COPY TO GUBERNIA SOCIAL SECURITY DEPARTMENTS
May 23, 1921

The introduction of the tax in kind has entailed the abolition of re-apportionments and redistributions, which, while generally easing the situation of the peasantry, at the same time deprives Red Army families and the poor peasantry of the assistance they received from the stronger farms through internal redistribution.

Therefore, the work of the social security organs acquires particularly important political significance, and it is necessary to place it on a par with the work of the shock organs. To this end, it is proposed:

1) To review the composition of the boards of the gubernia and uyezd social security departments, appointing the most energetic and capable workers, including persons familiar with the countryside.

2) To return experienced workers engaged in other work, and in particular workers from the health insurance funds, to work in social security.

3) To inform the People's Commissariat for Social Security immediately by telegraph of all changes in the composition of the social security board.

4) To ensure the supply of everything necessary for the correct and regular work of the social security organs.

At the same time, taking into account the weakness of the Republic's resources, it is necessary to organize mutual aid among the peasantry on the basis of the Council of People's Commissars' decree of May 14, for which purpose it is proposed to conduct broad agitation for the creation of mutual aid committees, explaining their significance and benefit for the peasantry and pointing out that with the creation of mutual aid committees the state will by no means reduce the assistance currently provided to the poorest peasantry and Red Army families, but on the contrary will deepen and expand it by all means.

To this end, it is proposed to assign a cadre of instructors and agitators, to organize the publication of popular leaflets and posters explaining the idea of mutual aid, and to promote in every way the creation of committees and the development of their activities.

Emphasizing the exceptional political significance and importance of implementing the indicated measures, the Gubernia Executive Committee and Gubernia Party Committee are requested to discuss measures for their most successful implementation and immediately to instruct the uyezds.

Responsibility for the execution of this is placed on the chairman of the executive committee.

The head of the gubernia social security department is charged, under his personal responsibility, with reporting by telegraph every two weeks to the People's Commissariat for Social Security on the measures taken and their concrete results, obtaining at all costs analogous information from the heads of the uyezd social security departments.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars
Lenin

Secretary of the Central Committee of the RCP
Molotov

Deputy People's Commissar for Social Security
N. Milyutin

Printed from a typewritten copy.