The Organisation of Soviet Finance
| Date | 01 October 1930 |
| Author | S. Muddiman |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1930.tb01997.x |
| Published date | 01 October 1930 |
The
Organisation
of
Soviet
Finance
By
S.
MUDDIMAN
HE
Soviet Tourist Agency
is
calling
visitors to the most
T
interesting country
in
the world. Recently
I
spent five weeks
under the Red
Flag.
It was a private trip, but introductions allowed
me to
see
something of departmental administration and industrial
organisation,
as
well
as
the scheduled
sights.
In
the Constitution of 1923 the New
Russia
is
declared to be
Ir
a
garden where are
mutual
confidence and peace, national freedom
and‘equality
with brotherly collaboration
of
the peoples.” It
is
a
good
thing
to accept
an
invitation to
visit
a
neighbur’s
garden.
Naturally
the
best
is
shown,
and one does not expect to return com-
pletely
informed
concerning the host’s business and domestic
dairs.
Opinions
on
the Soviet’s
policy
differ widely, but the organisation
of
finance
in
a State extending over one-sixth of the world’s surface,
and which
is
taking
entire control of commercial enterprise and pur-
suing
a vigorous campaign
of
socialisation
among
a population
of
160
million
souls,
cannot
fail
to interest
LZS.
Dumping of
Russian
timber, coal,
oil
and wheat
in
remote markets
provides unpopular evidence of her organisation.
This
is
the means
by which credit
is
being obtained to buy machinery for gigantic
factories
and
collective farms under the five-year plan.
This
plan
is
a
programme
of
economic and cultural development drawn up
in
great
detail by the State Planning Commission.
It
determines the
volume and character of production, and arranges for distribution
and finance
with
the object
of
attaining the most rapid progress
in
the most
economical
way. The operation of the plan
is
in
the hands
of
the Government departments of the Soviet Union and of the con-
stituent Republics-the People’s Commissariats for Trade, Agricul-
ture, Transport, Education, Finance, &c.
Thus
the Commissariat
for Trade controls foreign trade on the export-import plan laid down.
It
works
within
the Union
through
specialised organisations for
different products-state
trusts
,
combines and syndicates-and
through trade delegations in foreign countries. According
to
the
plan
exports are to increase from 774
million
roubles in
1927-28
to
2,047
million
roubles
in
1932-33,
and imports
from
945
million
roubles
to
1,705
don
roubles
within
the same period.
86
billion. roubles
will
be required to fiance the five-year plan,
430
To continue reading
Request your trial