Document 14

Report of M. P. Kichigin on collective farm chairman in Central Black Earth Oblast [nd]

RGAE, f. 7486s, op. 1, d. 102, l. 296. Typed copy.

In 1928 a kolkhoz was organized in the village of Dubinka in the Lavrov Rural Soviet of the Shilovo Raion of Elets Okrug of TsChO. Forty-two households joined it, but among them happened to be kulaks, such as G. A. Gubanov, former owner of a flour mill, P. P. Shein, former army officer, P. G. Shein. who before the Revolution possessed land, and a series of others who joined the kolkhoz to avoid paying big taxes and being dispossessed, as should have been the case. The chief saboteur of "Victory" Kolkhoz is the chairman of this kolkhoz, Nikifor Arsentievich Mitrofanov, former army officer, a second lieutenant who from 1924 to 1927 had a retail grocery business and now, instead of doing decent work, does nothing but drink a lot and corrupt the other members of the kolkhoz.

His drunken escapades amount to outright hooliganism. For example, in 1929 during haymaking, drunk, with a group of kolkhoz members he trampled one woman, knocked on V. R. Sheinaia's and A. V. Sheinaia's doors and, when they wouldn't open their doors, ordered that the windows be broken, saying "She's getting this on account of me."

On St. George's Day (April 23) he rode a stud horse to death, appeals have been repeatedly submitted to RIK, but all in vain since there's apparently a "solicitous hand" supporting him, and he, taking advantage of this, drinks hard every day, plays cards, keeping as much as nine hundred rubles of state funds on himself.

When they asked him why he carries so much money with him, he answered: "The independent peasants want to put me through a Bartholomew's Night, therefore I'm always prepared to clear out of here with money.

At the kolkhoz there is a work brigade leader named Barsky who works as a accountant. He did a good job of putting in order the kolkhoz's accounts which had been totally neglected since last year. Comrade Barsky made statements more than once to RIK about Mitrofanov without any results.

But there were, however, results.

They want to expel Barsky from the kolkhoz and they'll achieve this goal of theirs unless their drunken "orgy" is stopped in time.

One more instance still of Mitrofanov's meanness. In the spring he bought a bull for breeding at the kolkhoz in the village of Torniasov and signed a bill to its owner for one hundred rubles more than he should have. It was made known to RIK, but with the same result.