K. This is the 1st working draft of vol. VI. It still ... - From Marx to Mao

406 MAO TSE-TUNG
tain 2,000 men.
The above is a brief summary of the brigade’s agricultural production.
The following list shows how much work and time it would cost
a provisions unit for a hundred men to travel over 60 li to make its
purchases if it did not plant vegetables itself.
Monthly vegetable consumption (1 jin per man per day) 3,000 jin
Number of purchases (each time buying 100 jin) 30 times
Labour days per purchase (each time using 2 men) 4 days
Actual days per purchase (there and back 2 days) 2 days
Labour days per month 120 days
FROM MARX
TO MAO
Actual days per month 60 days
⋆
Labour days per year 1,440 days
Actual days per year 720 days
Using this table alone we can explode the lie that “agricultural
production is profitless and hinders training”.
(B) Industry
NOT FOR
COMMERCIAL
There follows a summary of our experience in establishing and
developing the Daguang Textile Mill and of other handicrafts.
(1) Motivation and intentions.
The troops need clothing and bedding every year. The raw materials
for bedding and clothing are the chief problems in supply
work. In the winter of 1939 after the troops returned to the defence
of the Border Region, DISTRIBUTION
we had difficulties in buying these raw materials
and also had no money. In response to the call by Chairman
Mao for self-reliance, self-sufficiency and overcoming difficulties
to build up the Border Region, we made a long-term plan to run a
textile mill.
(2) Trial beginnings.
We began to think of running a textile mill in September 1940.
At the time there was a man from Hebei in the short-term training
class set up by the supply department who could weave cloth. We
set up a small wooden loom, bought some foreign yarn and tried it
out. Within ten days all the yarn was woven and the cloth was quite