

RUSSIAN PEASANTS.

CONDITIONS UNDER SOVIET CURRY BURDEN 0E TAXATION. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH--COPYRIGHT.) ("TIMES” CABLES.) LONDON, April 23. The’ Riga’ correspondent of “The Times” reports! tlio spring session oi the Red Parliament closed at the Kiemlin by unanimously .budgeting £608,800,G0G in new taxation to be raised iioni the peasants. 1 lie taxes will comprise 2o per cent., but l arliament defer ted the, new epoch-making land laws till next- session. A few delegates criticised tile policy, but a peasant member. M.. Glial off, declared tluu the peasants’ condition had not been bettered. Kalinin reproved such narrow views and pointed out that the Government had crippled the wealthier peasants, established, class warfare throughout the villages, and would attend to the poorer peasantry as soon as possible. M. Freimkin, Finance Commissioner, said they must not entirely destroy the private trader until the economic situation improved. They had crushed rather more traders than they had intended to- lately. The Government must continue to crush, but to crush with care.

M. R.ykoff regretted the depreciation of the Soviet currency.

M. Stalin explained that the land policy had not been introduced before because three years ago. Russia needed rich peasants to extend and cultivate certain areas. It would have been the silliest thing to attack him then. Now we had reached a pre-war area of cultivated land and with his assistance they could safely destroy him, using the surplus land to form collective co-operation and State farms.