Red Notes

P: Completion of nominations for the 1,143 parliamentary seats to be filled on December 12 by the first election under Russia's new Constitution (TIME, Nov. 8) disclosed last week that in nearly every case only one candidate had been nominated for each seat. According to Soviet President Mikhail Kalinin in a speech at Leningrad last week, the average Russian is asking himself: "What is the use of my going to vote? There is only one candidate, and he will be elected anyway."

Continued the President: "It is a grave mistake to think this. ... I will tell you frankly that, if an overwhelming majority of our electors go to the polls, many Fascist gang leaders will stop and think: 'Look --not only is their army strong, but even greater power stands behind the army!'"

Voting will be by secret ballot for the first time in Soviet history. This week in electoral districts all over Russia citizens were rounded up nightly to be addressed by the only candidate for whom their secret ballots can be cast.

Cheering last week for the expected victory of the Stalin regime at the polls was Premier Prince Konoye of Japan. "If the results of the Russian election support the regime, trouble will not occur," beamed the Prince. "But if Stalin is upset it is impossible to say what may happen." Despite constant Soviet & Communist press uproar against "Fascist Japan," the Prince seemed confident that such help as thrifty Stalin gives China will be as inadequate as that he has given the Spanish Leftists. Soviet bombers arrived in China in considerable numbers and went into action last week (see p. 19), but Prince Konoye drew attention to the fact that Tokyo and Moscow continue quietly negotiating renewal of the treaty permitting Japanese to fish in Soviet waters. So vital is this to Japanese economy that experts believe Stalin could hurt Japan almost as much by canceling the fishing treaty as U. S. we len could by switching to cotton stockings.

P: U. S. Ambassador to the U. S. S. R. Joseph E. Davies, advised by cable that Mrs. Davies was down with influenza in Washington, left his daughter Emlen studying law in Moscow last week, caught the Normandie.

For presentation to the University of Wisconsin, generous Alumnus Davies is bringing along with him his latest art purchases from Moscow, 14 extremely rare icons described by the famed Tretyakov Picture Gallery's official experts as "constituting perhaps the most valuable collection of icons now in private hands."

P: Russia's principal railway from every point of view, especially the strategic, is the Trans-Siberian. Last week Dictator Joseph Stalin and Premier Vyacheslav Molotov were announced recently to have issued a joint order demanding that officials of the Trans-Siberian "restore it to efficient operation." Stalin & Molotov mentioned that "76 railway cars loaded with metal have been standing on sidings at Khabarovsk for six months." Their order added: "Eliminate traffic jams and defective locomotives!"

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