V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v35; en:MT;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

The war, caused by the struggle between the capitalists for the division of their predatory booty, has led to unprecedented dislocation. The criminal profiteering and scramble for gain, especially among the wealthy classes, have still further aggravated this dislocation, bringing hunger and unemployment to hundreds of thousands and millions of people. The necessity for extraordinary measures to aid the starving and to wage a ruthless struggle against the profiteers impels the workers’ and peasants’ government to establish the following rules as the law of the Russian Republic:

All citizens of the state must belong to a local consumers’ society (village, volost, settlement, or one embracing a definite part of a town, a part of a street, etc.).

The grouping of families in consumers’ societies is free, with the sole restriction that not less than two-thirds of the families in each society must belong to the non-propertied classes (i.e., workers, peasants who do not employ hired labour at all, and the like).

Each consumers’ society shall handle, in addition to the purchase and distribution of products, the marketing of local products. The boards of the consumers’ societies shall form supply committees, and no transportation of products shall be permitted without written certificates from the appropriate supply committee.

The existing consumers’ societies shall be nationalised, and they shall be obliged to include the entire population of the given locality without exception.

Private individuals may purchase products not from the local store but from central depots, but only on condition that the purchase is entered in the books of the local consumers’ society.

The transportation and purchase and sale of products without certificates from the supply committees shall be punishable by confiscation of the entire property of the offender, imprisonment for a term of not less than six months, and assignment to hard labour.

Certificates for the transportation and purchase and sale of products shall be made out in duplicate, signed by not less than three members of the board of the appropriate supply committee, and one copy shall be kept in the files of the board.

Each certificate must state from which consumers’ society the product is despatched and to which it is to be delivered.

Telegraph offices shall transmit telegrams of supply committees out of turn.

All supply committees shall function under the control and direction of the local Soviets of Workers’, Soldiers’ and Peasants’ Deputies.

Through his consumers’ society everyone is free to acquire any products without any restrictions, except for the restrictive rules that may be established for the import of products from abroad.

Products manufactured for sale must be turned over to the local supply committee at free prices, except in cases where fixed prices are established by law. The money due in payment for products shall be credited to the owner’s current account in the local (village, volost, town, factory, etc.) branch of the People’s Bank.

Every Soviet of Workers’, Soldiers’ and Peasants’ Deputies shall form groups of controllers, auditors and instructors to assist the population in organising consumers’ societies (supply committees) and to verify their accounts and the entire conduct of their affairs.

Instructions to the supply committees on the keeping of accounts and correspondence will be issued separately.