Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1283

 JUSTICE AND CRIME — FINANCE 1231

At the end of 1920 there exist- 1 in the Sonet RepuMic 57 higher pedagogical institution* with 10,505 students. 154 three-year pedagogical courses <35 proTinces) with 18,410 students, and 90 one-year 5 courses (27 provinces) with 5,400 students. Of these 34,000 students, over 25,000 are maintained by the State.

In 1914 there existed 1,600 places of technical education, elementary and advanced, with 170,000 students ; in 1919, 2,300, with 200,000 students ; on Feb. 1, 1921, 3,753 schools with 298,263 students. These include 326 higher schools and polytechnics and 34 'workers' faculties' (preliminary courses attached to higher technical institutions) with 17,000 .stndpnt~.

Up to October 1, 1920, statistics covering 124 counties {vimdr) out ot 598 showed that, out of a total of 5,769,956 illiterates, 325,083 had been taught to read and write in 22,017 special schools, set up under the decree for the liquidation of illiteracy at the beginning of 1920. It is estimated that about 2.700,000 in all were taught their letters in 1920.

In 1914 there existed about 1,70<> —■coniary schools, with approximately 400,000 pupils ; in 1920 there were (37 provinces) about 4,000 schools with 550.000 pupils This represents about 9 per cent, of the children of 'middle-school' age.

Justice and Crime.

All judge* are elected by direct vote. Local courts consist of one permanent judge (elected) and two assessors (elected) on rotation from a list prepared by the local Soviet. Appeals are made to the District and Government Congress #f Local Judge*.

Offences against the revolution, proQteencg, sabotage of Government officials are dealt with by tae ' All-Russian Extraordinary Commission.' During 191S this body sappresed 245 revolutions, 1*2 anti-revolutionary organisations, 19 brigand organisations, and 2 speculators' organisations.

All existing laws are deemed to be in force as long as they have not been repealed by d-crees of toe Council of People a Commissaries and are not in conflict with the revolu- tionary conscience and sense of right.

Finance.

State Fisaxce.

The principal industries and the sources of raw material being nationalised and concentrated under the various economic Commissariats and departments of the Supreme Economic Council, State financial budgets, althoug presented, have largely lost their meaning, the distribution of raw and manufactured products between different departments of the State being reduced to a matter of book-keeping. Since the last months of 1920, in addition, an attempt has been made on a large scale to abolish all payments for primary necessities — food, housing, lighting, clothing, theatres, ic. — by the employees of publicly-owned enterprises, i.e. the majority of the town population. The enormous depreciation of the rouble, due to the colossal emissions of paper money, has also tended to eliminate the financial factor from daily life, except in so far as it becomes necessary to supplement insufficient State rations by illicit ' speculative ' purchases.

Extracts from the State estimates for 1920 show the demands of the departments named : —

Supreme Economic Council and Committee for Public Works. 218 6 milliard roubles

People's Commissariat for Food • 175-1 „

War 122-8

, ,, Education 114-4 „

Health SOD

Labon and Social Welfare. T5*2 „