Problems can be solved, and then the masses’ enthusiasm can be aroused.
(March 5, 1961)
Comrade Tian Jiaying conducted an investigation in Zhejiang into a production brigade of over two hundred households and eleven production teams. Within it there were rich teams, middling teams, and poor teams. Because it was a single brigade, when it came to distributing their own output, everything was evened out. This gave rise to problems. Now they propose dividing this production brigade into three brigades, each with eighty-some households and three or four teams. In the past, a production brigade of over two hundred households stretched out beyond sight; one end did not know what the other end was doing, and it was also very difficult to manage. Now, by dividing it into three brigades, teams with roughly similar economic foundations are grouped together—several rich teams together, several middling teams together, several poor teams together. In this way, the economic conditions between teams are all about the same, and the problem of evening out does not arise. This solves the problem of evening out distribution between teams. There is also the problem of evening out distribution among individuals within a single team; this problem has not yet been solved. If these problems are solved, then the masses’ enthusiasm can be aroused.