Page 48 - SELECTED WORKS OF LIU SHAOQI Volume Ⅱ

46 LIU SHAOQI

throughout the stage of new democracy we shall preserve the rich
peasant economy. It will become unnecessary only when fanning is
mechanized on a large scale, collective farms are organized and socialist
transformation is carried out in the rural areas. This will become
possible only in the rather distant future.
This is why we advocate preservation of the rich peasant economy
at present.
Of course, in areas where agrarian reform has been completed,
rich peasants shall not be permitted to take advantage of this to regain
land from the peasants; such cases should be strictly prohibited.

IV. SOME PROBLEMS CONCERNING LAND
DISTRIBUTION

As for how to distribute land, it must first be made clear that this
is a question of readjustment by subtraction and supplementation
based on the holdings and of taking into account the interests of the
present tillers of the land.
Land distribution on this basis can help avoid excessive and un-
necessary changes and benefit production. When rented land is taken
away from a tiller for distribution to others, proper consideration must
be given to him. The land distributed to the tiller, plus his own land,
if any, should be slightly and appropriately greater than the land pos-
sessed, after land distribution, by the peasants who had little or no
land to begin with, thus in principle enabling the tiller to have land
that equals the average acreage owned by each peasant in the locality.
Since too much land taken from that rented by tillers would cause
them loss, giving them this consideration will mean they suffer little
or no loss. This is necessary. After agrarian reform if a portion of
land remains to be rented out, it can be rented to tillers who have had
too much of their land taken away, as an adjustment and compensa-
tion. The best portion of the land of the tillers should not be taken
at all or only a little should be taken. Experience shows that the
tillers will feel satisfied after such proper consideration is given to
them. They will be happy because the land they rented from others
now becomes their own, they have no more need to pay rent or curry
favour with the landlords, their social status is raised, they receive
more land than others and they are better off.