More Uncommunizing

Strange news came from Moscow in last week's despatches:

Peasants. Following Grigori Zinoviev's pledge to grant long leases of land, if not outright ownership, to the peasants (TIME, Apr. 27), the Government further conciliated and attracted the peasantry by:

1) Permitting them to hire laborers all year round.

2) Dropping the eight-hour day.

3) Allowing children over 12 years of age to be employed.

Factories. Concurrently with a report that 150,000 were idle in Mos cow and were being kept alive on doles, came the news that the Bol shevik Government intends to permit business men to establish indus trial concerns. The only restrictions placed in a draft of the decree were that concerns employing or intending to employ more than 20 men must seek permission of the local Soviet to start operations. Those concerns, employing more than 200 men must make concessionary agreements with the Republic in which the concern is situate.

Comment. M. Bukharin, editor of the Pravda, explains this metamorpho sis of Communism as due to a new-conception of the means of attain ing Socialism, meaning that, in opposition to Red terrorism, "the proletarian State must get a hold upon the chief commanding heights of industry and commerce; then, by means of commercial competition, conquer private capitalism, and the quicker we develop our economic re sources the sooner we shall accomplish our socialistic aims."