Socialistic City in Russia Finds Utopia Far Off

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7063, 24 January 1933, Page 10

Socialistic City in Russia Finds Utopia Far Off

ENORMOUS LABOUR TURN-OVER IN STALINGRAD INDICATES CHEERLESS CONDITIONS.

MOSCOW, Dec. 20. The many acute inconveniences of living in a new “socialist city” are vividly depicted in a recent article by the Stalingrad correspondent of For Industrialisation, one of the leading Soviet economic newspapers. The article possesses a special significance, first, because the conditions which it describes are very widespread, if' one may judge from reports and personal impressions of other now industrial centres; second, because tho difficulties of daily living aro a main cause of tho amazing and enormous labour turn-over in the Soviet industries to-day. Tho Stalingrad tractor factory was ono of tho main enterprises of the FiveYear Plan and has now been in operation more than two years. Around it has grown up a new town, about 10 miles away from Stalingrad itself, with a population of some 60,000. The turnover to tho factory has been very great, 34,050 workers being engaged while 26,570 departed since it began to operate. Factory Output Affected.

This turnover has a very disastrous effect on the skill of the workers and the correspondent of For Industrialisation undertook an examination of the causes which led to this perpetual shifting. He found that unsatisfactory food and housing conditions bulked largo ' i the situation. The calorie content A the factory dinners diminshed by 59 per cent, during the summer months, and no fresh fish was served during this period, although tho factory is located on tho Volga, tho largest river in Russia. The housing allowance is 4* square metres per person and the climatic disadvantages of Stalingrad with its intensely hot summer, are enhanced by a lack of filtered water.

Some excellent buildings have been erected as children’s nurseries, but the attendants are so untrained that mothers hesitate to entrust their children xo tho care of these institutions. The correspondent points out a number of everyday annoyances and defects in tho accommodations of tho Stalingrad workers. There is no laundry for the new town, and there is only one public bath, with a very limited capacity. One must stand in long queues to gain admission to the local moving picturo theatre; the factory club is a scene of hooliganism and the circus offers mostly trash. Wages Unfairly Adjusted. Another element making for discontent is an irregular and illogical wage policy, which often results in giving a less skilled worker more than a more highly trained one. Unsatisfactory living conditions make for low labour discipline, and the percentage of non-appearanco at work increased from 5.17 in July to 6.34 in August and 8.4 in September. A further unfavourable feature in Stalingrad is the endless mud and filth, which the correspondent describes in the following terms:

“Tho filth in tho town, flooding all the few little streets on rainy days, gives the group of houses and barracks the appearance of the dirtiest small county-seat, uot of a socialist city. Hordes of insects make rest in> possible. ”