present regime would be, but he was confident
that Russia would pull through and ultimately
lead the world.
Two or three big and little workshops do not prove that industry in Russia is being carried on as it should be. All the same these workshops do demonstrate that even in the midst of war and civil war, the business of organising industry has been carried on and in some industries actually set going afresh. I am certain that given a great social upheaval in this country and a blockade of our ports by an enemy fleet, we should very soon find ourselves in a worse plight than our friends in Russia.
Later on while in Moscow I was able to get into touch with the textile industry through an interview with Comrade Nogin who is the President of the Central Organisation of Textile Factories. Nogin, like all the others who are organising the life of Russia, has spent much of his time in prison and abroad. He lived for a time near Manchester and acquired first hand knowledge of the textile industry. Much of the time spent with him was used by him interviewing me. He was very anxious to know all about wages, conditions and the supply of raw material, especially flax in Ireland and England. I told him all I knew which was not very much and he was very much interested in the gam-
