Document 17

Letter on rationing on collective farms, 1930

RGAE, f. 7486s, op. 1, d. 100, l. 120. Typed copy.

The peasant who has become a member of a kolkhoz, and with no ties besides to any other work, in his cooperative member booklet has the letter "V." The peasant who is a kolkhoz member and works in some establishment has the letter "B" in his cooperative member booklet. The letter "B" receives five meters of cloth per dependent, ten meters for himself as head of the household, 1500 grams of sugar for each dependent. The letter "V" receives no cloth, and if he receives as much as five meters in the course of three months it has nothing to do with the size of his family, and two hundred grams of sugar a month for each dependent. Even the members of the VKP(b) themselves laugh at such an abnormality . . . and as a result what happens is that everyone tries to abandon the kolkhoz work of cultivating land and to secure his well-being somewhere at an industry.