The Washington herald., 1922-05-21
SOVIET BECCARS
FILL STREETS AS
BUREAUS CLOSE
New Economic Policy
Aggravates Unemploy-
\ ment Problem.
NO BREAD LIN E S
Government Takes Charge
OF Employing Help
For All Firms.

MOSCOW. May 2o.-The problem
Of the unemployed. with its corrol-
Iarfes of beggardom and crime, has
been revived in Soviet Russia along
with the new economic policy.
During the revolution. strictly
speaking. there was no unemploy-
ment problem in Russia. The Com
- munistic political and economic or
ganisn absorbed all classes of So
ciety. giving each person job and
a ratioS of food. whether there was
any actual economic demand for his
services or not. Unemployment was
even a misdemeanOr, in that 1t i'm
piled evasion of the decree ordering
everyone to report for duty in some
governmental Institution.
The government has since dis
charged large numbers of persons
working in fields to be given back
to private capital, or occupying
swivel chairl for which there was
no need. This sudden dumping OF
thousands upon the labor market
before private industry was able TO
expand and take them in. piled up
less as the winter months pro-
crossed.
Unemployment Increases.
During March the unemployed in
Moscow were estimated at between
10000 and 100000; in PetroGrad,
around 10000. In both cities about
10 per cent of these were women.
The number of jobs has tripled
Of
according to statistics of the de-
partment of labor. More than 90
900 were on the waiting lists of the
government employment bureaus
the first of April. 1t is said this
represents between a fourth and
fifth of the actual number out OF
work.
Owing to lack of means. the de-
partment of labor has not been able
to do much beyond offering to help
them hunt jobs. Toward this end.
the govcrnmCn recently cancelled
private firms the right Of freedom
to contract for labor. obliGing every
employer to engage his workmer
through the government employ
ment offices. In this way, the de-
partment hoped to regulate the la
Dor market and distribute the jobs
This decree was issued ten days
ago. and II is still too early to see
results II is doubtful whether il
will he very effective. however. mo-
only because II will be diff1cult Il
enforce hut because the cause o.
the unemployment is much deeper
than the mere question Of distri
button of labor. and cannot improv,
greatly until industry can rebuild
itself.
No Bread Lines.
Bread lines. like those in Americi
and England. were not possible. /
was explained, because the depart
ment was short of funds and be
cause all available food was needle,
for the famine regions. Only re
Gently was any material help at all
extended. Last week the Krernlil
set aside q small sum for their ben
eft
Moscow's beEgars-the singinl
beGGars. the pauper minstrels, tn
takers. the shakers, the paralytiCs
and just ordinary ragged ones. al
ways were one of the most piCtur
esuue and pathetic Of Moscow
sights before the war. No trul!
Russian street scene. no marke
place. church or public place. woul
be complete without them. The
figure in Russian opera and litera
tUre alike. and are as much a par
of the stage setting of the city a
tho little bOOtbIack in New York.
They disappeared during the rev
olUti0n. Where they went is
mystery. The able bodied. of course
were compelled to work. And tn
others doubtless were discourage
from seekin" aims by the fact tina
people did not have loose money i
their. pockets because there wa
little opportunity to use it. a
shops being closed and all food be
in- handed out by the government
in the form Of rations.
BeEEars Return.
Now they are back in legions. !
gauntlet of from six to dozel
stands in front Of every large res
taurant. cafe and church Ever
Sunday morning they take thei
places regularly in the outer cor
ridors Of the Church of Our Sa
viour. near the KremIin. Singh!
beGgars take up their position OF
the steps outside. beginning thei
Oriental enchantations as the con,
greGation energies. Others shake
besid the doorway. some paraIvtics
more Of them fakes
Hardly less picturesque and ORR
entail are the street minstreIs. VIII
may be seen almost any evening o
the side streets near the Theate
place, on the Red place, Tverskays
etc. l pass one every evening o
the way to the foreign office. as h
stands playing his pipe in front O
the Union Bank. on the Red plac,
with his long beard swaying rhyth
mically with the wierd melody. hi
high sheepskin cap. his bright eye,
sharp nose. his flowing overcoat, h
is picturesque figure
The ordinary beECars are as act
I've and numerous as ever The
surround your drotshky every tim
you stop on the street. coming on
from no one knows Just wher,
their shrewd eyes being able I
spot foreigner at any distance,
A distinguished looking maj
whom / first mistook for a colleg
professor or an eN-officer. steppe
up to a drotshky the other day n
Tverskaya and asked for aims, Hi
family was starving. he explaine,
and he had tuberculosis. He sal
he was a civil engineer before tn
war.
Patison to Conduct Tour,
Prof. G. NJ PatiSOn inSt .