RUSSIA TO-DAY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVI, Issue 21325, 20 April 1939, Page 8

RUSSIA TO-DAY

No Truth Allowed Out A Strict Censorship ’’We have a perfect spying system and it is not difficult to get into prison." These words were marked in block letters on the corner of a letter that had passed through the strict Russian censorship and been severely cut. although the contents were entirely religious, said Col. the Rev. F. J Miles, the recipient of the letter, who gave an address on "The Truth About Russia” to a large audience in the Wilson Street Baptist Church last night.

Mr Miles produced the letter in introducing part of his address to illustrate how the Communist Government was the enemy of religion. The lettei was written by a Russian evangelist of the Russian Missionary Society, and after it passed through the censor's hands one inch of one page and three inches, the greater portion in fact, of the second page had been blacked out. “If you wish to write a letter from this country you can write what, when, and how you like.” said Mr Miles. “No one will stop you in this glorious Dominion of the British Empire as in this land there is nothin? to hide. Enough said,” he added meaningly. Any members of the society desiring to send a letter from Russia to him now wrote three letters to three private addresses in different countries in Europe, and when they all arrived he was able to piece some meaning out of what and left of the three. The people read propaganda papers given to them and no outside newspapers were allowed into Russ:? the people being taught that all the people of the world were starving and that the Russians were well off ;n corn- ' parison. But any Russian attempting to leave this "paradise” was shot, and if it was known his relatives knew he intended to try to get out of the country they were either shot or taken to prison. Some people might think that if the news was kept from them by exclusion of foreign papers they would obtain it from the radio. Not even a British subject could listen w a news session from overseas and there was not one radio instrument in tiia’. vast country that could pick up any stations but those on the wave-length of Russian stations. It was a sheer impossibility to send the truth in news out of Russia. Visitors to Russia said there were no restrictions and that they could go where they kiled. see what they liked and do what they liked but no visitor was allowed to have any Russian money and when they wished to do anything, for example to have a haircut it was placed on their hotel bill. The hotels were owned by the Intouriste Company and therefore by the Government, and no one could escape paying their bill as their passports were taken away when they entered the hotel and were not returned until they boarded the train on the way to the next hotel—and certainly not until they had paid the bill. No person in 10 days could tell the truth about a country containing 180.000,000 people, and if they attempted to do so they were being very careless about the truth. Achievement In Education The greatest achievement of the ( Russians to-day was in the matter of I education. When the Russian Government instituted its education policy 87 per cent, of the people were illiterate, whereas now the illiterate consisted of only 14 per cent, and m the industrial areas only 8 per cent. No good purpose could be served by extreme or extravagant statements —as for instance that no good thing could come out of Soviet Russia. As a matter of fact, the Government had accomplished much that was good and had attempted many things for which it should be warmly commended. Its educational policy was a very fine one, and had converted a nation i of illiterates into a comparatively I educated people. It was this educa- | tional policy that formed the hope of | those who did not agree with the i Communistic plan and programme. When Britain had educated the people of India, in due time they were able to say that they no longer needed Britain—they were educated and could manage their own affairs. More than one half of the present population of Russia had passed through its schools, whose teaching, however, was definitely anti-religious. Nevertheless, it was certainly an excellent one on its secular side. Ultimately the whole population would pass through these schools. With developing culture would come an increased demand from the population to have a genuine voice in its own affairs and not be dictated to by a small section. Ruled by Small Section

There was no doubt, Mr Miles continued, that at the present time the majority was ruled by the few as by far the greatest number in the land were not members of the Communist Party which at the time of its highest membership had 3,000,000 members, while at the present time its membership numbered 1,750.000 of a population of 180,000,000. The reason the party ruled was that it controlled a well-fitted, well-housed, well-fed Russian army. Before the Revolution there were 1.000,000 Christians, but now the Christians numbered'6.ooo.ooo so that Christians had outlived and outgrown the Communists. Even officials admitted that two-thirds of the provincial population and onethird of the city population was still deeply religious.