The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 12, 1925, Page 9

oo) eee re ,we passed the border in Latest News From the Workers’ Republic | Soviet Russia As Seen by a Worker | It was with the greatest interest that I and 300 other working men and women started on our journey to So- viet Russia. We made up the delega- tion sent to Russia by the Swedish newspapers, Folkets Daybiad Politiken official organ of the Swedish section of the Communist Internatfonal. We left Stockholm, July 16 for a ten days’ trip to that land in which the workers are the ruling class, In spite of a thousand and one ob- stacles and difficulties, mostly by the Esthonian authorities who tried by all means to prevent us from reaching Russia thru their god forsaken land, the early morning of July 18. : * Who can describe our feelings when we looked out from the car windows that morning with the mist and fog hanging over the tree tops and saw the red soldiers lining up each side of our train. Presently the International was played by the military band, the soldiers saluting, standing under at- tention, A reception committee bid us welcome in the name of free Russia. The train continued to Kingiseppe only .a few miles from the border. Kingiseppe a town of about 5,000 peo- ple was formerly called Jamburg and renamed in honor of the Esthonian Communist, Kingiseppe, murdered by the Esthonian authorities for his work in behalf of the exploited workers of that unhappy country. Thousands of workers had waited over 6 hours to receive us. The sta- tion was beautifully decorated with red flags and bunting and an immense sign greeted us welcoming eo in our own language. Tea and sandwiches were wie in the beautiful park and we were re- ceived with open arms and warm greetings by everybody. We were amazed! The people were all well clothed and seemed to be otherwise well taken care off. .Particularly were we impressed with the youth and children. Wide awake, eager, inter- ested, The social-democrats in the delega- tion shook their heads: “That’s a good show,” they said, “bet you this is the best they have for miles around here”! But time was short. We had to bid our new friends good bye and were off for Leningrad. The train was an ordinary passen- ger train. The cars modern, clean and comfortable. The road in first class condition and we were making Ameri- can express train speed. About noon we reached Leningrad. Leningrad! So long as workers value liberty shall your name be glorified! Your workers have contributed their full measure to the cause of freedom! We are at the Baltic station. Talk about crowds! Tens of thous- ands of singing and cheering people. Such singing no one of us ever heard before. The Russian workers sing the In- ternational as tho they mean every word of ft. Those who thot that our reception at Kingiseppe was arranged to fool us realized that this was no show, no acting, no artificial affair. Indeed, this was the real thing! Genuine, sincere and spontaneous! We were quartered at old historic Smolny. No building in the world has witnessed such happenings as Smoiny . Institute. Here came the young princesses and duchesses of an old order to learn “the tricks of the trade”—spend time and money and exploit and deceive the masses. Here come the priests and monks and the nuns. Here came the dukes and high officers to have a good tute was the headquarters of Petro- grad Soviet in “the ten days that shook the world” and after there come the delegates to conventions of all kinds. Here was now the first del- egation of workers to study and learn] pres gay gre eat aay world and tell the truth As soon as we had washed oft the (ust we were taken for dinner. Zeth Hoglund, ex-Communist, ex-editor of Politiken, ex-friend of Russia, ex-radi- cal, warned me before I left that the}’ food would be the poorest. A little black bread, a little black soup and perhaps a black egg. (No he did not say black egg) Sure enuf! There was the black bread, but there is also white bread and plenty of both. And here comes the soup—black? Yes, and after a while the eggs and a big chunk of meat, Fair enuf I thot! Many a day I have lived on less than this. I will manage on soup, egg and meat and bread till I reach the “garden” shores of U. S. A. again. I finished my meal and as I was elected sort of group leader I hustled away to do my duties. A while after I passed my table and found my com- rades still at at with some juicy sir- loin steak, French fried potatoes, to- matoes, cucumbers and combination salad in front of them. I found that after the soup fish was served then tin meat and on top of it all the most delicious ice cream I ever ate and of course, tea. I inquired for the cost of such a meal—35 kopeks (17 cents.) Compare this with what you American wage slaves pay for a meal like that under capitalist rule and management and you will realize why they are lying about Russia. In order to accomplish the best re- sults we divided our delegation in ten groups under a group leader. No pro- grams were arranged for us, no sug- gestions made. We were at perfect liberty to go wherever we wished x any and all time. Our first visit was the workers’ rest home near Leningrad. About twenty castles or villas of the old nobility were being used for that purpose. These castles were all very beautiful, both in structure and furnishing. cation with full pay and all expenses paid. 1 was asked if we had such {homes in America. I ansWered Yes, many of them! The quesitoner seem- er rather puzzled. but when I added, that isasmuch as in America the work- ers still permit themselves to. be fleeced, the. capitalists doing the fleecing used. the homes themselves to rest and recuperate. Our next visit was the Winter Pal- ace and the Hermitage. Here we found that the capitalist press talk about vandalism and destruction was pure lies. Everything here was in perfect order and condition. One im- mense hall after the other with walks covered with beautiful paintings of the world’s greatest masters. “Articles of gold and silver and other precious metals and stones that were stagger- ing, all of which the barbarous and blodthirsty Bolsheviki were nursing with warm and tender hands, Next day we were guests of the Lenin- grad Metal Workers but that will be told in another article. Gus Bjork. Soviet Matches in Greece. MOSCOW, (Tass.)