FOREWORD: I welcome the publication by the “British Russian Gazette and Trade Outlook” of this booklet, which presents a collection of letters articles and documents dealing with the true conditions in Soviet timber camps.
In the leaflet announcing the recent Albert Hall meeting, which was organised under the auspices of ten of our well-known public men to protest against brutalities in the Russian timber camps, there is a statement that the meeting is the opening of an “International” campaign and is for the defence of trade. It would be interesting to know whose trade it is proposed to defend; surely not German or American, as these two countries have between them 12,000 experts in Russia intensively engaged in teaching the Soviet industrialists all they wish to know about manufacturing. And during the last two weeks a German Commission has returned from Russia bringing with it Soviet orders for Germany to the value of £15,ooo,ooo; nor can it be the Japanese who are requiring assistance seeing that a Conference was held recently in the Japanese Ministry of Trade and Information at Tokio, to discuss methods of developing Japanese-Russian trade.
It will be seen from this booklet that the stories that have been circulated about slavery in the Russian timber camps are grotesque. Nine-tenths of the timber camp workers are seasonal hands, many of them coming up from their villages with their own horses; and their task is no harder than that of lumber men in other northern latitudes. The pay, even taking into consideration the higher cost of living, is better than it was formerly; the huts are solidly built and well heated, and there are fairly well-equipped hospitals with competent medical attention—a thing unknown in these camps in pre-war days.
In Russia life is terribly hard in many respects, but to say that the people are “slave driven” is a mischievous libel: to witness, as I have done, with what keenness the Russian workmen learn to manipulate their latest machines and how enthusiastic the peasants are over the arrival of a new tractor, is to get a very different idea. All fair-minded people who have visited Russia will agree with me that the Russian workmen and peasants as a whole are eager and interested in their jobs and as for the young people, their determination to do all in their power towards consummating the Five Year Plan is almost a religion with them.
H. E. METCALF, Imperial House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2. March 21st, 1931
Author(s): L. I. Parker
Publisher: British Russian Gazette & Trade Outlook Ltd
Year: 1931
Language: English
Pages: 48
City: London
Foreword
Introduction
Index
I.—Official Statements.
(1) Extracts from the Speech made by Mr. Molotov, Chairman of the Council of Peoples' Commissars, at the Sixth All-Union Soviet Congress, held in Moscow on March 8th, 1931.
(2) Declaration of Mr. Litvinov, Peoples' Commissar of Foreign Affairs—to the British Ambassador in Moscow.
II.—Affidavits Analysed.
(1) Letter from Mr. A. L. Gorsky, Joint Managing Director of Russian Wood Agency, Ltd.
(2) Letter from Dr. E. A. Ferguson, former Medical Inspector of Lumber Camps in Nortern Canada.
(3) Extract from the "Anglo-Russian News," No. 297.
III.—Labour Conditions in Soviet Timber Camps.
(1) Interview with Mr. A. P. Smirnov, Chairman of the All-Union Combine of the Timber Industry (Soyuslesprom).
(2) Interview with Mr. Danishevsky, President of the U.S.S.R. Timber Export Corporation (Exportles).
(3) Letter from Mr. Danishevsky.
(4) Extract from an Interview with Mr. Guling, Chairman of the Council for People's Commissars of Karelian A.S.S. Republic.
(5) Interview with Mr. Becker, Chairman of the Central Executive of the Timber and Woodworkers' Union.
(6) Statement by Mr. J. D. Yanson, Chairman of Arcos, Ltd.
IV.—Impressions of American and English Visitors to Soviet Timber Districts.
(1) Interview with Mr. Vallon, an American engineer working in the Soviet Timber Industry.
(2) Interview with Mr. John Yates, representative of the Russian Wood Agency Ltd., London.
(3) Letter from Mr. Edward Harby.
(4) Article by Mr. J. F. Stewart, Consulting Forest Engineer, University Lecturer in Forest Engineering.
V.—Views of Timber Trade Representatives.
(1) Letter from Mr. Montague L. Meyer, Chairman of the Central Softwood Buying Corporation Ltd.
(2) Ditto.
(3) Letter from Mr. A. J. R. Meredith.
VI.—Some Other Opinions.
(1) Letter from Mr. J. Bromley, M.P., Secretary, Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen.
(2) Letter from Mr. Alfred M. Wall, Secretary, London Trades Council.
(3) Letter from Mr. A. A. Purcell, Secretary Manchester and Salford Trades Council.
(4) Letter from Mr. George Hicks, Secretary of the Amalgamated Building Trade Workers.
(5) Extract from the "Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers' Journal."
(6) Letter from Mr. A. W. Haycock, M.P.
Appendix.
(1) Extract from the Collective Agreement between the North District Committeee of the Agricultural and Timber Trade Workers' Trade Union of the U.S.S.R. and the State Trade "Seceroless" for hiring seasonal workers for timber felling and floating in 1930-31.
(2) Specimen Agreement for Timber Operations of Severoless.
