The Sun MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1920. BULGARIA'S LABOUR EXPERIMENT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VII, Issue 2142, 27 December 1920, Page 6

The Sun MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1920. BULGARIA'S LABOUR EXPERIMENT.

Bulgaria's Premier, M. Stambouliski, like ' every other Government leader, has had his post-War labour troubles. In the first place he was hotly attacked by the Socialists. In order to teach them a lesson, he proceeded to expropriate their worldly goods, and installed the Communists themselves in some marshy country where they were invited to put their i longrcherished principles into practice. Then M. Stambouliski, having got rid of the exponents of disorder,' proceeded to find out means of establishing a public order with a view to shouldering the tremendous burdens left by the War. Everybody was impoverished. The nation was impoverished. Production had fallen away to a shadow. The Bulgarian Premier's remedy was a Bill providing for the conscription of labour. This" measure subsequently became law. It is hoped by means of this Act to effect the following reforms: spread of education among the young and preparation of young persons for practical life; better management of the public lands and increase of their productivity; specialisation of individual labour; and, finally, general economic progress and repair of the material damage suffered by the country owing to the War. The new law imposes on all Bulgars of the male sex from their 20th year onward, and on all those of the female sex from their 18th year onward, an obligation of work, j That is, they must pay a contribution in the form of labour, this contribution to be used in every department of economic and social life and organisation, such as road-building, railway and canal construction, town-planning, mining and factory work. All these, works are to be carried out under the control of the Ministry concerned. It is provided that such State labour shall j be personal labour: no substitutions, except for stated reasons, are to be allowed. The men are to serve'for 16 months; the women for 10 months. The first three months are to be devoted to preparatory courses, the rest to productive labour. It v is further provided that all Bulgarian (with the exception of a few classes of persons strictly specified) between the ages of 20 and 45 years shall give their labour in cases of a big harvest or of great public calamity or loss. As a new organisation will be necessary to apply this system, M. Stambouliski plans to set up a general labour supervising office which will be attached to the Public Works Department. State service is to be of various kinds: rural, technical, trade, mining, and fishing. The Government aims at setting up apprenticeship courses and schools, workshops, model farms, etc., for the purpose of preparing .young persons for service under the State. Naturally, this experiment has caused unending controversy. The critics argue that the scheme is neither useful nor possible. They contend that instead of increasing production it will merely lead to a shortage of labour, and that, above all, the organisation of "such service will prove ruinously expensive. The Premier was not deterred by these arguments: \ he forced the Bill through Parliament in the face of the sternest opposition. What he will do with this creature of his own bold imagination remains to be seen. At least, he seems not to be lacking in courage, as the Bulgar Com•oiunists can testify.