SOVIET MANAGEMENT

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3443, 15 March 1932, Page 8

SOVIET MANAGEMENT

BEET SUGAR COLLAPSE. HUGE LOSSES INCURRED. For the first time since the advent of the Soviet Government a sensational discovery of "mismanagement" has been given in detail to the world (says the Russian Economic News). Hitherto the Soviet press has been emphasising the political delinquencies of the "criminals." In the case of the "Sugar Department" the following interesting revelations were made by Odintzoff, the new chief of the department. He said: "How could you expect a good crop of beet when nobody troubled to see that sowing was done in time? The same happened in the summer. When harvest time came, nobody was interested to see that all the beet was cropped, with the result that 10 per cent, remained in the ground. In the fields another 10 per cent, vanished; the diggers, who were entitled to 50 per cent, of the leaves, managed to take roots as well. It is estimated that at least 4,600,000 cwt. vanished in this way.

"Then came the carters. These people considered it their duty, before starting work, to give a few beets to their horses. The most crude estimates show that some 6,500,000 cwt. went to feed the horses. Adding together the beet remaining in the ground, the beet eaten by the horses, and other side issues, we get the colossal figure of 30,000,000 cwt. "As regards grain, it should be noted that no accounts were kept, and that gave every chance for wholesale thefts. When a commission came to inspect stock it was found that one warehouse had 1000 cwt., another 500 cwt., and so on of "vagrant" grain. But what is of even greater importance is the fact that grain was bartered for nails, copper, and such-like commodities, and these were then distributed among the employees.

"The position was no better in the sugar factories. Although the sugar industry had at least six months for necessary repairs, these were never done in time. In estimating sugar yield, percentages only were used, with the result that the Administration had a dump of its own and the sugar was sold privately. Although the total estimate of production was insignificant, the output by Ist December amounted to only one-third of this total."