--- Notes

Issued with a note on “Some Members and Cadres’ Opinions on the Question of Distribution According to Work” (March 22, 1961) for circulation among all comrades [2]. This is a nationwide issue that must be resolved promptly. Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript, March 22.

Notes [1] This is an investigative report on rural distribution submitted on March 22, 1961, by Chen Boda, Director of the Political Research Office of the CPC Central Committee and Mao Zedong’s secretary. The main contents are as follows:  1. A poor peasant from Tang Erli in Baxian County, Hebei Province, said, “Although many people are now attending work sessions, they are not putting in any real effort.” “The main reason is that we do not distribute according to work; there is no incentive to work hard.” A representative of another poor-peasant group stated: “Distribution according to work is indeed the right approach. Those who work more can earn more, and the commune members will then put their full effort into their tasks. Even when implementing distribution according to work, we must ensure that families facing difficulties are not left behind; everyone should help them. Moreover, households with abundant labor will not become less diligent. For the former kind of assistance is open and explicit—those receiving it are aware of the favor—whereas the supply system provides hidden support, as if it were simply their due.”

2. The secretary of the Party branch of the Yunyi Brigade in the Huancheng Commune of Gaohe County, Guangdong Province, reported that after adopting a 30–70 split between subsistence allowances and wages, combined with grain allocation based on work points, as long as households with large populations but few able-bodied workers received appropriate consideration in task assignments and other matters, they would not exceed their allotted allowances. One poor-peasant representative remarked: “With the 30–70 arrangement, it is supported not only by those with ample labor but also by someone like me, who has limited strength. Without such a system, work points would be worthless, and those with plenty of labor would have no incentive to produce properly. If production falters, even a generous subsistence allowance would amount to little.” Another poor peasant added: “When food rations were distributed per person, some commune members stopped coming to work. Once we introduced grain allocation tied to work points, attendance immediately increased.” A cadre of the Gaohe County Party Committee noted: “Our investigation revealed that eighty percent of the population favored a 30–70 split between subsistence allowances and wages, together with the implementation of grain allocation based on work points.” This report was prepared by two staff members who had accompanied Chen Boda on his fact-finding mission to Guangdong; prior to that, they had conducted similar investigations into these issues in Hebei.  [2] Refers to the comrades then attending the CPC Central Committee working conference in Guangzhou.