Evening journal., 1920-01-06

EDITORS NOTE-This is the third
Of Arthur Ransome's articles on RUS
sis in 1919" How does o>~ get a room
TO live in Russiag How does one gel
fo0dg These and other similar ques-
tions are answered in this article
It was a rare cold day when I strug-
elod through The crowd ow Of the sta
ton IN Moscow. and besan fighting with
the sledge-drivers who asked a hundred
roubles 70 take me 10 The Meiropole
remembered coming here { year ago
with Colonel Robins, when we made
ten roubles a limit FOR the journey and
often travelled FOR eight Today, after
heated bargainlngI got carried with
no luggage but typewriter for 90
roubles The streets were white with
deep snow, less well cleaned than the
peir0grad streets OF this year, bm bel
ter cleaned than The Moscow streets of
lest year The iramways We're run
ming There seemed TO be al least as
many sledges as usual and the horses
were In 81 ghtly better condition than
last summer, when they were scarcely
able 10 drag themselves along ] ask
The reason OF the Improvement and the
driver told me ihe horses were now
Talioned like human beings. and all got
small allowance Of oats. There were
crowds of people but the number Of
closed shops Yves very depressing
did not then know that This was due
90 The naiionalizat on Of trade and a
sort Of general siock-iaking, The object
Of which was TO prevent promeering
in manufactured goods etc, Of which
there were not enough 90 go around.
Before ! left, many shops were beins
reOpcncd as national concerns Thus.
one would see over a shop The lnscrip-
lion. "The 5th Boot store OF The Mos
COW Soviet" or 'Thc 3rd Clothing sore
Of the Moscow Soviet" 10 has been
found That spectators bought, for eX-
9mpic, hair a dozen oyercoats, and sold
Them 20 ihe highest bidders, thus Civ
ing the rich an advantage over che poor.
Now If a man needs a new suit he has
go so i'm his rags Go his house com
miiice and satisfy them that he really
needs a new suit for himself lie is
then given The righEto buy a suit In
ihs way sn attempt is made TO prevent
speculation and to ensure a more or
less equltablc distribution Of the made
qlalc sloc6s.
Liv.nov had given me a letter to
Enakhan OF ihe Commssarat OF For
ccl Anairs. asking him 90 help me in
3 Ting a room lie finally go, me a
room N the old Loskulnaya Hotel now
ihc cred Fleet partially reserved for
a lor delegates ard members OF the
Navol Cole &c.
nooms are distributed on much 'he
smc plan as clothes Housing is con-
s'dcrcd a state monopoly, and a general
census Of housing accommodations has
been taken. In every district there are
housing committees to whom people
wanting rooms apply. They work on
the rough and ready theory THAT until
every man has one room no one has
a right TO two An Englishman acting
as MANAGER Of works near Moscow told
me that part OF his home had been al.
loied Co workers in his factory, ard
had. ! think, allowed him to choose
which rooms he should cOncede. Th's
plau has, OF course, proved very hard
ON house owners. and in some cases
ihe new tenants have made horrible
mess Of the houses.
then met Voznesensky tLeft Social
Of The Oriental Depart
ment. bursting with criticism OF the
Bolshevik attitude towards his party.
He secured a ticket for me 10 get din
ner It consisted Of a pl@.e Of coup and
a very small portion Of something else.
There are national Kitchens in differ
ent parts Of the town. supplying SINH
lar meals. Glasses Of weak tea wcrel
sold at so kopecks each. without sugar.
Ny sister had sent me a small bottle
OF saccharine just before ] left stock
holm. end il was pathetic to see the