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

438 MAO TSE-TUNG
three grinding-mills, one cart-factory, one wine-factory and three
blanket-workshops, a total of twenty-one large and small handicraft
factories and workshops. These can ensure all supplies of coal, shoes
and flour, the manufacture and repair of all wooden and galvanizediron
implements, and some of the paper and edible-oil requirements
for the whole of the Central Administration Bureau system. Bedding
and clothing are supplied by the government. This is the outcome
of the activism in industrial production over the past two years
of the Central Administration Bureau (prior to September 1941 the
Central Committee’s Finance and Economy Office) and the Rear
Services.
The above experience shows that under present circumstances it
FROM MARX
TO MAO
is essential for the official organizations and schools to run handi-
⋆
crafts. The aim is not to earn money but to ensure supplies of necessities.
However, organizations and schools cannot set up any kind
of factory they want to. They should choose in a planned way which
ones to run, according to the nature of the industry and the situation
in the official organization or school. They should reduce the number
of errors created by blindly groping around. Existing factories
should be organized into systems according to area and official organization.
Cutbacks, mergers and transfers can reduce waste and
enable them to play an even greater role in providing supplies.
As mentioned above, NOT our comrades FOR lacked experience of running
commerce in the same way as they did of running industry. They
had previously only managed a few co-operatives. We wished to
turn to relying on COMMERCIAL
a profit from commerce in order to provide a large
proportion of supplies. What had to be done? Once again it was a
process of moving from blindness to consciousness in order to find
an answer to this question.
During 1941 DISTRIBUTION
and 1942 commerce started off with the aim of rapidly
overcoming difficulties. Therefore we had no choice but to use
the bulk of the capital of each official organization and school to
trade for a quick profit.
In the year from autumn 1940 to autumn 1941 we mainly operated
large stores. Some official organizations and schools enlarged
their existing low-capital, small-profit co-operatives, small shops
and stalls, increasing capital and staff, joining chambers of commerce
and running proper commercial undertakings. For example,
the Jiaotong Store of the military base was at first a small cigaretteshop
set up at the entrance to the base at Qilipu in Yanan. In August