Capitalismus Atavis

At studied intervals, the Soviet newspapers fish up specimens of private enterprise and exhibit them to the public as prehistoric monsters--and horrible examples. A reporter from Sovietskaya Rossia recently discovered that the island of Sporny was full of farmers who had fled collectivization. Located in the middle of a river and source of a squabble about which province should control it, Sporny had spawned farmers who had fenced off their properties--sin of sins. Farmer Zakhar Vasilenko was so capitalist that he owned four cows, 150 sheep, had an outrageous annual private income of $7,500. Moaned Sovietskaya Rossia: "The garden plots of the past are being revived before our very eyes."

An even bigger species of capitalismus atavis was turned up by Rural Life, in the central Russian town 'of Rylsk. Though Fedor Kuznetsov had lived in Rylsk for 30 years, he was oddly asocial. His house was surrounded by a high board fence; in the evenings, music blared inexplicably from loudspeakers on the lawn. He never entertained, made the postman put the mail through a slit in the fence. Until he retired five years ago, Kuznetsov worked as a valenki (felt boots) maker in a commune, dutifully handed in his monthly norm of 15 pairs of valenki per month. For some reason, he insisted on doing all his work at home.

Last fall a government anti-speculation patrol visited Fedor and discovered why. For 25 years he had made each month some 50 pairs over his quota, peddled them on the side at premium prices. When he retired, he went into business on a big scale. He hired two workers, bought a stamping press (whose clang was drowned out by the nightly concerts). The police found hidden on his property 23 savings account books, gold and other valuables, discovered he owned two other houses, two motorcycles, two autos and a motorboat. Kuznetsov's total worth: some $200,000. His punishment: 15 years in prison.

That was the lesson Russian readers were expected to draw. Another one might be that free enterprise, even in Socialist Russia, produces the goods and pays off.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.