THE TESTIMONY OF MONSIEUR HERRIOT 239
to the illustrious guests. Mounted on one of these machines
M. Herriot took a drive through the fields, an experience
which he described as delightful and most original. Before
leaving he was given flowers by the collective farm children.
The truth about the economic value of the "Verblyud" and the
other agricultural giants appears from figures for which we are
indebted to foreign experts. They plainly reveal the breakdown
of the vast State farms, whose failure is also indicated by the
contrast between them and the Drusag. This German conces-
sion, run on non-Communist lines, was admitted by all the
local experts to be an oasis of plenty in the Russian famine
zone which, of course, included also the Don region and the
Northern Caucasus.
In the evening the usual banquet took place at Rostov. Next
day the "Selmash," a Soviet factory for agricultural machinery,
was visited; M. Herriot describes it as "running like clockwork."
Notice was also taken of the admirable work done by the State
for the workers. The actual deplorable position—e.g. as regards
the supply of such necessities as tea or tobacco available to the
industrial population—has already been made dear.
This concluded M. Herriot's journey in the South. It had
lasted just five days, each of which was filled from morning
till night by the official programme of welcomes, visits, gala
banquets and "exhaustive conversation" with the hosts. It was
as if a film were shown to M. Herriot and his companions,
beginning at Odessa and going on to Kiev, Kharkov, the
Dnieprostroi and Rostov and its surroundings. In one of the
articles published on his return M. Herriot protests against
comparisons between his expedition and Catherine IFs journey
in Potemkin's company.1 "I may fairly claim/* he said, "that
my journey was very different; I have a regard for truth and
say what I think, whether I am talking of Roosevelt's grandiose
plans or of the Russian experiments. I have studied a wide field
with the unbiassed eye of a trained administrator." Nevertheless
1 See Pester Lloyd; October i, 1933.