ON CONSUMER COMMUNES
and; MARCH 1919
LENIN’S NOTE.
§§ 10 and 14 speak of a new center (which will be from communists, who fleece a little, but then they don't
put anything alcoholic in their mouths).1
But about the old apparatus nil!
— nothing. Ed.

KRESTINSKY’S REPLY.
§§ 7, 8, and 9 do not speak of a governing body of communists,
X X but of a governing body of the former composition *
commissar or communists.
LENIN’S NOTE.
X X not a word anywhere

The phrase "who fleece a little, but then they don't put anything alcoholic in their mouths"
is from I. A. Krylov's fable "The Musicians."
12407
DRAFT DECREE ON CONSUMER
COMMUNES.
[March 15-16, 1919]
The difficulty of the food situation requires urgent measures to save the country from famine and for the greatest
economy of forces and means.
In the field of distribution, it is therefore necessary to create a united
distribution apparatus. This is all the more urgent and
immediate because all distribution bodies (mainly divided into three groups: food bodies, Workers' Cooperation
and civil cooperatives) receive the majority of products
from one source, and the friction between these three groups
has already become an intolerable obstacle in practice to the cause.**
The unification of existing distribution bodies must be accomplished*** in such a way that the main apparatus of
correct mass distribution, namely cooperation, as the only
apparatus created and tested by many years of development
under capitalism and practical experience, is not destroyed
and not discarded, but laid as the basis of the new, preserved,
developed and improved.
*
— two crosses in the margins and underlinings made by Lenin's hand. Ed.
** Corrected by Lenin, originally "obstacle." Ed.
*** Corrected by Lenin, originally "accomplished." Ed.

DRAFT DECREE ON CONSUMER COMMUNES

Proceeding from these provisions,* the Council of People's Commissars
decrees:
1. In all cities and rural localities** consumer
cooperation is united and reorganized into a single distribution body — the Consumer Commune.
2. When creating a Consumer Commune, the basis
taken in cities is: —*** the existing workers' cooperation, and where it is
not present — general civic cooperation, in rural localities — the existing
rural consumer cooperation.
3. In cities and Factory-Plant
centers a single Consumer commune is formed. In rural areas, the
population of a number of villages can unite into one District Commune
(multi-shop cooperative).
4. The Consumer Commune includes all the population of the given
locality. Every citizen is obliged to become a member of the Commune
and be assigned to one of the Commune's shops (distribution
point).
[5. Every citizen, starting from the age of 18, upon entering
the Commune, if he was not previously a member of the cooperative, pays a membership
share. Installment payments of the share in affordable parts are allowed.]****
6. The right to elect and be elected to the governing bodies
and control of the Consumer Commune henceforth belongs to
all citizens who have the right to vote in the Soviets, according to the
Constitution of the R.S.F.S.R.
7. At the head of each Consumer Commune stand the
Board and the Control Council of the Consumer Commune. Members
of the Commune assigned to a given distribution point and
enjoying, according to § 6, electoral rights, elect their authorized representatives. The General Meeting of Authorized Representatives of the
Consumer Commune elects its Board and Control
Council. A Control Council of the Point is established at each distribution point, elected by the
members of the Commune assigned to this

*
In the final text, signed by Lenin, added: "And striving to transfer the matter of distribution into the hands of the working population itself and to eliminate inequality of distribution through the current cooperatives, which give advantages to their members." Ed.
** Corrected by Lenin, in the original text "localities." Ed.
*** In the final text added: "and Factory-Plant centers." Ed.
**** Paragraph 5 crossed out by Lenin. Ed.

point by members of the Commune who enjoy electoral rights and are assigned to this point.
8. Consumer Communes are united into Gubernia
Unions directly or through Regional Unions. The Boards of the Unions are elected by Meetings of authorized representatives from the Consumer Communes
(or smaller Unions) that are part of them.
9. The single economic center of all Unions of Consumer
Communes, arising both from Workers' and from General
Civic and rural cooperation, is Centrosoyuz. The
Board of Centrosoyuz is elected by authorized representatives of the Gubsoyuz.*
Note. The existing regional union of workers' coopera- tion is united with Centrosoyuz as an
autonomous department for supplying workers' centers.
10. To the Consumer
Communes reorganized in this way, the Local Food Bodies
transfer all the matter of distribution of products and items of prime necessity. All Soviet and cooperative shops, stores, warehouses
and all kinds of other distribution points without any exception whatsoever are transferred to the Consumer Communes.**
11. To the apparatus of the Gubsoyuzes and Centrosoyuzes, as they are reorga-
nized, is transferred the fulfillment of state plans for the
distribution of food and items of prime necessity among individual Consumer Communes, according to
plans and under the control of the corresponding Food Bodies.
12. The local food bodies are charged with
monitoring the implementation, in the distribution of decrees,
resolutions, as well as general provisions of the State food
policy (class ration, fixed prices, etc.). For this, the local food bodies introduce*** into the Boards of the Consumer

