SLANSKY DISCUSSES COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600390432-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 18, 2011
• Sequence Number: 432
• Publication Date: May 21, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600390432-9
LANGUAGE
DATE
PUBLISHED
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspapers
WHERE
PUBLISHED Czechoslovakia
COUNTRY Czechoslovakia
SUBJECT Economic - Agriculture, cooperatives
THIS DOCUMINT CONTAINS WFONMATION AFFNCTIUS THE NATIONAL DVIN11
01 THE UNITED STAINS WITHIN TNN NIANINI 00 ^{FIONAIl ACT ID
U. I. C.. SI AHD 111. At AMENDED. ITI TRANSMISSION OR THE NETDLATION ER 0
UNAUTN NIIITNOC IT TCAW. IN NI-NODIICTION OF THIN FORM ISI FRONIIITID. It FRO?
SOURCE Newspapers as indicated.
DATE DIST. 02/ May 1951
NO: OF PAGES 3
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
SLANSKY DISCUSSES COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT
SURVEY COOPERATIVE AGRICULTURE -- Pragi}e, Lidove Noviny, 27 Feb 51
Rudolf Slansky) General Secretary of 'the Communist Party, presented the
following report on cooperative agriculture at the 22 February meeting of the
party's Central Committee:
A year ago, there were only 314 JZDs (Unified Agricultural Cooperatives).
At present, there are in all 3,868 higher-type cooperatives, of which 2,026
are Type II; 1,68b, Type III; and 154, Type IV. A total of 3,279 cooperatives
plowed up their field boundaries and cultivated crops jointly. Of-the 202,686
farm families living in the obecs where boundaries were thus eliminated for
cooperative farming, 130,166 families, or-59.1 percent are enrolled in JZDs.
Alu-ogether the different higher-type cooperatives are cultivating over one
million hectares of land. By the end of 1950, a total of 370,000 head of cat-
tle were under cooperative management. Last fall, 3,200 agricultural coopera-
tives harvested and threshed their crops jointly.
The purchase of equipment from the,village rich included 16,000 tractors,
20,000 binders, and 17,700 threshers.
The state made available to the cooperatives a total of, 1,500,000,000
crowns in the form of operational and investment loans.
Forty-three percent of the members bf higher-type JZDs formerly had up to
2 hectares of land, 22 percent from 2 to 5 hectares, 17 percent from,5 to 10
hectares, 14 percent from 10 to-115 he1ctares, 3 percentifrom'15 to 20 hectares,
and one percent over 20 hectares. '..Thus,. the great majority.of JZD.members, or
65 percent, were small'farmers who.ihad operated five hectares or'less of land.'
l.ddle farmers in the obecs where higher-type cooperatives exist join these
'JZDs in greater numbers thai;.'do ti It small?farm2rs. Of all farmers operating
up to 2 hectares of land in such obeas'38 percent became JZD members,, while of
ercent -became'. members; from 5 to 10
those operating. from 2 to 5 hectares, 40 percent-became ..
hectares, 48 percent; 10to'15 hectares, 62 percent;i5'to 20'hectares, 53,,
percent; and finally of those owning over-20 hectares, 45 percent joined the
JZDs.
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Half of the higher-type JZDs are in the border area, where the middle
farmers, operating about 13 hectares, predominate. In this region such farm-
ers go over in large numbers to the cooperatives, since until recently they
had been agricultural employees rather than landowners.
The village rich have been exercising a harmful influence on cooperative
membership. Almost half the farmers owning over 20 hectares, where higher-
type JZDs exist, applied for and were granted membership in these units. This
has occurred despite the warnings and admonitions of the Central Committee at
its last meeting, that such elements were not to be admitted. The village
rich are the greatest menace to the welfare of the cooperatives, since their
tactic is to bore from within and undermine them. The best JZDs are those
where agricultural magnates, or even small landowners with the exploiter's
psychology, are excluded.
Last fall, many JZDs were behind in their work or failed to achieve the
assigned work quotas. This was not always due to bad weather or lack of
equipment. Or the contrary, much of it was caused by inadequate planning and
organization. Work should be assigned to members not on a purely numerical
basis, but rather according to types of tasks involved, comparative difficul-
ties, etc. JZD members must also cease to regard themselves as employees of
the state, and begin to consider themselves as coequal partners in a joint en-
terprise.
Considerable 'resourcefulness and ingenuity have been exhibited by members
in?building and adapting cooperative dairy barns. Nevertheless, it is neces-
sary to speed up the process even more. Although JZD members are allowed to
keep for personal use one cow, one or two calves,. some hogs and sheep, and
poultry in unlimited number, it is impossible to permit them more stock and
fowls, since this would detract too many working hours from-their joint tasks.
Last fall, the pay of many cooperative members was incorrectly computed,
and as a result of this faulty bookkeeping they had very little desire and in-
centive to, go out to the fields and proceed with the autumn harvest.
Soviet experience has demonstrate:. the value of groups specializing in
some branch of agriculture, such as dairying, sheep raising, tobacco culture,
etc. Czechoslovakia should profit by these lessons and encourage a greater
specialization within the framework of the JZDs. There is an urgent need to
enroll further small and middle farmers in these orgenizations, to create new
cooperatives, and to convert lower-type into higher-type JZDs. More than half
of Czechoslovakia's small and middle farmers still remain outside such brgani-
zations.
The; performance of state machine stations is not generally satisfactory.
Last year, the machine stations acquired three times as many tractors as they
had previously possessed, five times as many binders, and nine times as many
threshers. Nevertheless, merry machines are in poor condition, and the rate of
repair is too often slow. The attitude of the tractor operator towards his
vehicle must also change, and he must be responsible for its maintenance.
Work ought to be accomplished by permanent tractor brigades, working in two
shifts. More concern must be expressed with the tractor operator's welfare,
especially if he is on the night shift, and with his housing and clothing.
Machine-station members, by proper political indoctrination, must become true
apostles of socialisiu.
The establislnentIol' state farms is proceeding too slowly and ineffi-
ciently. The personnel of these farme,'with die-hard and unreliable elements
in key positions, constitute the largest single obstacle to the development of
the state farms. Hence their administration has been marked by wrangling and
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disorder. The level of plant production is relatively low, and the targets
for hops, flax, vegetables, etc., were not fulfilled, in 1950. More attention
-should be devoted to the state farms by party organizations on the kraj and
okres levels, and conscientious, politically-aware personnel must replace the
present bureaucratic and undesirable elements.
Thus far., rarely the first steps have been taken toward cooperative ag-
riculture. Only in one fifth of Czechoslovakia's obecs have the field bounda-
ries been plowed up.
GIVES GRAIN PRODUCTION FIGURES -- Prague, Svobodne Slovo, 20 Mar 51
A total of 1,295,000 tons of bread grains was left to farmers from the
1950 harvest. Of this quantity about 357,000 tons ware of seed and inferior
grains, leaving approximately 938,000 tons of bread grains for consumption by
farmers.
50X1-HUM
!FI9E T At
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