AUSTRALIANS IN RUSSIA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18294, 10 January 1923, Page 7

AUSTRALIANS IN RUSSIA

BOLSHEVIK DELEGATES.

FLATTENING EXPERIENCES.

LONDON, Deo. 29.

; Fresh from the glories ;of the Red Square in Moscow, Mr. J. S. Garden, secretary of the New South Wales Trades and Labour, Council, one of. the three Australian delegates to the conference on the Third International at Moscow, arrived in' London this morning, a multi-millionaire —in roubles— bearing the glad tidings to all Australian Bolsheviks to •';'" go slow.'' "In Lenin's , i own words . to -■; me," he said, ■ '■' 'we in Australia must : mark .-, time. We have been agitating rather strongly. Our place is to assist the Labour Party in every possible way to >be returned to power." * ,» . Mr. Garden, annotating Lenin's instructions, adds: •',.", At this election the extremists were behind Labour. '' Lenin's remarks are rather interesting apropos of Mr. Theodore's, outburst. •. It is strange that Queensland, Where Mr.- .Theodore's moderate 'policy operates; appears to be the only State where Labour has retrograded."

d ~ -— -.- % ■ .v.- .;.; Mr. Garden^ ; who was ; accompanied :by i Mr. Earsman, a member: of the Amalgamated Engineering Union, and a lecturer at the N.S.W. Labour College, arid another delegate, had i; a great reception in Moscow,' with military, honours, ; in-, eluding" a wonderful review " in the Bed Square'' outside ■ the :. Kremlin, .:: where Trotzky was on the, tribunal and the Australians were " so Cloß6;that:we could ; tOuch'him." ' . - ' •"- The march past lasted hours, the function • requiring ; continuous saluting, with cheers. ; It is ■'. presumed'that the Australians worked at the saluting in relays. First came' 30,000 Bed .soldiers, with tariks arid - artillery,! ,40. aeroplanes circling ; overheads Then carne the ;rer servistSi -then workers in factory units, and finally people Well clad arid obviously supplied-with plenjfyi- of food/ which Mr. Garden Bays ■ can be obtained at prices as cheap as in London. [ Mr. Garden subsequently addressedthe military: colleges, the Doctors!, Conference, and the medical and university students. Houses are being'built everywhere, says Mr. Garden, arid though there is a shortage in Moscow, there is also a,shortage in Sydney, the difference being that in Moscow the hotels are used by the ' people,' with the exception of: three' allocated to the use of foreign. visitors. v "But the achievement of which/Australia;" say the delegates, "should chiefly" be proud is" the fact that the longest. interview of thft year granted by Lenin was that given to Mr. Garden." and Mr. Earsman. It lasted an hour arid 40 minutes.** Lenin waafdeeplyinterested in Australia; • arid proved himself ■: conversant.,\ with I all main issues in Australian life, particularly economic questions; '..:<'. ' ■'■• Lenin: is still suffering _frem, .the effects of the bullet wound received^two* years ; ago, but'is recovering slowly. : >". .'" .- : j The conference was conducted ; irivfour official.' languages/ "and some others;'' apparently unofficial, each. group-, of ' the 47 countries represented having , various : interpreters who, with the • delegates, I somewhat crowded the Kremlin.' ■-,-:',-, Mr. Earsman,' who was a delegate to the 1921 conference, declares that; the country has improved by 500 ; per; cent, within the year. "Russia's new; economic policy has helped i immensely," he v says. *' Famine still hangs.; over the countrv, which needs technical aid and machinery. , Mr; Garden sees ;in Bussia-a :bigifield for Australian, meat and wool. JEvsry shop, in Betrograd and Moscow is filled with American and German, but no British, goods. : ; • , ': In striking contrast with the; happiness he saw in ; Russia, Mr- -Garden found the border States, Esthonia, Lithuania and Latvia, " nothing but a gang of "thieves and robbers, .with swanris of police; i whereas in Russia you do not' see any police in the streets, and ,the happiness oii.the people is unbounded; They are so - hapoy that you see them ; walking singing, arm-in-arm." ' ■ :. '-.'* '■ -\ .' Mr. ! Garden will return to Sydney about the middle of February, after a visit to Scotland- and the North of England. : ; j