FACTORY WAGES IN MOSCOW.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12899, 9 February 1906, Page 7

FACTORY WAGES IN MOSCOW.

A correspondent- of a London poper, writing from Moscow in December; says— Yesterday, for the sake of comparison with St. Petersburg, I went over a large and very rich factory, which almost holds a monopoly in one of Russia's most important necessities. In the end of October there was very serious riot there, and the front of the mill is still a wreck. The strikers demanded a 50 per cent, rise in wages, an eight-hours day, a lodging allowance of 6s to 10s a- month, and pensions of half wages after fifteen years' work and-full wages after twenty-five years. They have just begun work again now on a. xise of 16 per cent., an eight-hours day -in three shifts, and a lodging allowance of 4s 6d a month. . .

Hitherto the single men and single women Jiave_ been lodged in barrack rooms inside the mill. But they demanded the right of receiving friends and relations from outside. The managers granted the re-, quest, and that evening the whole place; was crammed with enthusiastic visitors, and a big revolutionary meeting was held ia the yard. Unwisely, I think, the managers withdrew their concession, turned all. their hands outside to fend for themand gave them lodging allowance as compensatiou. In the matter of money it is no r&il compensation, but liberty is thrown in, and liberty counts high. In the last twenty years the rate of pay has gone up fourfold, while the cost of living- has only doubled. A good workman now gets from 24s to 30s a 3 week, appears to lie the maximum wage, and since the strike- a woman's wage has risen to 8s a week, with the same lodging a.lowoiice as the men, or' about 9s 2d -a week in all. The standard of food is perhaps a little higher than in St. Petersburg for, excspt durihg fasts, the- family expects some sort of meat or stew every i?" ' .^ u *-> as I said,, this- was a particularly rich mill, and prided itself on its a«itl bejiOToMca