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them into one great army of labour with a labour discipline and a proper understanding of its duties.
At the present moment in Russia, in consequence of the economic disorganisation and shortage of raw material which has been intensified by the occupation of South Russia and Ukraine by the forces of German Imperialism, there is a considerable amount of unemployment. As a result we are faced with the following situation: we know that we can only win through by the aid of human labour power, from the fact that only labour can increase the productivity of our industry and agriculture; and of this human labour power we have plenty. But in spite of that there is no opportunity to apply this labour power. There is already a large amount of unemployment as a result of the shortage of fuel and raw materials. Where then shall we place these people whom the Workers' and Peasants' Government intends to compel to work? It is true that one of the most important questions is the organisation of public works and construction of such things of supreme social importance as railways, grain elevators, and the opening of new mines. But it is evident that this work could not at once absorb the large surplus of labour that exists.
Thus it will be necessary from the very first to limit ourselves to registering the working hands, noting their respective compulsory service only at the request of the Soviet Government, or working class bodies superintending the management of production. Let us illustrate this by an example. Supposing that for surveying new mines in Siberia engineering specialists are required. The metallurgic department of the Soviet of Public Economy puts forward a demand for such. The department for registering labour power examines its lists and finds the people who correspond to the kind required, and these are then obliged to go where the above-mentioned departments choose to send them.
Naturally, as the organisation of production becomes more ordered, and the demand for labour increases, so will compulsory service be carried into effect; that is to say, all persons capable of work will be compelled to do their share of work.
Compulsory labour service in itself is not a new idea. At the present moment, in practically all the warring countries, the Imperialist Governments have introduced labour service for their population (in the first instance, of course, for the
