BACK FROM RUSSIA

Hokitika Guardian, 30 March 1935, Page 6

BACK FROM RUSSIA

SYDNEY FAMILY’S RETURN. HARDSHIP AND PRIVATION. SYDNEY, March 27. Terrible conditions of lniri ship and privations existing in Russia ' ercr related by a family who returned to Sydney. after living- lor nearly trice years .under Soviet rule. Early in 1932' tl.e family; comprising; Mid AY. Perry, his wife, two sons, and a,-daughter, left Ausralia- for Rmsia. where, the .father believed, . work.ligand' living conditions were bettor than, they were in Australia. The ln.Mier and father were Russians by birth, having arrived in Australia s-mie ~cais previously. Th e children were born in the Commonwealth. “\V. e were glad to be back in Australia, and we find that tlieie is no other country in the world like it. said, the daughter. "My father, however, holds different views. He iemained in Moscow to endure tne conditions, because he believes that 1,, e Soviet Government is honestly striving to do something for the masses.” When they first arrived in Russia. Miss Perry said, whole provinces of peasants were dying from starvation Peasants held out their hands at railway stations for pieces of bread. There was less starvation in the provinces to-day, hut th e people suffered badly from malnutrition. There were still ix few individual farmers, but they were taxed heavily. The majority of the peasant population had been forced to surrender ijieir properties to the Government under the collective farming scheme. The farm workers received no wages. They were allotted 2lb of black bread a day s together with quantities of sour cabbage soup.

Miss Perry said fjiic worked as a typist in various -Moscow offices, and, because of her ’knowledge of the English language, she received 600 roubles a month. The average factory girl was paid only about 100 roubles a month. All her salary was spent on food and clothing. It was impossible to obtain butter or milk except at exorbitant prices. The ffacto sties supplied dwellinghouses, in which each family was given a room. In these rooms as many as eight to 15 people lived together. No furniture was provided, and everyone slept on the floor. The .Government'' did not encourage the cooking of meals in the rooms. The idea- was to'break up family life- by making the people eat all their meals in " cafes. The moral standard of the people was not high, and it was just as easy to gef a divorce as it was to get married. Mr AValter Perry said he worked as a draughtsman in one of the factories for 250 roubles a month. It was impossible for a worker to pay for either meat, milk, or sugar, and he was compelled to live on a staple diet of black bread.

When the family arrived in Russia their Australian passports were taken from them and not returned. They had been making efforts to leave the country for tlio past 18 months, hut they weng constantly rebuffed by the authorities, they said. The family was not allowed to leave the ship until some hours after i t berthed, at Sydney because certain formalities in connection with their passports had to h e attended to.