CORRECT COMMANDISM IN SELLING BONDS

Letter From the Central Government to the Governments of All Levels

23 September 1933

[Text] Provincial Soviets of Kiangsi, Fukien, Fukien-Kiangsi and Kwangtung-Kiangsi, County Soviet of Jui-chin and Soviet Governments of All Levels:

Because of the issuance of the economic construction bonds, great achievements have been made within a short time. In all areas where the means of mobilization is good, the broad masses enthusiastically arose to support the bonds, such as Yun-chi District in Jui-chin and Ts'ai-ch'i 1 and Hung-fang districts in Fukien, which are all good examples. In many other areas, nevertheless, there has been the grave error of commandist allocation. The People's Committee has issued Directive No 16, an announcement, and propaganda outline pointing out that full mobilization is the guarantee of bond selling and secretly supporting commandism. In its letter of instruction to the bond committees of all levels, the Central People's Finance Committee extended the time limit for bond selling to December. The number of bonds to be sold is determined according to the local situation to avoid coercive allocation and afford the local areas ample time for mobilization and selling. Since the issuance of such instructional documents, methods of selling bonds in all areas is changing.

The change, nevertheless, is extremely inadequate. Many areas are still practicing coercive allocation. The most serious instance occurred in Lo-fang District in Yu-tu, where a middle peasant and the district soviet chairman committed suicide due to the coercive allocation of bonds. The 400 or more people who fled their homes in Hsiao-ch'i District in Kwangtung-Kiangsi were also connected with coercive allocation. These were shameful incidents which should never have occurred. Yet, they did. Upon hearing the news, the Central sent men to investigate and still severely punish the Yu-tu county soviet. When this letter is received, the provincial soviets must immediately instruct the county soviets to inspect the mobilization method of bond selling in the districts and townships. They must warn the soviet personnel with the example of Yu-tu, immediately launch a campaign of intense self-criticism, concentrate the firepower against coercive commandism

in all work and never resort to it whether in expanding the Red Army, the land investigation movement, the election movement, the sale of bonds, or the development of cooperatives. Yu-tu's commandist error has occurred seriously in its work in all aspects, but were apparent in the sale of bonds. The lessons of Lo-fang and Hsiao-ch'i districts also serve as the gravest warnings to the soviets of all levels.

In order to complete the sale of bonds successfully, attention must be given to the time and amount. In the competition agreements of the various areas, many of them have set mid-October as the deadline. It is too short. They must follow the 15 September instruction of the People's Finance Committee and appropriately extend the time limit. In areas where the harvest of land selling is late, it may be extended to mid-December for the final completion of sale, in order to afford them sufficient time for mobilization work. They must not, however, follow the example of Hui-ch'ang and other areas that put bond selling aside, wait for an extension, become slack on the performance of the work and try to reach the goal by coercive allocation in December. This is absolutely not permitted. In regard to the amount, it depends entirely on the practical local situation and the extent of the mass positivity. There may be increases and reductions. There must be no mechanical allocation. The county and district soviets must increase or decrease the amounts of bonds according to the different situations of the various counties and district, in order to adapt to the local conditions. They must not issue the bonds all at one time and consider the task as ended, thus forcing the lower level to the path of coercive allocation. This bureaucratic pattern must be immediately rectified.

Mao Tse-tung, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Republic of China

Hsiang Ying, Vice Chairman

Chang Kuo-t'ao, Vice Chairman

23 September 1933
* "RED CHINA" No 113, 27 September 1933