New Zealand - Situation Currently Afflicting the Civilians of the Countryside

Dearest Tsar,

In answer to your request for a conclusive report on the dire situation currently afflicting the civilians of the countryside, I do prepare this letter to the best of my abilities and do hope that it pleases you and meets your most respectable expectations.

As is known to your honorable person, I have been residing in my country estate for the purpose of evaluating the situation in the countryside. I have found that I am never with lack of workers due to great number of peasants (estimated at 4 of 5 of the country’s population). However, it does seem that food production is unable to keep up with the production of the next generation. I have heard tell of poverty and general discontent among the peasants in the neighboring village. The winds carry word of the inefficiency of current farming methods that remain unchanged due to the lack of support by the mir.

The peasants are enraged by the mir, as they do not give permission to improve farming techniques, resulting in low harvests and thus low income. Riots are few, but there is no doubt that the number of them is steadily increasing. The peasants are blaming the nobles, arguing that the latter has taken more land than they deserve.

This makes the solution quite clear to me, although how worthy my suggestions are is up to your honorable person to decide. A small percentage of land owned by the nobles must be transferred to the peasants to increase food production. The authority of the mirs over the peasants must be revoked to allow peasants to farm independently. In order to ensure the success of their independent farming ventures, they will most certainly use only the best farming techniques to increase their productivity. The increased efficiency will result in more harvest and thus more income. We will then be able to tax them more, in proportion with their increased wages.

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