Supply of Implements and Metals to the Countryside

Council of People's Commissars, Decree on the Supply of Implements and Metals to the Countryside. April 24, 1918

In order to regulate the supply of implements and metals to the countryside, and in pursuance of the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of November 30, 1917, declaring all domestically manufactured and imported machines and implements a monopoly of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic, the Council of People's Commissars resolves:

  1. Development and testing of agricultural machines and implements, and all research as regards their application in different soil and climatic conditions, shall be conducted by the Commissariat for Agriculture.

  2. Supervision over the manufacture of agricultural machines and implements and binder twine shall be transferred from the Commissariat for Food Supply to the Agricultural Engineering Section of the Metalworking Industry Department of the Supreme Economic Council.

  3. All plants and workshops manufacturing agricultural machines and implements and binder twine, the tractor teams and workshop trains belonging to the Commissariat for Food Supply the Commissariat for Agriculture and other departments, together with their credits, allocations and current accounts, are placed at the disposal of the Agricultural Engineering Section of the Metalworking Industry Department of the Supreme Economic Council.

  4. Organization of farm machinery production, elaboration of the plan of orders, and placement of orders within and outside the country is the exclusive jurisdiction of the Agricultural Engineering Section of the Supreme Economic Council.

  5. The People's Commissariat for Agriculture shall keep records of the demand for agricultural machines and implements, binder twine and metals.

  6. Plans for distribution of agricultural machines and implements, binder twine and metals required in agriculture are drawn up by the People's Commissariat for Agriculture and approved by the same, along with the People's Commissariat for Food Supply and the Chairman of the Supreme Economic Council.

  7. Agricultural machines and implements, binder twine and metals required in agriculture are distributed by and Commissariat for Food Supply and its agencies.

The guiding principle in distributing agricultural machines, etc. shall be, on the one hand and in the first place, to meet the interests of agricultural production, the interests of bringing all land under cultivation and raising the efficiency of agriculture, and, on the other hand, to supply agricultural machines, etc. first and foremost to the working and poorest part of the rural population, the common aim being to ensure the correct and adequate supply of bread to the entire population of the state.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, V. UL'IANOV (LENIN).
People's Commissars: A. TSIURUPA, G. CHICHERIN, I. GUKOVSKII.
Business Manager of the Council of People's Commissars, VL. BONCH-BRUEVICH.
Secretary of the Council, N. GORBUNOV.

Source: Decrees of the Soviet Government (Moscow: Institute of Marxism-Leninism, 1957), Vol. II, pp. 171-172.

1917

EVENTS February Revolution Formation of the Soviets April Crisis Revolution in the Army July Days Kornilov Affair Bolsheviks Seize Power First Bolshevik Decrees Constituent Assembly Treaty of Brest Litovsk
FOUR KINDS OF STATES Communist Party Building Economic Apparatus Building the Soviets Red Guard into Army State Security
DISINTEGRATION OF THE OLD SOCIETY Depopulation of the Cities Food Supply Conflict with the Church Death of the Old Culture Destruction of the Left The Empire Falls
CREATION OF A NEW SOCIETY New Letters and Dates Culture and Revolution The New Woman Workers Organization Peasant Revolution Organs of the Press Raising Socialist Youth