KUZBAS

Southland Times, Issue 18927, 28 April 1923, Page 9

KUZBAS

INDUSTRIAL COLONIES. AMERICA’S AID TO RUSSIA. It is not generally known in Australia that been formed in the United States of America to assist Soviet Russia to regain some of its lost prestige in the production of minerals, oil, steel, and iron by sending groups of skilled workers to Russia. These organisations are known as “Kuzbas,” and the principle centres are in New York and Chicago. The avowed aim of “Kuzbas” is “to devote itself to the specific purpose of rendering technical aid to Soviet Russia through the development along modern technical lines of the Kuznetz Basin and the Nadejdenski steel plant and auxiliary industries.” On arrival at the centre of their activities in » Russia, the “Kuzbas” workers form them- | selves into industrial colonics, managed on i a communal basis. Most of the colonists I are Russians who emigrated to America. ‘From an official source, some interesting details of the work performed by these industrial colonies have reached Sydney. i Early in August last year year a group I of American workers started work in the I State mines in the Yusovka region in the • Ukraine, near the Donetz. They found a i lack of technical equipment, and were also 1 hampered by the unaccustomed surround- . ings and conditions, but their average productivity was nearly double that of the local workers. They found the latter eager to learn from them. Another group of highly-skilled American artisans from “Kuzbas” went to the South-East Urals to work the Nadejdenski steel-works. After drawing up an inventory of the i plant, and making a careful study of its | processes and possibilities, the Americans carried out repairs to machinery, boilers, and motors. Of the six furnaces formerly in operation, two have been set going, as well as two Marten ovens and the rolling mills. Several large orders had been received for rails and other iron and steel goods. It was calculated at the end of the year that in 1922 the factory turned out 40,000 tons of pigiron, representing a third of the production of the Urals. Work was also performed in the repair and construction of suitable accommodation, installation of proper systems of drainage, water supply, and electricity. Another unit of “Kuzbas” went to Kemerovo, in the Tomsk country, Siberia—an isolated town of about 5000 inhabitants, nearly 160 miles from the nearest important centre, and only remarkable for its rich mineral deposits. Here, as elsewhere, the first difficulty was the housing question, and besides carrying out repairs to a number of existing dwellings, the workers constructed, repaired, and equipped with American machinery, wood-sawing factories and a carpenter’s shop, as well as completing an electric station that had been abandoned some years previously. AT KEMEROVO. American miners, accompanied by Rusworkers, were sent to work the pits. It was intended to introduce Russian Workers gradually, teaching them new methods -of mining which had never been applied* in Russia before, until the proportion of Russians was 80 per cent, of the total number of miners employed. At Kemerovo there was also a half finished chemical factory, which was capable of considerable output. The Americans concentrated on completing and equipping it, and it was estimated that if even a third of its plant was set into operation it would yield a net profit of £60,000 per annum. Connected with the world by a radio station, periodical bulletins of news in Russian and English were issued to the “Kuzbas” colonists. Schools were established and a fairly extensive Russian and 'English library Was imported from America. It was reported that the Kuzbas organisation was granted concessions at Kemerovo. Hardships were experienced by the workers when they arrived at this Siberian outpost. They found the water supply on both sides of the river poisonous, and this was partially responsible for a sickness which broke out, and amounted at times to an enormous epidemic. The discovery of two springs of good water relieved anxiety from this There was also an urgent need for sanitation, and the primitive methods of disposing of sewerage used by the Russians were cited as the chief reason why the hospital was the largest building in the town! One of the colonists, writing to America, said that every kind of vermin invaded houses in abundance, but a vigorous fight was made by the colonists, with the result that Kererovo at the end of the year was “comparatively clean.” This writer naively added: “When a sanitation and sewerage system is established, and a pure water supply secured, Kemerovo will be one of the healthiest spots in the world, and there is no reason why it should not be known as the ‘spotless’ town.” Another colonist, Leo. Oscar Wickstrom, described the farming branch of the colony. ‘“Some of our comrades,” he wrote, "have just returned from the farm for the winter. They have been very successful, ploughing over a thousand acres. A good part of this is sown in winter rye, which one of the comrades says shows the best germination he has ever seen. We will have no difficulty about our future bread supply.” This writer is responsible for the statement that the American workers in the coalmines at Kemerovo increased production from eight to . ten times above the general Russian production. Wickstrom also gave some information about the matter in which the “Kuzbas” colony at Kemerovo organised its affairs. “We are on an industrial union basis,” he wrote. “Each worker belongs to the union where he works. Each union elects delegates to the Central Board, which is the controlling body. Its work is to see that all laws referring to labour are properly enforced; to protect workers from misunderstandings, which happen quite often; to suggest improvements in conditions and production; and to collaborate with the managing board in the organisation of new tasks and the completion of those in hand. The members of the board report back to their union, and can be removed from the board at the will of the members if they fail in any way in their duty. There are seven members of the board.” Wickstrom added a note of warning (hat rumours of dissatisfaction which would be heard should not be heeded. He explained that some of the colonists had left because they failed to secure the positions they wanted, after which they declined to work at all. The colonists declined to give positions to men who were incompetent. The unions elected the bosses and foremen, and only then on the basis of their fitness for the work. Wickstrom was optimistic of the future of Siberia, for he concluded his letter with this eulogium; “This country can grow much better and wealthier than the United States has ever been. I have worked in 26 States, and have never seen such soil as this black earth lying on its subsoil of stiff clay. The climate is very good, for we grow tomatoes, melons, and everything else. As for minerals, there never was another place like this. In fact, if I mentioned everv attractive feature there is about

the place I would have to keep on writing for a long time.” From the same source as the information about “Kazbas” was obtained, some vital facts were secured concerning the latest productivity of Russia. While the production of coal was steadily increasing, the output in 1922 was little more than one-third of that of pre-war years. Oil production was slightly less than one-half of the quantity produced in 1913. The production of open hearth steel, while it had doubled since 1920, was still only 7 per cent, of that manufactured in the year before the war. Rolled steel bands stood at 7 per cent., and pigiron was down to 4 per cent. It was anticipated that the early completion of the chemical plant at Kamerovo and the shipment of coke down the Ob River to the Urals would dispense u '"th a vast amount of labour used in the L-'.rning of chp’coal, used by the Russians in the open-berths, and the present lack of which was une of the impediments to the early increase of pigiron and open-hearth steel in the Urals. The opinion was expressed that, on the basis of Russian proletariat power, to the heavy metallurgical industries would take a long time and much hard work to re-establish on the productivity of the year before the war.