The Waikato Times With which Is Incorporated. The Waikato Argus. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1928. RUSSIAN POLITICS.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17493, 29 August 1928, Page 6

The Waikato Times With which Is Incorporated. The Waikato Argus. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1928. RUSSIAN POLITICS.

The report of the proceedings of the Young Communists International, held at Moscow, leaves one undecided ! whether to laugh at the folly of the j proceedings or to take them seriously. A section of the Soviets in Russia seem to have convinced themselves that they will shortly be attacked by some other country or countries, and they arc inciting their followers to prepare for this. In order to counter it they talk of stirring up civil war in other countries and have undoubtedly tried to do something of Lh: kind, although their efforts have been futile and have come to nothing. They seem to have an insane hatred of the bourgeoisie, and it would be interesting to know who it is that they include under this term. The bourgeoisie are generally understood to be the middle classes, and were often spoken of with contempt by the aristocracy on that account fifty years ago- Now' it seems that the workmen of Russia have come to have the same feeling. It is very absurd; the middle classes have their failings, but on the whole they represent a very valuable element in society. The peculiar thing is that the Communists should feel so much more dislike of the middle classes than they do of the aristocracy. The middle classes may feel fla’tcred. But while we may be amused at some of the melodramatic ceremonies carried out at the meeting, we should not lose sight of all that it may foreshadow. We arc told that young Chinese and negroes were amongst those who promised to organise vengeance against their oppressors. The Chinese have certainly been oppressed in the past and the negroes are certainly being oppressed to-day. Chinese have succeeded in convincing foreign countries that their independence must he respected, and in the course of time the negroes will doubtless make themselves felt, but in the meantime the consciousness that a great nation is prepared to champion their cause is likely to precipitate trouble sooner than it would otherwise take place. Perhaps the place where trouble will soonest show itself is in South Africa, where a combination ol' Boers with white labour is trying to prevent the KalUrs doing anything but the lowest class of work. It is curious that a female delegate from South Africa was present at the International, and pointed out the danger of the South African programme which contemplates a Black Republic. It is one tiling to stir up rebellion in another country, but a very different thing to start it in one’s own. There can be no question, however, that the oppressed races will look to Russia for assistance unless they are treated with greater justice. There may be others who have cause of complaint, hut undoubtedly the negroes and the Kaffirs have' not had fair play, and if Russian agents are sent among them they will obtain a hearing. The economic theories of the Russian Soviets are a failure. It is of course difficult to obtain particulars, because in writing about Russia everyone seems to lie prejudiced for or against, but the fact that Russia is this year importing large quantities of wheat is conclusive proof that their methods have failed. Russia in the

past has been a considerable exporter of wheat. If she is unable to feed herself much land must have gone out of cultivation. There has always been a struggle between the Soviets and the small farmer. The Soviets wanted to fix the price of wheat, and to fix it low. The farmer found that the price did not enable him to live with even the small standard of comfort to which he was accustomed, and obviously he has curtailed the acreage in wheat in disgust at the demands made on him. This illustrates the weakness of Communist methods; they detest the bourg-oisic, but for want of their skill and experience the economic system of tussia is a failure. It does not follow, however, that it will therefore be abandoned. It will be a long time before the Russians realise that they are living at a lower standard than other nations, and when they do they may attribute it to other causes. The United States at present enjoy a standard of life higher than that obtainable elsewhere, but nobody proposes to rebel in consequence. We may look forward to the existence of Russia as a country with different, ideas and methods, likely to last indefinitely. They will probably get over their idea that other countries are anxious to attack them. When they realise that their economic methods are not better than those in use in capitalist, countries, but that on the contrary they give poorer results, they will cease to preach Communism in other countries and, cease to believe that other countries arc envious of them. The unofficial war which we carried on against Russia throughout 1919 was, at the same time, a blunder and a crime. 1L strengthened and confirmed (he Bolsheviks in power, for many Russians who did not-sympathise with them were not prepared to sec the country attacked, and joined forces with the Bolsheviks. At the same time it has made the Bolsheviks eternally suspicious of everything our Government says or does. At the same time wo were carrying out those operations at a cost of £150,000,000 we were officially at peace with Russia., Mr Winston Churchill, who was then a mernbor of Mr Lloyd George’s Cabinet, was commonly supposed to he chiefly responsible. Perhaps some day it may b c suggested that he did wrong; in the meantime lie is the most prominent member of Mr Baldwin’s Cabinet.