— Leningrad re- ports that the Northwestern Regien- al Matches Syndicate has shipped, via Odessa, another large part of Rus- sian-made matches to Greece. This is one of the instalments sent to fill a big order which had been received from Athens. AFFAIRS BY RUSS AND UKRAINIANS SEPT, 19 AND OGT. 11 The Russian and Ukrainian branches of the Workers Party have arranged jointly a perform- ance and dance for Saturday, Oct. 11, at Emmett Memorial Hall, cor- ner Ogden and Taylor. All friendly organizations are re- quested to keep this date open and not to arrange other affairs. *- *- & The Workers’ House. will give a Russian performance Sat., Sept. 19, at 1902 W. Division St. Friendly organizations are requested to take notice. SOVIET UNION WILL SEND STUDENTS 10 AMERICAN COLLEGES MOSCOW—(B Tass)—Prof. Stev- en Doggan, of the Columbia Uni- versity, New York and director. of the International Education Insti- tute, is negotiating with the U. S. S. R. Association of Cultural Rela- tions with Foreign Countries for the exchange of students and professors between the U. S. S. R. and Amer- ica, It is being contemplated to send five or six Russian scientific work- ers for carrying on their scientific investigations at various universi- ties of the United States in the sec- ond term of the. coming college year, and two learned pedagogues to get an insight into the question of education of the U. S. A. Stu- dents’ excursions to America will also be organized next summer, Restoration of Water Transport Planned by Soviet MOSCOW, (Tass:)—The state plan- ning commission is reported to have approved the draft five years’ plan of restoration of the U. S. S. R. water transport by the People’s Commissar- iat of Communications. The scheme provides for a series of measures to be effected in the course of the years 1925-1930 and calling for allotments of 75 million rubles for the full re- storation of the waterways and 96.5 million rubles for the complete recon- struction of the river fleet. This scheme, however, provides only for the restoration of Russian water transport conditions up to the pre-war level, so that the state plan- ning commission has_ simultaneously decided to. draw up a plan, and have the draft ready before the first of next July, of new construction on the union waterways such as would raise water transport conditions in the U. S. S. R. above the pre-war situation. This new scheme is naturally to be linked with the union railway development program. Soviet Russia Kept Up Art Studies in Spite of Hardships PRINCETON, N. J., Sept. 11.—In a lecture delivered by Professor Alex- ander A, Vasiliev, before the Harvard- Princeton Fine Arts Club, on Byzan- tine Studies in Russia, Past and Pres- ent, the professor told the students that Russia has done much to advance the systematic study of Byzantine history after the revolution and has given to Russia the reputation of oc- cupying the first place in the history of Byzantine art. Professor Vasiliev said that his pu- pils worked hard and willingly in a cold reom, in spite of famine, and that, after one year, the members of his group could go to the Crimea and be able to intelligently study the archeological remains of the Middle of his: students: visited the Cri- one of whom has already meas- all the Genoise fortifications and made new copies of all Italian in- scriptions. ag MOSCOW, Sept. 11—A Russian scientific expedition, headed by Pro- fessor Liebedev, is to proceed to Northwest Mongolia to make a geo- logical survey of that country at the request of the Mongolian gov- ernment. The expedition intends to continue the systematic survey of the country which was started in 1923 by another Russian, M. Ratchkovsky. Be mh aS cm Una NNUAL” gk Oya SAE REE EER a OR BELGIAN LABOR EROUP REPORTS ON SOVIET VISIT Greatly lniereseed by Good Conditions (Special to The Daily Worker) MOSCOW, (Tass.)—The Pravda, or- gan of the Russian Communist Party, reproducing the reports carried by the Brussels papers whose representa- tives interviewed the Belgian labor delegates on their return from an ex- tended trip in the U. S. S. R,, lays stress on the generally excellent im- pression made on the delegates, who more especially noted the rapid im- provement materially and morally of labor conditions in the Soviet repub- lics, It is also worth noting, remarks the Moscow paper, that.the Belgian work- ers not only could visit different cen- ters and other places in the union, but were also given ample opportun- ity to see for themselves the actual conditions of labor and could talk, un- impeded, with Russian workers in the factories. French Interest In: Soviet Union Grows, Hold Conferences MOSCOW (Tass).—The Moscow papers note with satisfaction the gen- uine interest shown by various French cireles for a closer and more thoro study of the real facts concerning the Union of Soviet Republics. In par- ticular, they refer to the recent sit- ting of the, so-called France-Soviet parliamentary group, which was~beld in the chambéF of depmties~ ris to hear’a substdfitial report-oh Sdéyiet | jurisdiction delivered by Prof, Tchlen- off. After the nietnn: the presiding French M. P. called on Krassin, am- bassador of the U. S. S. R. in France, to attest the keen interest taken by the group im the matter under study. If you want to thoroughly un- derstand Communism—study it. Send for a-catalogue of all Com- munist literature. LAUNDRY CO- OPERATIVE NEEDS MEN TO BUILD INDUSTRY IN THE U. S. 5. R. NEW YORK, Sept. 10—A few days ago a meeting of the laundry cooperative “Progress” was held in the office of the central bureau, 799 Broadway, Room 402, where plans for the future work have been dis- cussed and accepted. The laundry cooperative has decided to send in the near future delegates to Russia for the purpose of selecting a pro- per place for such a cooperative. This cooperative has a great field of work In the Union of Soviet Re- publics, as this will be the first co- operative of this nature in Russia. The cooperative needs men ex- perienced in wet wash laundry. For all information regarding joining of this cooperative apply to the Cen- tral Bureau, 799 Broadway, Room 402, New York, N. Y., or to the secretary of “Progress,” M. Rohin- sky, 55 East Ave., West Haven, Conn. Every applicant, before applying for membership, must know that he is going to the Union of Soviet Re- publics in order to help to develop and upbuild the industry in the Union of Soviet Republics. He also must be ready to overcome all dif- ficulties that the cooperative may be- confronted with. Only clase- conscious and hard workers need apply for membership. y,