*
In the final text added: "according to a special instruction," and in place of the note a new § is added: "The Consumer Communes of urban and Factory-Plant centers are granted the right to unite on a gubernatorial and all-Russian scale in the form of autonomous sections of the Gubsoyuzes and Centrosoyuz." Ed.
** In the same place added: "All capital of the cooperatives is transferred to the Consumer Communes. Share contributions are returned by the communes to the members of the former cooperatives." Ed.
*** In the final text: "may introduce." Ed.

DRAFT DECREE ON CONSUMER COMMUNES

of appeals against the decisions of the Board to the Food Department. The same right is granted in relation to the Gubsoiuzes to the Gubprodkom, and in relation to the Centrosoiuz to the Narkomprod.
13.
Pending the holding of elections of the Boards of Consumers' Communes and their Unions in accordance with this decree (paragraphs 5-9), the former Boards of Workers' or Citizens' Cooperation shall temporarily remain at the head of the Communes and their Unions, depending on which of them formed the basis of the given consumer Commune.
If necessary, the Boards of both types of Cooperation may be combined,* but by decision of the Gubprodkoms or the Narkomprod.
Note: In large cities and Factory-and-Plant centers, temporary Boards, with the permission of the Nar
komprod, may be created by election at joint meetings of Factory-and-Plant
committees, trade unions and soviets of authorized workers' cooperatives.
[In Petrograd and Moscow, the plenum of the Soviet also takes part in these elections to the electoral assembly.]
14. The temporary boards of the commune may be supplemented by representatives of the Gubprodkoms in a quantity that ensures the conformity of their activities with the Soviet Food policy. In relation to the provincial and regional Unions, the right to supplement the temporary Boards belongs to the Komprod, and in relation to the Centrosoiuz, to the Council of People's Commissars. ***
15.
All members of the former Boards of cooperatives, Gubsoiuzes and Centrosoiuz remain in their places until the re-elections, **** bearing responsibility ***** both to the Board and to the State authority.
* The comma after the word “combined” was inserted by Lenin. Ed.
** The text in brackets is crossed out by Lenin. Ed.
*** This paragraph in the final text is formulated as follows: "The local food authorities introduce one representative each into the temporary boards of the Consumers' Communes and their provincial unions, in compliance with the conditions and on the rights established by paragraph 14 of this decree. The Council of People's Commissars may supplement the composition of the Board of the Centrosoiuz with the necessary number of its representatives." Ed.
**** In the final text: "until the organization or election of new
boards." Ed.
***** In the final text the following is added: "for conducting the business." Ed.

16. For the duration of the reorganization, both the personal responsibility of the heads of cooperatives and bonuses for the best and fastest implementation of the tasks of the State authority shall be established in accordance with special instructions.
17. All officials of cooperatives and Consumers' Communes, from the date of this decree, do not have the right to leave their posts without the permission of the Soviet authority, on a par with the employees of the food bodies.
[18. Newly included in the temporary Boards, representatives of the State authorities, possessing the same right to vote as the other members, partly} share with them the management of individual branches, partly carry out work on the speedy implementation of this reorganization into life.] *
19. In order to expedite economic decisions, as well as to establish stricter and more precise responsibility of officials, all Boards of Communes and Unions of Communes are obliged to distribute absolutely accurately permanent** work and temporary assignments among their members.**
20. The right of representation in the glavks, centers and other central and local state bodies ’*** belonging to the consumer cooperation is transferred to the temporary boards and subsequently to the properly organized Consumer communes and their associations.
21. The implementation of this reorganization is entrusted to the Komprod, to which the Cooperative Department of the Supreme Council of National Economy passes, with the exception of production ***** cooperation.
22. The deadline for re-elections of the Governing Bodies of Consumers' Communes and Unions is set by the Komprod in agreement with the Local Soviets.
23. The Komprod is instructed to issue detailed instructions on the implementation of the reorganization within a period of no more than two weeks and to involve the instructor personnel of the Centrosoiuz and the Council of Workers' Cooperation in the matter.
* § 18 is crossed out by Lenin. Ed.
** Lenin wrote the word "permanent" instead of "present". Ed.
In the final text, § 19 is replaced by the following: "Special instructions establish bonuses for the best and fastest implementation of the tasks of the state authority." Ed.
**** Corrected by Lenin, originally "bodies." Ed.
***** Corrected by Lenin, originally "productive." Ed.