SYDNEY FAMILY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18661, 22 March 1935, Page 9

SYDNEY FAMILY

BACK FROM RUSSIA PRIVATIONS UNDER SOVIET "TiJRRIBLE CONDITIONS" SYDNEY, March 15.' Terrible conditions of hardship. and privation" existing in Russia were related by ; .'.:y who returned to Sydney yesterday by the Kitano Maru after living for nearly three years under Soviet rule. Early in 1932 the family, " comprising Mr. W. Perry, his wife, two sons, and a daughter, left Australia for Russia, where, the father believed, working.and living conditions were better than they were here. The mother and father were Russians by birth, having arrived in Australia some years previously. The children were born in Australia. "We are glad to be back in Australia, and we find that there is no other country in the world like it,'', said the daiighter yesterday. "My father, however, holds different views. He remained in Moscow to endure the conditions, because he believes that the Soviet Government is honestly striving to do something for the masses, ' said the daughter, Miss Louise Perry. ...:.».... When they first arrived in Russia,, she said, whole provinces of peasants were dying of starvation. Peasants held put their hands at railway stations for pieces of bread. There was less j starvation in the provinces to-day, but the people suffered badly from malnutrition. There were still a few individual farmers, ..but they were taxed heavily. The majority of the peasant population had been forced to surrender their properties to the O-overnment under the collective farming scheme. The farm workers received no wages. They were allowed 21b of black bread a day,-together with quantities of sour cabbage soup. WORKED AS A TYPIST .'.:..r

Miss Perry said she worked as. a typist in various Moscow offices., and, because of her knowledge of the English language, she received 600 roubles a month. iThe 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. Hie factories supplied dwelling-houses; in which each family was given a room. In these rooms as many as eight to 15 oeople 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 cafea. 1 The moral standard of the people was not high, and it wag just as easy to get a divorce as it was to get married., - ..< £ Mr. Walter Perry said he worked.aa'a draughtsman in one of the factories for 250 roubles a month. It was impossible for a worker to pay foi- cither 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 io leave" the country for the past 18 months, but .they/. Ijrfcre constantly rebuffed By the authorities, they said. The family was not allowed to leave the ship until some hours after it berthed yesterday because certain formalities in connection with .their, passports had to be attended-to.