New-York tribune., 1907-01-27
RUSSIA'S Low WAGES.
Deploable State of Her WOrhing
People Described.
by Leroy scott.


! the early November sun. out into the factory dis
! trict which belts Moscow with pasade of chin
! neys. and deposited my shaken body at the gates
OF the ProkeroR cotton mill. l had been embar
rassad before by the Russian hospitality. which Is
! Kin to no other hospitality in the world, com
! pletely does Il give itself to YOU but l
! barrassed anew by the cordiality with which the
! manager OF the Prokerofr mill received me.
| known TO him and unintroduced when 1 had
/ palheu my interest asked for few minutes;
! he gave me six unbroken hours and their end
! begged me- not to go Such is the Russian way.
! The system of housing workingmen and working
! women In barracks prevails throughout Russia.
and constitutes one OF the chief characteristics
and chief evils OF Russian industriallsm. The sys-
| tenn owes its existence mainly TO the fact that
/ separate dwellings for factory workers houses
! containing Individual apartments hardly exist.
anu they do not exist for the very good
| that If they did the low wages OF the workers
would not permit the paymen; of adequate
! rental 5" the factory that wants workmen must
provide them home-for which. of course the
"orkmen pay Out of t.eir wages.
Tile barracks. which grouped about clay
yard. differed not from the factory buildings. save
that the stories We're lower and the windows much
smaller: but il Is alone in Russia that the
| machines are housed better thIn the men. 1 fol-
lowed my host into one of the buildings and found
diisS IS It m !3SFse nall perhaps ~ by 20 feet.
IiI anH damned usht with cots marked off by little
! biIoU-, LtaJIss,. oaS nL straw Tor mattress.
Drown o.ahktt, sometimes a sheet, sometimes not.
hone" Here and t6ere was = cIr,,o =" a,iI NI"I S,
| had not cast off his religion. most wOrkmen do
steamed a cheap ikon. but for the the walls
maintained ninginess uniform with the great
huLiee hd Or Drown blankets on several OF the cots.
naun'fo % benealh Their blankets and fully dressed,
i sale ior coat and shoes. lag some ~ The 9t
IL. passed hall after hall like this for men,
some some for women and was shown little rooms,
workers, Each room was furnished with two mar
couples. Calico Curtains around sach bed syml
rb aT, aT IA "Iry drama The Privacy OF home
was that of Bowcry lodging house though the
cleanliness and had to remind mvselr over an SI
9TST r mat mat % nose who lived here We're not buns.
who ; did their nine, and ten hours DAY.
much dtnger "SS tbaD 8 mo & nan much laTGrr
| the mems dining room, Clear 10 the dusky dis
| tanGe of rs further end ran row OF long
tables table, and and long benches rough greasy. brown
here sit together at neaI an nUbaIto h men GogdS
/ period OF fanced liberty following on The cars
listen 10 the voices of frcedom-the orators being
be IRIS sem TO te snow regions Of Siberia for
speech. Now, as ! looked on. only hundred
/ tables in groups OF seven
Each group centred about p large wooden bowl
from which each member Iadled sour cabbage
soup into his mouth with large wooden spoon
workngmen and peasants ,hroaghou, Russia he
ee4 b%sed 5Po6hds they 6lt fr}5n chunks OF black
hominy made from barley. Ald with iufrequeut
Year IN and out a Ths nhRs fod e ss e also f % Fs
Sas. S.S rum nasy by T., The oTorPsop @
ana was told that the daily cost 10 each person
a bunk in lodging house, black bread and
I sTnp h c@noase & soup wondered how long m
fare '''-'''' "00'' '' satisfied with Soeh
! Carpenters masons and workmen OF similar
! 81 or = day. here paid from 50 to So cents
! exceptional man, In the factories the men axe
S pau 5cc0rdIhs 20 thelr ski and the character
women en- rom 10 - 80 with slightly higher rates
what s. IS 10 The averaee sra "1TnsH i,,
man IN very skilled trade rarely fine watch
81 80 or 50 a day or the unskluea You can Eave
Ell Ell y9n want for = ce9ts more than you want.
| The policeman. despsed of all belongs in this
month As FOR the the drivers Of Ee o'ns little 70 W rabs
end tie whizzng little sleiGhs that take the pIac"
less and in ST. Petersburg alone there ara more
! have told they do not average 81 50 . week
Single on c6a9 d D6 are To nTt iae 9tteT of b.
good cook gets from % 70 - a month, an ordinary
Women their ioG2s from N 10 washing iS 'e%nSr cniRes
through holes chopped IN the ice Of the Voga for
& asked laRoT leader IF the workman aaa The
! save" he demanded That they can Law nothing
aside makes a successful strike FOR better con
does, not interfere with It's soldiers Ordinarily.
! work And the low wages, beset even greater
Is not a copeck for thelr remaining wears Ir thev
have not relatives with extra cOpecks (and such
there IS only one way 10 keep life in their bodies
call down dressings unon the pa assersby No coun-
| try II has been my fortune 10 Wit has Russias
| T'he next morning was SUNDAY and the thousand
domes Of blue and gill commands 70 the faithful
:? come end orav for their car and the safety of
! his benehcent. God-given power
The snow. Of last night had changed TO a, MKT
/ llr" OF sleet and rain end = fren@ied wind from
slipping aong the sidewalk. tho wind-ilnng sleet
! striking into my face Ike shivered glass, when
the deep toned command Of the bells. / recog-
inlzed one OF me m.i1hcHoy songs; an IN minor
! and in the middle of the street unmndful of the
figures deep buried IN the comfort of rnrs / found
the singer II was woman perhaps uirty-hve.
Russia had made me ised 10 rags. bat her rags
startled me. Tied beneath her chin, as ker
through whose dozen rents CLEANED the dripping
rags frsiIlv stitched together and between every
toes From Knees to The icp grond She was bsre
single tattsIod stocking that hung about
ciiifched a piece Of black bread ''' ''-'''
AT FIRST. I thought she was drunken upon the
| income but that icy footing drunken per
son son could have I'VE only efaT.ed we n or TS0wed and as
learned that she had lost her hand in factory
! ing and starvation. had unbalanced her mind To
see a crazed person wandering the streets in rags
did not surprise me. for had them before
and ! knew this the governments method
She went on down the street chin up -waling
, her far reaching song A crowd of boys began to
w9teHrproof that lung from his head like tents
had to take & notiGe , lie followed after her in bis
balancing pole. There was TO hesitation
spirit the rnetlod in which all the Russian peopie
are treated. l- seized Der shoulders. shook her,