The Washington herald., 1921-01-17
Italian Labor Official
Found Factories in
Idleness.
FURNITURE SOLD
TO MAINTAIN LIFE
Only MilitariZed Workers
Given Enough Food;
Children Starve.

ROME, Dec. (by mail il).-Thc
Idea NazionsIe here prints the re-
port OF Colombino, secretary Of the
Italian Federation Of Metal Work
ers, concerning an investigation
which he has been making in Boil
shevik Russia This investigation
( is stated to have lasted three
months. The report follows:
] "Petrograd is in mourning, almost
deserted OF it's 100000 inhsLi-
tants there are now little more than
100000 left Some Of the sbsentees
have emigrated TO the country so as
to fnd more easily food on which
10 subsist; others are at the front
lighting; some have died in the war.
in the revolutions and by plaques,
and not a few have died Of hunger
and cold.
. 1t is a horrible thing. a spec
taCle which wriuEs the heart and
brings a curse TO the lips-a curse
which is certainly not directed
against those who first made the
revolution, nor against the Bolsbc-
viks who were then forced TO tsXs
. possession OF power.
A MournfuI and TEIy city.
shops closed. private trade pro-
hibited, shop windows smashed. the
shutters hanging in tatters along
the streets contribute TO make the
city mournfUl and ugly. Here and
there the height Of irony is reached
when one sees a few shreds OF ad-
tNertisements Of Borsaline hats. or
China Migone Ian Italian variety OF
hairwssh), or the latest models Of
Paris fashions. The trans run Al
very rare intervals and only for z
few hours day on some Of the
principal lines, but there are Ger
tsiuly not more than fifty Of them.
Along the Neva one may see huge
barEes sunk in the water and left
to rot.
The roads which were once upon
a time paved with wooden blocks.
are now almost totally DESTROYED.
having been broken up by the ctti-
zens themselves for fuel 10 heat
their houses. Thirty-sIN thousand
wooden houses were DESTROYED last
winter TO provide fuel
Drinking water is entirely lack
because
the cold burst the pipes. The recent
violent epidemic Of typhoid which
killed OF thousands Of victims and
left its mark on the poDulatioU. is
to certain extent the consegUeD,,e
Of this state OF things as well as
OF tht total lack OF hyEienic. sanf-
larE and alImentary measures When
one notices how the inhabitants are
clad and shod. one receives a marked
sensation Of the profound misery
which has stricken this heroic ana
stole population.
The rationlnE OF citizens is d.
Nloed into three catsEories. The
ordinary food consists Of q 1fft1e
bread made with a mixture OF rye
and straw and As per cent Of wa
ter; dish OF soup made with mill
let cooked in water. and occasion
ally a bit Of rotten meat or stale
hsh. The militarized workmen get
more abundant meal The fol
lowing is schedule showing the
food rations for the four cateEorieS:
Bread, salt, Sugar and SOUP.
Ration for all persons over Is
years Of age, even II they do not
work. $50 grams Of bread a dav, lsO
grams Of sugar a month. and go
: grams Of salt a month, which must
he bought at a stif price; 100 Gig
arettes a month. and one plate of
soup a day
Category a - Ration for heavy
manual lsbOrers. experts, etc: ElS
grams Of bread a day. 42O grams %
sugar month, 42O grams Of salt
month. to be bought at a stirr price:
3 1900 cigarettes month. and a plate
Of soup made from eEetabIes. meat
Z nd 81 n al
ment Gf there is any IeftD.
Category b - Employees Who
/ work six hours: 30 grams Of bread
day. 3l5 grams OF sugar a month.
and 3l5 grams OF salt month. 70 be
bought at a stiT price: rs cigarettes
/ a month. and one free dish, as in
/ the previous category.
Category C-Employes who work
less than six hours a day: los grams
/ OF bread a day, go grams Of sugar
month, and go grams Of salt q
month, to be bought az a stin price:
IS cigarettes a month, and one free
, dish as above.
! TO Category c belong also the
/ women who work at home and who
arc taking care Of at least two chill
dren under II years Of age Chill
dren are all the expense Of the state.
Food is supplied by the state. but
: not in sufficient quantities 10 main
tain life.
Those who are well TODD buy
the necessary supplementary food
on the secret market from private
spCculators-thus using up the re-
msinder Of their riches or mora
commonly giving in exchange the
5 last remnants Of their furniture,
their clothes. or similar objects.
Food Prices Unbelievable.
The prices exacted by the speCU-
lators and charged in the secret
market are unbelievable. noted
= them personally by mixing IN the
crowd OF purchasers. They are as
follows: Wood. $1,000 rubles for
every sixteen kilos, butter, $500
rubles q pound; milk. 800 rubles for
small bottle; meat, 1000 rubles a
pound; cloth 10000 rUbles a metre;
: shoes, $4,000 rubles a pair; black
j bread. 500 rubIes a pound and old
potatoes. 200 rubles a pound
] In the Putiloff works there Is no
/ longer the feverish pre-war activity.
The great chimneys rise skywsrd
: without a thread Of smoke and a
' sepulchrsl silence reiEus through
most Of the buildings. Before The
D war the Putilof works furnished