BOLSHEVIK WATERSIDERS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 56, 30 November 1923, Page 10

BOLSHEVIK WATERSIDERS

TREATMENT BY RED AUTHORITIES.

An account of how the Bolshevik, authorities dealt with 3000 wateTsiders on strike at Vladivostk was brought back by Mr. C. J. Rumkin, of Feilding, who returned by the Marana after a six months’ visit to Russia. Two thousand were deported inland, and the remainder were forced to work for 6 cents, a pood, instead of 32 cents, a pood (almost jd. per pound, weight handled), their discontent with which was the cause of the strike. “Vladivostok has been under different governments for four or five years,” said Mr. Rumkin. “Under Merkolaeff’s Government all were Bolsheviks and communistic in the extreme, and as the result transportation charges were put up to an enormous extent, as much as 32 cents, a pood (very nearly }d. a pound). As the result no exports were going through Vladivostok, but all goods were being sent by the Chinese railway. Finding that they could not get a living the transport workers appealed to tho head Bolsheviks to do something. The first thing they were told was: ‘You must reduce the tremendous transport charges, there, will then be some chance of getting the,cargoes through here.’ They had to reduce their charges to 6 cents a pood, and on this account they went on strike. ‘Are you going to work to-morrow?’ they were asked. ‘No,’ they replied. ‘Well, we will reduce your number,’ they were told, and 3000 of them were surrounded and transported inland. The remainder went to work at the 6 cents.”