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MODERN RUSSIANS
STORY OF THEIR LIVES
MISERABLE AND UNHEALTHY
A handful of honest theorist-:, a few
fanatics, and a greater number of oppor
tunists — Slav, Asiatic, or Jew — make up
the organisation that to-day rule the
United Soviet Socialist Republics, with a
population of 145,000,000, writes Captain
H. C. Smart (who recently spent some
weeks in Russia and Siberia) ill tho
'Daily Mail.'
And those few autocrats rale with an
iron hand. Recently I witnessed an elec
tion. There is only one way to vote in
this land of the Proletariate^ — vote Com
munist or stay away from the poll.
''Never mind about the other 100,000,
000 odd of our countrymen who do not
want Communism; we know what is good
for them,' quite frankly, say these fan
atics.
Streamers across the streets of Moscow
call upon the citizens — 'citizen' is the
word now, not 'comrade' — to 'vote
Communist and complete the great work.'
Most of the offices closed for a half-day
to give these 'free' people an opportun
ity to vote. And away they marched in
batches to record their votes. Of enthu
siasm or excitement there is none.
The R-ed leaders promise the workers
Utopia. But the Utopia of the SlavAsi
atie-Jew Communist is very far short oi
what the Anglo-Saxon working man has m
mind. Good wages, decent and clean
conditions of living, and healthy sport are
things of which the Russian Communist
only has a vague idea.
Moscow, after nearly nine years of Corn
munista, is neither prosperous nor happy.
It is improving and will continue to im
prove, but this will be in spfto of Bolsliov- '
ism.
This improvement is only comparative.
All business activities are run by the So
viet Government or under some form of
control. The other day I saw
queues numbering from 200 to 300 await
ing admission to Government cotton and
cloth goods shops. In these shops goods
-cost -from 70 per cent, to 80 per cent, high
er than in England. In the. largest Mos
,cow. departmental store — seized irom an
? English turn 'by the Communists— the tired
.-eitizenesses were not refreshing themsel
ves with dainty tea or luneh; they were
standing 'up eating dry bread.
?' ' The- people bno 'meets- in tho streets, in
the shops, in the' theatres, everywhere, are
;'iaiserable, care-worn, unhealthy, and shab
'bily. dressed. How could it be other
wise? -This great country, ruled by 'the
so-called Proletariate, pays its workers to
day in Moscow from £7 to £10 per moniii,
not per week. The cost of living in Mos
cow is 75 per cent, higher than in- Eng
land. I have priced their goods. Brit
ish workers, particularly housewives, will
know what this means.' I have visited
factories where the workers receive £7 to
£S per month for a 46-houra week, which
is the usual time fov manual workers.
Housing is difficult all the world over.
In every village that I have seen the dwel
lings are hovels. Not fewer than 75,000,
000 peasants live in hovels. In Moscow
the average number of people living in
o mice. .!. nave seen as many
as live. The discomfort, misery, and im
morality caused by such conditions eaa
be imagined.
I visited ono of the courts of ,iusfcic«-,
where the majority of tho eases' were
gabbles arising from this overcrowding
Ihfi Communists show with great prida
schemes for the erection of new dwellings,
i have seen no evidence of them, though
I did see a very fine central Post OfTico
in course of erection.
The position is made worse by the in
flux of peasants to Moscow to participate
.in all the good things which Communism
-promises them.
.,;/.^th°ut, exception public buildings and
dwellings aivfin a bad state of repair.
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