ABSTRACT
However, in handling the relationship between accumulation and consumption in rural communes, one must not unilaterally stress consumption and neglect the growth of accumulation. Some would say: "A bumper harvest rarely happens; thus the portion of increased production should be distributed completely." Others remark: "Because the conservation problem has basically been resolved and because there is no lack of means of production, it is not necessary to accumulate further." Still others would say: "It is all right to distribute the products completely among the members because, when there is no production fund, the state will give support anyway." All of these views seem to take account only of temporary and individual interests, and fail to cover long-range and collective interests. Thus, they all reflect the struggle between two opposite views on the problem of distribution. It is mostly the affluent middle peasants who hold this view, while most of the poor and lower-middle peasants advocate a suitable increment of accumulation. This is because the development of the collec224tive economy and their own intimate interests are identical. Under the guidance of the party, they have come to understand the relationship between temporary interests and long-range interests. Only when the collective economy becomes more developed will there be a dependable basis for the enhancement of individual livelihood. Consequently, it is necessary to rely firmly on the poor and lower-middle peasants, to enact a rational distribution program, and constantly to teach the masses to look backward and forward in order to use the bumper harvest to compensate for lean harvests as well as to leave a surplus.
