TIRED OF THE SOVIET.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 December 1923, Page 5

TIRED OF THE SOVIET.

OPPOSITION OF PEASANTS. POOR PRICES FOR PRODUCE. POVERTY THE RESULT. By Telegraph—Press Assn.—-Copyright. Received Dee. 28, 7.40 p.m. London, Dec. 28. There is much news leaking into the newspapers from Russia indicating growing opposition of the peasants to the Soviet in consequence of economic hardships. The Daily Telegraph’s political observer states the provincial organisations no longer accept the lists of carefully-se-lected representatives for governing bodies sent from Moscow, -but choose their own, despite the presence of spies at meetings. The Bolshevist press is filled with complaints of the impossibility of selling the products of industry to the peasant, which is ascribed tohis obstinacy and evil mind, whereas the fact is the peasant cannot afford to buy the goods manufactured by town workers. The Helsingfors correspondent of the Morning Post-, reviewing the Soviet press conclusions, says that the peasant receives only one-fourth of the world market price for wheat and one-fith for rye and barley, while he has to pay much heavier than before the war for all products of industry. He must sell three end a half times as much wheat as before the war in order to pay for one plough. Consequently, the puchasing power -of the rural population is practically at vanishing point, though the need for the replenislumen t of the agricultural machinery is tremendous. The correspondent adds: “The only remedy is for the Government to admit foreign capital on a large scale on forms acceptable to foreign Governments and financiers.”