280. TO G. M. KRZHIZHANOVSKY (original) (raw)
V. I. Lenin
280
To: G. M. KRZHIZHANOVSKY
Published: First published in 1924 in the book: G. M. Krzhizhanovsky, Tovaroobmen i planovaya rabota, Moscow. Printed from the original.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers,[1976], Moscow,Volume 35, pages 497-498.
Translated: Andrew Rothstein
Transcription\Markup: R. Cymbala
Public Domain: Lenin Internet Archive. You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet Archive” as your source. • README
May 26, 1921
Comrade Krzhizhanovsky,
I think it is necessary for the State Planning Commission to work out two things:
(1) through the statistical subcommission, to draw up a kind of index-number.
A monthly summary of the chief data of our economic life (figures and a curve). Approximately:
Output of fuel
” ore
” iron.
The main data about other branches of industry:
% of workers engaged in production;
% of under-fulfilment of sowing plan;
state of agricultural production;
% of locomotives out of action;
absolute number of pood-versts;
timber, wood fuel, etc.;
supplies of foodstuffs, etc.;
electrification likewise
(in each case a comparison with the previous year and with pre-war).
Without this we shall not have a survey of economic life.
This is one of the fundamentals for the work of the State Planning Commission.
(2) A subcommission of economic statistics.
The Central Statistical Hoard should ho made into an organisation that does analysis for us, current, not “ scientific” analysis. For example:
How many superfluous people fed?
How many superfluous factories?
How should raw materials be redistributed? And labour-power?
The economic work of the army?
Statisticians must be our practical assistants, not engage in scholastics.
Think over this, and drop me a line about the results.
Yours,
Lenin