FARMING IN RUSSIA

Taranaki Daily News, 30 April 1930, Page 15

FARMING IN RUSSIA

•CONTROL BY« THE SOVIET.

UNSATISFACTORY PRICE-FIXING.

The revolutionary effect of control by the Soviet Government of primary production was referred to by Mr. J. E. Barry, Queensland Rhodes scholar in 1924, who, after graduating, as bachelor of arts at Oxford University, in modern greats and forestry, went tQ Kiev, in Southern Russia, to assist in the organisation of the .Soviet’s system of community wheat farming. Mr. Barry arrived at/Melbourne recently. The new system of farming, Mr. Barry said, had marked the end of the small property-owner in farming communities. For 19 years the Government had controlled those farmers and fixed the price for their wheat. This method had proved unsatisfactory and the farmers were now employed by the Government at a fixed wage, which was equivalent to about £3 a week. The area in which the system operated was of about 400 square miles. The marketing of the crops was carried out at the direction of the Government and an ideal was the stimulation of secondary industries by keeping down the price of food —chiefly bread. The system, said Mr. Barry, had two interesting features. It had been the means of introducing modern farm machinery to the Russian farm-, ers—a large percentage of t'he implements being imported from the United States—and the probability that the present economic disturbance in that part. of Russia would be overcome through price and wage fixing. Mr,. Barry said that he saw no active anti-religious persecution. The campaign against religion was conducted 'mainly by a body of young men and women, who formed a'strong association.. The practice of marriage had practically ceased. The aim of t'he Government was to bring boys and girls into the factories when they had attained the age of 16 years. Special relief from their duties in' factories was provided for women immediately before the birth of children and wages at reduced rates were paid to them. Creches were provided In factories and the women returned- to work when the children were quite young. There was no direct opposition to marriage, although it was not encouraged. The change in social life in Russia had been tremendous and family life had been practically destroyed where these conditions operated.