The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 11, 1925, Page 9

— Russian El By A. A. PURCELL. ee see the Russian republic in its working clothes, one might almost Say at its best, take a trip_to a few of its several huge stations, now in the course of completion, for the purpose of generating electrical energy. They are all, as it were, set out according to a well thought out plan in keeping with their national economy, and it would seem as consistent as practic- able with the process of utilization of the natural resources of the country. HE great theme of electrification is not merely propounded in the technical circles, it is, so to speak, part of the curriculum of the elemen- tary education of the child and youth in the many workers’ clubs thruout the vast territory of Russia. In certain workers’ clubs there is a very fine working model of an entire village built with timber hewn and transported by electrical energy, and finally heated, lighted and cleaned by the same force. N 1920 the writer visited Chaturt, some 60 miles out of Moscow, where a fair size station was being erected, and owing to the blockade the beilers from a torpedo boat de- stroyer were being installed in the powerhouse, and all around the earth’s crust was being peeled and delved into to secure peat, which was to form the basis of power and energy for light- - ing, traction and heat en route to and in Moscow proper. Visited again in 1924 the place had grown enormously. There were thou- sands more workers on the job and building workers were to be seen everywhere. The 1920 station was gradually shrinking into oblivion, just working whilst a huge station nearing completion was being equipped with power-house requisites from Czecho- Slovakia, with men from that country on the job, the transformers «and switch gear being installed and super- intended. by Metro» Vickers, with a technical engineer from Trafford Park, Manchester, in charge of this part of the job. It was quite a tonic to go with the latter to see his wife and two children residing in a fine house placed at his disposal by the management. cron old power-house was designed to give off 5,000 kilowatts, the new one is to give 48,000 k.w., and is ex- pected to reach this figure by 1927. The other stations visited in 1924 were the Mogess near Moscow, the Zemo Chavalis near Tiflis in Georgia, where water power is: *o be exploited, Sterofka in the Donetz Basin, where inferfor anthracite is the chief fuel, the Central Moscow station, which is Tun on oil fuel, and the Volkhof sta- tion, with water power from the River Volk. It is this latter which affords the best idea of the great capacity to en- gage in huge tasks so frequently dem- onstrated by the administration anc workers of Russia. : OLKHOFSTROY, as it is popularly termed, is an undertaking com- plete with every detail of a gigantic undertaking. It is in the Leningrad district, about 80 miles distant from the efity. The scheme is to harness the tides of the river Volk, and fs de- signed so as to secure a maximum of 200,000 kw. The river is bridged, crossed and narrowed at its vital parts. A huge coffer dam has been constructed, and there are the usual necessary diversions. This will be the largest station in all Russia, Viewed from the rising ground it gives the impression of a tremendous structure of galleries and terraces, with leading tracks and bridges chas- ing each other up, down and around, and vanishing at the distance into a serfes of dead ends, Already it has swallowed up four square feet million of timber and fs bedded with thou- sands of tons of concrete cement, stone and brick work, 5" haa finished it will have as a partner and helpmate the back- ing of the Utinka station, which is one with peat burning fuel, and will only work at full pressure when at the Volkhof station, owing to seasonal a ne ectricity Works Construction Militant Leader of British Labor A. A. PURCELL is the one of the fraternal delegates to the coming convention of the American Federation of Labor from the British Trade Union Congress. He is the chairman of the International Federation of Trade Unions (Amsterdam) and National Organizer of the Furnishing Trades and Vice Chairman of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress, Chairman of the English-Russian Trade Union Unity Committee. HE was chairman of the delegation of Trades Union Con- gress General Council which recently visited Russia .and the whole official report on conditions there has created havoc in the ranks of the reactionaries. This article is taken from “The Operative Builder”, official organ of the British building trades unions. changes, the river Volk is not giving ¢ trative offices, and finally the trade its full measure of energy. The main scheme is expected to be completed during 1925, and the total 2stimated cost is about eight millions sterling. At the moment there are not less than eleven thousand building work- ars employed on the job, all members of the All-Russian Building Workers’ Uniom, and they have a journal of their own with some 11,000 copies pur- chased monthly. me As a contrast, if is stated that when this undertaking is completed the to- tal staff on the works will not exceed 75 workers. works of themselves are mighty enough, but a temporary, self-con- tained town has been erected around and about it. : There are hospitals, anion office, with its finance commit- tee and secretarial departments, all well and efficiently organized. Medical organization is properly es- tablished and equipped, special efforts being made to protect the health of the workers’ children, and in this connection regular reports are made as to the health progress of each child, which comes under the care and observation of the children’s hospital amd baby care center, while skilled nurses and doctors are part of the make up of this huge organization. the wage is equal for men and women workers, there are no charges whatever for medical care and attention, whether expert or ordinary. They are free from rent, water, lighting and transport charges, Food and fuel they pay for. They kinemas, a theater, gymnasi- | 4 paid for all holidays, inclusive of um, athletic and recreation grounds, baths, baby care centers and creches, and a very fine workers’ club, with are also huge canteens, co- operative stores, quarters for sin- gle men and houses for married men and their families, the usual adminis- 3 THE THEORY AND By |. STALIN, Secretary of the Russian Communist Party. PRACTICE OF LENINISM \, Y THE aw a full fortnight per year, free tickets for excursions and entertainments, but two per cent of their wages has to be paid to the trade union as a regular contribution. The average wage appears to be about 60 roubles per month, that is to say about 31s. per week of 48 hours, To this must be added all the free services, insurance and holiday pay- ments mentioned above, together with the free clothing supplitd in many in- stances where there is undue risk at- taching to their work. HEN there is that great feature of present-day Russia whereby nv merous country houses have been con verted into adequately equipped rest houses for the worker. These insti tutions, tho neither of the hospital nor sanatoria type, with a competent med- ical staff on the spot are available for the run-down or fatigued worker up- on application to his trade union, who send him to one of these many estab- lishments entirely free of all charge, If the electrification schemé 6f Rus- sia is a great plan. to exploit natural resources, it, in common with the gen- eral run of economic undertakings, has to make the necessary minimum work regardless of their oecupation or calling. This it is that holds so many of their people together and secures in return unstinted service Ww the great cause for which the toll has been il- iimitable sacrifice. OY pao the czarist regime in Rus- sia little or nothing was done to develop the resources pertaining to electricity, altho British, German, French, Belgian and American capital- ists were competing for the right to exploit in various directions. But it was not until the great Lenin scheme of 1920, with its concrete and detailed plans, which were placed be- fore the Eighth All-Russian Congresa of Soviets and the technical details approved by the congress of 1,500 electricians, designers, experts and working engineers “which met‘ shdrtty i after that the whole. business, WAS..co- 5 ordinated- and work commenced. T first work progressed quite slowly, on the ground that for eign capital and credits were not available, but nevertheless amazing Progress has been made when it fs understood that the stations now near ing completion must be reaching in the direction of a million or more kilo- watts. If this proves anything at all it would seem to very definitely indicate that difficult as the proposition is the capitalist regime need not necessarily be even a minute part of the workers’ state of the future in places additional to Russia, So long as the admirable spirit and esprit de corps observable on under. takings such as these prevail, Russia will surely and certainly, if ever so slowly, emerge as the greatest healthy The Walden Book Shop 307 Plymouth Court « (Between State and Dearborn Just South of Jackson) CHICAGO =a TO LIGHT THE WAY TO COMMUNIST UNDERSTANDING— 35 CENTS — DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO. 1113 W., Washington Bivd., Chicago, lil. provision for the well-being of all who and really wealthy industrial democ- racy the world can know in our day and generation. oe i pee