A joint letter to save food

1934On March 20, 1993, Red China, the organ of the Central Soviet Area, published a joint letter. At that time, a group of cadres who came to work in the Soviet area from the "White Area" put forward a call for a saving campaign on "Red China" and wrote to the editorial department to inform them of the specific response to the call. The letter says this:

We are from the White Zone. We have no land in the Soviet area, but we are willing:

First, save two or two meters a day, so that the front of the Red Army to eat, good victory;

Second, this year the public will not send us hot-weather clothes and will give these clothes to the new soldiers.

We ask other comrades from the White District, and comrades who have divided Tian in the Soviet Union, to join us in responding to the call for saving in Red China!

Because these comrades from the "white areas" have no land and other means of production in the Soviet area, their daily necessities are mainly supplied by units. There are 23 signatories in this letter, many of whom we are familiar with: Lu Dingyi, Deng Yingchao, Bogu, Mao Zetan, Cheng Fangwu, etc.

At that time, the cadres of the Central Soviet Area not only saved food spontaneously, but even in some cases, they brought their own food to work for meetings instead of food distributed by the public. The author found a short message published in "Red China" published on November 26, 1933: "When the elected representatives of Panxi District of Yangyin County gathered for a meeting a few days ago, they unanimously asked to bring their own meals, and donated the meals paid by the public to the Red Army." Then he briefly introduced the proposals of the newly elected Soviet representatives of Panxi District, which were basically related to agricultural production.

Agricultural production is crucial to the survival of the Central Soviet Area. On the one hand, the Red Army's "counter-encirclement and suppression" of the enemy on the front line must have a large reserve of grain and food. In "Struggle for the Collection of Grain" published on January 27, 1934, Chen Yun pointed out at the beginning that "ensuring and enriching the supply of grain is one of the most important conditions for the victory of the revolution". On the other hand, breaking through the enemy's economic blockade in exchange for industrial products in the "white area" also depends on agricultural products such as tea, bamboo and wood produced in the Soviet area.

In order to support the front line, the cadres and masses in the Soviet areas would rather eat less and less, and sell millet to the Soviets and the Red Army at a low price.

On July 22, 1934, the Central Soviet Area issued a decision to borrow 600,000 piculs of grain in this year's autumn harvest. Red China published the decision four days later. The decision first reviewed the previous borrowing of 240,000 piculs of grain. "The Red Army, which made our fierce expansion and heroic struggle, had sufficient supplies this summer." "For the Red Army's supplies, almost everyone saved and lent a lot of food", based on the current grim situation of the "anti-encirclement and suppression" campaign, it was decided to borrow 600,000 piculs of grain for the autumn harvest.

Millet is borrowed, and waste may occur in the process of transportation and storage. In this regard, the decision seriously put forward that "the autumn harvest committees at all levels and the Soviet presidium must strictly urge the grain departments at all levels to be responsible, gather and move every grain mobilized quickly, set up barns in appropriate places, and keep them well so as not to lose a grain of millet".

A grain of millet is also the crystallization of farmers' hard work, how can not cherish. Red China will also publicly report and criticize the waste of food and even the corruption involved.

"Red China" published on February 6, 1934 published the "floating food" of Zhou Zilin, Vice Minister of Education of Shicheng County. He was responsible for handling the training class for education cadres in Shicheng County. There were 54 teachers and students in the training class. Probably these 54 people did not require public food every day, but Zhou Zilin took advantage of this loophole and made a false report to the higher authorities about the month in which the training class was held, "On average, there are 54 meals per day," the higher authorities pointed out that this was incorrect and ordered Shicheng County's Minister of Education to check the accounts with Shicheng County's Workers' and Peasants' Inspection Department. The results showed that Zhou Zilin had embezzled more than 70 yuan of ocean. Zhou Zilin was ordered to pay compensation and be dismissed from office and handed over to the referee's department for disposal.

In wartime years, thrift was about survival. Now that the days are solid, frugality is still an indispensable heirloom and an indispensable spiritual quality for the achievement of great undertakings. Reading the relevant records in Red China, we should have some understanding and action.

Source: China Discipline Inspection and Supervision News