A Concession on the Great Northern Railway

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The question of granting a concession to build the Great Northern Railway was discussed at a meeting of the CPC on February 4, 1919. The Council adopted Lenin’s motion with certain amendments.

According to the project of the concession’s sponsors the new line was to link the Oh with Petrograd and Murmank via Kotlas. No contract for this railway was concluded.

Draft Decision for the CPC

1) The CPC finds the direction of the railway and its general plan acceptable;

2) considers a concession to representatives of foreign capital generally, as a matter of principle, permissible in the interests of developing the country’s productive forces;

3) considers the present concession to be desirable and its implementation a practical necessity;

4) to speed up a practical and final decision on this question, its sponsors to be asked to produce evidence of their declared contacts with solid capitalist firms capable of handling this job and shipping the materials;

5) an ad hoc commission to be directed to submit a final draft contract within a fortnight;

6) the Military Commissariat to be instructed within a fortnight to give its findings from the strategic and military point of view.