Soviet Women.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 60, 12 March 1938, Page 5 (Supplement)

Soviet Women.

VIET Russian women, who answered the call of their Government eight years ago to enrol as workers both above and below the ground in the mines and ore refineries of State-owned industry, are now gradually turning away from mines and mills to resume their old statue of homemakers, according to John D. Littlepage, American gold mining engineer, who has recentlv completed 10 years as one of the directing engineers or the Soviet State Gold Trust. His work has involved tours of inspection of mines and refineries in Siberia, Kazakstan and the Soviet Far East. Mr. Littlepape recalls one Russian peasant Amazon who was a drill runner. The operator lias to handle a rock drill weighing about 001b with a piston striking about 1800 blows a minute. He watched her work for some time, and then remarked that perhaps this work was too difficult for a woman. But when she sav that lie was serious she burst out laughing, and invited him to examine her biceps. In the past two years, since the so-called Stakhanoff movement started industrial wages for skilled workers who are willing to speed up production have risen greatly. Such men now can support wives and children on their own earnings, so the v.ives of manv Stakhanovists have gone back to "keepin«