South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-09-05
LEAGUE GOES ON
WITH NEW YIG0R
BUT WITHOUT Us
Labor Office Completes Study
of Russian COndi-
tons.
CBv Louis LUDLOW. )

the people OF the United States are
debating whether or not this gov
eminent shall become a member OF
the league OF nations various actlvi-
ties organized under provisions OF
the league are going forward
The international labor office OF
the league. for instance. has just
completed a study OF conditions OF
empl Gym ent IN Soviet Russia. Labor
throu ghout the world is warned BY
this league branch against becoming
Interested in a friendly way in the
Russian system.
The investigation was entirely in
the hands Of representativ OF or
gained labor The first declaration
OF the report Of tho investigators IS
that In Russia today under the
Soviet system. human labor is the
property OF the state"
The following conclusion was
reached by the investigators.
Liberty OF labor IN Russia Is only
a theory. Workers. no matter what
their speciality may be be, are sub
JeCt AZ all times 70 draft By the gov
eminent. for any kind OF work which
the government may desire 10 &C
complish The PRINCIPLE that human
labor is the property OF the state.
together with the idea OF militariza-
ton Of labor. seem 10 be the salient
Chara Cteristlcs OF the bOlshevik or
ganization Of labor"
The initial labor legislation OF the
Soviet government. the report says.
apparently was all that the workers
might desire. II provided for an s
hour day and a As hour week
weekly rest period Of at least q
hours; wages adjusted according 20
~ fNFffn he
ability OF the wage Garner and eco
romic conditions generally; a system
OF fixing the scale OF wages which
made the trades unions the most i'm
pOrtant part OF a state organization
where eventually all the workers
are state employees; equal pay for
equal work without regard 20 sex:
the employment Of womel at night
or In subterranean occupation for
hidden; the employment Of children
under IA years OF age forbidden;
while the hours OF work for all
children under 8 years Of age were
fixed at six hours a day. safeguards
were provided for workers in dan
gerous or unhealthy industries: pro-
vision was made for the Ireven-
tion OF unemT loyment and the help
ing OF the unemployed. a more or
less elaborate system OF social in
surance was attempted: many other
features were adopted 70 provide
most advanced program OF i'm
proved conditions Of employment.
But according 10 the documents
quoted in the report the nationaIi-
zation OF 5000 factories or about
90 per cent OF the whole Industrial
productivity OF Russia. beginning
with a period OF workers control
followed by state control was ae-
Companied by a ruinous falling of
Of production. Although wages
grew beyond all measure and lost
all relation Of business expense and
production, they could not keep pace
with the cost Of living.
The report says that Trotzky ar
paretly believes that production
should be guaranteed by compulsory
labor and says that until the people
become educated universal labor
service can only be accomplished by
coercion: that Is 10 say. by the armed
forces OF the state. He proposes 10
adapt military methods 10 economic
production. thereby creating "A SORT
or territorial economic militia which
Will be at the same time a basis of
a wartime militia According to
the report. Lenine in a speech de-
livered the latter part OF January
this year said:
We must now adapt our war ap-
paratus TO new work" and later in
the same speech: we must create
armies Of labor. we must concen-
trate our forces on the labor front
with the mRXium OF tension. with
"a truly military Spirit OF implacable
decision
The report further says.
1T seems that the plan OF action
elaborated BY the government con-
templates two systems. The first
consists OF the utilization OF all man
power IN the country which is di-
vided into two catagories. skilled
and unskilled. They are utilized
through a process of registration.
mobilization and distribution The
second system consists in the trans
formation Of the lighting army into
a labor army. TrOtzky Is president
OF the commission 70 which the task
OF realizing this program is en-
trusted"
The United States was not rep
resented In this investigation OF
labor conditions IN Soviet Russia.
but the report and warning viii be
sent 20 all labor organizations I'm this
country