MODERN RUSSIA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 141, 17 June 1935, Page 8

MODERN RUSSIA.

STRUGGLING FORWARD.

"CRAZY" FOR KNOWLEDGE.

That the people of Soviet Russia should be. left free to work out their aspirations for a free and noble life, was the plea fervently made to Auckland Rotarians to-day. The speaker was Mr. Max Riske, a Wellington schoolteacher, who had been sent to Russia as a delegate of the New Zealand branch of Friends of the Soviet Union, to report on conditions there. With a co-delegate, he had spent eight weeks in the country.

To begin with, declared Mr. Riske, there was no such thing as compelling visitors to go about with "blinkers on."' Subject to . few obvicus restrictions such as existed in practically every j country, he had absolute freedom 10 I make his investigations. Moreover, his visit was made in the dead of winter when Russian cities were in the grip .if snow and ice. On the warmest day Le spent in Moscow the temperature was 25 decrees, and while there he experienced 00 degrees of frost. There waa obviously no ' possibility of his oein« bluffed by a beautiful climate; with his co-delegate he saw Russia stark, cold and drab. There was no evidence thjit the Russians wished to conceal chjir difficulties, but they admitted wea.v----1 nesses and faced up to them with c'ynluendable frankness. - There was ai? attitude of criticism of their own conditions and enthusiastic zeal for reform. The Food Question. ■ Discussing the food question, Mr. Riske said there seemed to be ample food. Indeed, factory employees appeared to be exceptionally good trenchermen and the visitors found a typical meal much above their capacity. It was true that judged by New Zealand standards milk was short and meat was short. Still, by rationing supplies, there was enough to go round. Preference in milk as in all other things was given to the children. On the Streets the best dressed were children. People with big families had special consideration. The aim was, properly to prepare the coming generation for the new society which was the natioral objective. To-day food in Moscow was very plentiful. The shops were full of food and the working people had wads of money. He had never seen such free epenuing amongst working people. The clothing shops were well stocked and besieged with customers, and lie had been amazed at the evidence of plenty amongst the masses.. As to housing the new sections were satisfactory, but the old quarters were not. However, the population of Moscow had increased from one million to 3$ millions, and it was not surprising that housing accommodation had not kept pace with this phenomenal advance. Demand For Literature. Touching on educational methods, Mr. Riske stated that there was a phenomenal demand for all classes of literature. Shakespeare was the literary idol of the Russian people, and Russian editions of Kijiling were being retailed in better quality and cheaper than in English countries. The demand for books was insatiable, and publication of one popular novel had reached 2J- million copies. The country was "book mad." The theatres, too, were heavily patronised, and to get a seat one should boon a week ahead. On one night he tried to get a seat at any one of 2.3 theatres, and though he was willing to pay a high price there was none available. There were, he said, more.,picture houses in Russia than in the U.S.A. No one, he declared, in conclusion, ' expected that Russia could build Utopia in a day, but their leaders had already achieved wonders in their endeavours to lead th§ir people to a better and brighter existence. • If*?'