Evening star., 1922-09-16
MILLION AN HOUR
IS FAIR RUSS WAGE
Workers Must Get That
Much Money or They
Will StarVe.
AMOUNTS TO rs CENTS
Spectators Make Fortunes as the
AMOUNTS TO rs CENTS
Speculators Make Fortunes as the
Ruble Jumps Up and
Down.

Especial Correspondence of The Star and Chi
ra%o Da.iy &rws Foreign ScIviceD
MOSCOW. Russia, August 5.-There
are in the United States only thirty
three persons. according to latest Of
fetal returns, who have incomes of
Sl.O00.rUU ur more . year.
In Moscow there are more than that
in a single street with incomes of a
million a minut" during their short
working hours. Those who earn only
d million an hour are poor indeed.
Give the porter who carries your
bag at the railroad depot Il tip Of 4
million and hc will look at you re-
proachfuIiy "Mala, Mala.' Bad.
Bad he Will say. The cabman begins
by asking for il, m five To fifteen mil
lions for the shortest drive. Need .ess
To say ne does not grt X. Hut it
smuS"S him, cvru If il Wearits You. to
hagglr IN millions He disdaius even
to cali ihem millions. Lemon is his
contcmptuCus nlt!r for Il million
ruhle paper note.
. Pour mothers give their babies
''1t,1nU-ruh.e notes 10 play with. y
generation ago many a poor woman
did not earn lo,VuD rublts in her llfe.
We in Russia talk in thousands of
millions. as easily as the average
American does in hundreds OF dol
lars. \ man asked me recently H.
.nou. Or0. .0nW rublcs Tor the good will of
an apartment. Even when this is
trans tated into good United States
'currenry it would be quite enough.
$4,000
Moscow dearest city
3. Tak:u@ Russian paper millions at
their exchange ratr--l .00G. pDN ruh.eS
for - 4 rtS-MoScow today is TN"
dearest city in the world. Rent is
appalling. when YOU are fortunate
enough to iiud rooms. FcodstCdS are
Very dear Waite bread is luxury
and is paid for as such. You pay the
equivalent of 10 cents for what in
New York would hc Il 2-cent roll. But
ter is 81 cents Il pound. Sugar. when
II last inquired. was % cents.
SUGAR could he brought into this
country and sold at a profit at 10
cents I pound. Rut Importation is a
government monopoly.
saw Sood-sizei watermelon on a
street barrow day or two ago. How
much! Eighteen m. Hon rubles-$i.3o 30
Prices jump all The time A friend
huueht some collars for 100000 or
1o0G"o ruo!es apiece. | went the
next week. They were 1.2o0,0 900. Tht
week after they were l.6U0.o"0.
The new. luxurious restaurants that
have arisen know now to charge. The
most luxurious and expensive of these
is run Tor profit by the central trades
unions. Needless TO say. 1t is not
meant for working men.
6O.OOo.GO0 RubleS Meal.
took two friends in 10 supper in
one of these restaurants one night
The meal was modest enough. little
cold fish and urnelette. with coffee
aud cakes one of us drank a glass
OF beer the other two lemonade. The
bill. with tip, came to nearly 6U,eoo'Voo
ruhles.
A new race of mIllionaires is aris-
ing here-the bolshevist bourgeoise.
First came the speculators. Two
wears ago, speculation on a consider
able scale meant death, and even the
sale or purchase or siice OF breaa -
speculation in food II was Called
meant Imprisonment.
Now the speculator is free to specu-
late as he will. Prices. even of es-
s-ntial foodstuffs, jump UP and down.
The curb price of an American dol
lar is 100000 rubles today; $500 'Ooo
tomorrow and 100000 rubles next
week The spectators clear Tor
tunes.
While most public officials are
poor, some are mak!ng big money.
There are many ways of accomplish
ing this some Of which Will not
bear too close investigation. 1t is
commonplace that when man
reaches a responsible post in gov
eminent department connected with
trade. he begins to frequent the pest
restaurants and his Wlte develops
pretty taste in dress.
Some officials Honest.
Not all. The really big men. the
makers of the republic, are straight
There are other officials so fercely
conscious OF their own rectltude that
they stand out. one man of this kind.
connected with the cooperative
movement. is said to boast that he
rIn TO frv NJ
bribe him.
Part of the high cost of living here
is due to the incompetence of most
help. The average workman does not
know his job. He is out of practice.
and If he is young man he has had
10 opportunity to learn during the last
seven years. And labor is very con-
scious of it's dignity. Suggest TO
worker how he can do thing better,
and he may retort by putting on ms
hat and leaving you to do the thlnS
yourself.
People in other lands talk of high
Taxation. In Moscow they really have
1t Everything is taxed. and taxed
to the hilt. Lately it has been found
necessary to lower some OF the taxes
All kinds of privileges are farmed
out by the city. A man has an
oper-air stall. quite a tiny one, at
the street corner near me. He pays
1.0OO, 100000 rubleS year to the city
as Il tax
Shops open. but after few weeks
one finds them closed. The owners
cannot pay the tax.
No Place for the Poor.
The Moscow city government tries
TO run clean. The tram services
fares are a quarter of million
rubles a journey-are well managed,
the streets are swept, there are no
gambling halls or dives. The public
gardens are once more planted with
flowers The museums are open and
we'll kept You can buy almost any
thing in reason. from French cham
pagne to sable coats. Caviar Is
cheap just now-s1.50 a pound. You
can buy fine fruits from the south.
Williams pears at from so cents to
ST a pound. delicious peaches and
the like. Sturgeon is plentiful. You
can if you will, wallow in luxury.
But Moscow is not a city for a poor
MAN. The worker who earns no
more than 100000 rubles an hour
must live in the slums. There are
plenty of slums here.