Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-31

CURED to call first at the offices OF the
housing commission" which delivers
to him an order" for room in q
hotel. With this order" he goes to
'he 'commandant" Of the hotel in
question, who gives him his room.
Dwelling Places NationsliEed
The hotels. like all dwellings, are
nationalized, but this does not mean
Aat you may live in them for nothing.
mere is fixed charge for every room,
which varies considerably, according to
MS size and comfort. Walters aud
chambermaids are employees of the state
and paid by the government, but they
are none the less eager for tips and
discriminate between generous and
stingy guests.
II you want rooms or fiat. the
housing commission" supplies you with
a llst OF vacant apartments "requisi-
toned from bourgeois families. All
these apartments are furnished. often
very Iuxuriously when their former in
mates were wealthy people. but If you
don't like the furniture you are free to
take your choice from the nationa,
storage houses, where vast quantities of
conflscated household goods are stored.
1t is the nature of man to take less
care OF the property of the state than of
ms own private property. and in con-
sequence innumerable valuable antiques.
books and pictures have already been
.ost damaged or totally destroyed. II
IS everywhere manifest in the life Of
Moscow that the Fundamental reason
why Bolshevik theories fail in practice
is because they do not take human
nature into account.
Favoritism Commonly Practiced
Each house is managed by its own
'ocaIled house committee" which col /
ects the rent for the government. de- I
'ides about repairs and carries out all
.unctlonS formerly performed by the
proprietor or his agents.
The committee is theOreticgllv sun-
posed to be elected by all the people liv- /
ng in the house, who are equally en-
ltied to be members of il. but in rear1ry
'nly accredited partisars Of the Boil /
.heVlkl are allowed to belong to it. II
'onsequeptly exercises a sort of political
'ollce supervision over all non Bolshevik .
inmates, and as one of its duties is IN.
distribution of the food tickets issued ev
ne government its power over them r.
veil nigh absolute
These house committees are very
important instrument of Bolshevik rule.
md their existence proves how little
Russian methods have changed since the
'zsr's time, when the Office of house. .
,py was filled by the ianitor. who was
frequently n secret agent of the i'm
1erial police.
When is the revolution going 10
'reak out in Europe?' is the first ques.
Ion put on all sides to the stranger in ,
Moscow, The inhabitants live in almost
DIptp Of
" the world. Foreign newspapers are
,ny brought occasionally by travellers. /
The Bolshevik press publishes only op- I
news regarding the develop
nent of the international labor move
nent and the progress of the "revoIu
ionary idea in Europe and America
In the state restaurants. to which .
,nly members of the Bolshevik party arp
admitted upon presentation Of their .
membership cards. a meal consisting of /
mushroom soup. a herring and a Slice
IT black bread, with cup of tea brewed
rom dried carrots, is served for five
'ubles.
The rest Of the inhabitants-and thev
are the majority. for even in Moscow
he Bolshevik party counts but 200
100 adherents-fare still worse and arc
.orced TO pay eXorbitant prices for the /
most ordinary victuals to illicit food
raiders, who flourish as never before
under soviet rule. although theoreticsljv
he food trade has been strictly nation |
llized.
The terrible food conditions are chiefly
iue to the complete collapse of the
'ailroads. On the line from Moscow In
iiazan, which is particularly important
'or supplying the capital with food
1nly two trains q day are running.