RUSSIA OF TO-DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1935, Page 13 (Supplement)

RUSSIA OF TO-DAY

FINAL CONCLUSIONS

(By

J. R. Hanan—Copyright.)

This article brings to a conclusion the series on Russia written for the Daily News by Mr. Hanan. .Next week he will add some impressions of Germany as he found it.

The question of religion in the Soviet Union is an exceedingly difficult one. If Russia minds her own business concerning 4he affairs of other countries, and I think there is a tendency for the authorities to recognise that it is- in their best interests to do so, we can perhaps postpone our judgment until the passage of time indicates clearly, whether the great experiment is for the improvement or detriment of mankind. I agree with those who hold that between Marxism and Christianity there is no compromise, but it is fairly clear that Marxism is not being strictly followed in Russia. My strongest criticism of Russia is the astonishing ignorance of the people of the conditions in other countries. The authorities have evl«ently done wonders in the education of the people, but much of that education is political. I put this latter , point as a fact being evidenced clearly, by posters and placards in all educational institutions I visited, and supported by articles in newspapers published in English, as well as talks with tourists and Englishspeaking Russians. I firmly believe that young. Russians are under the impression that the workers in other countries are oppressed, ill-treated, dominated by the church and by what they call landlordism and living as Russians did prior to 1917.

I spoke to guides and others about our, Old Age Pensions, Family Allowances, | State Services, Workers’ Compensation and Arbitration, our free secular and compulsory system of education, our non-political religious institutions. They were amazed and I do not know whither they doubted my veracity or my sanity. Probably to them only Stalin and Co. were capable of devising humanitarian legislation. ' Russians who have travelled abroad admit that they are far behind us but the people as a whole are evidently led to think differently. The mass suggestion directed to this end may be for two purposes. 1. To create the enthusiasm and fanaticism necessary for the overthrow of other nations—i.e. crush capitalism and free the “toiling masses of the proletariat throughout the world” and overthrow civilisation as we know it, or 2. To delude the people into the belief that they are the most fortunate of ali, creating the enthusiasm necessary for the success of the attempt to accomplish in a few years what has taken us centuries. ’ With regard to the first suggested purpose it is remotely possible that in. another fifty years Russia. might be m a position to do so but it is probable that by that time great changes will have taken place, Lenin modified Marxism, Stalin modified Leninism. What will happen to Stalinism? . The Russians are undoubtedly intolerant towards our systems of society, but it may well be that the highest form of tolerance is the tolerance of intolerance. If Russians knew more about us and if we knew more about them; if your local communists know more about the Psy" chology of our people and appreciated the fact that we are still evolving, perhaps many of the mutual antagonisms and distrust might disappear. If I could write ten more columns 1 could tell the tale of visits to other institutions—factories, orphan’s homes (my own description), and other places of interest, of information derived from other tourists that would all support what I have already indicated—that the Russian authorities are endeavouring to better the conditions of the people—that they are making progress, that m general the Government has the support of the people and that it is in a strong position; but whether it holds its posh tion deservedly, or by the rifle,, by false or true propaganda, or by a mixture of the lot, I do not know and has no bearing on the point I want to make. The point is this: That there is order not chaos in Russia. During my seventh day at Moscow, I was walking but of one end of Red Square and noticed a big sign “Grain Export.” It was on a large modem five or, six storey building. I went in the main door and friendly porters crowded around me. In a mixture of Russian, German, French and English (I felt like trying a bit of Maori —I became so desperate) I asked for an interpreter. Finaly they tried the interdepartment telephones, called and sent message boys dashing all over the place and eventually a courteous young fellow appeared who could speak German he was “nicht gut” to me, so he brought a girl who spoke French. To cut a long story short I was put into a taxi (I think an American built Whippet) and taken to the Commissariat 1 of Foreign Trade for the U.S.S.R. -- ; To cut ■ another long story short, after going through many doors guarded by distinctly friendly Red soldiers, I found myself in a room with a presumably high official who was reading an article in an English newspaper on Anglo-Soviet Trade Relations! The result of the conversation was that I obtained confirmation of previous reports that Russia was short of meat. ~(I understand from what tourists have told me that two or three years ago there was a wheat crop failure and thousand of Russians died of starvation. The Government set about to collectivise large numbers of the peasant holdings. The peasants objected and slaughtered wholesale the cattle and sheep they possessed. As far . as. I can recollect Soviet literature or propaganda admits that the totals of cattle and sheep possessed to-day are less than in 1914). . , The ■ official stated that the Soviet wanted to trade with the world and that meat would be acceptable to them. in exchange for petroleum •or anything else one might want. Wool was not discussed but I understand that the Soviet has recently made purchases of New Zealand wool. Socially Russia offers no lesson to Hew Zealand. “Sovietising” New Zealand is a strange proposition to put to a New Zealander. We have led the world m humanitarian legislation and no thinking man will claim that we have reached the end of human progress, but Russian “Communism” to us would mean Government by mass suggestion and the suppression of free thinking and individuality. It may be suited to the Russians—“ One man’s meat is another man’s poison,” but I think that New Zealand meat may not he “poison’ to great numbers of the Russian people who would be glad to take what England does not require!