New-York tribune., 1922-06-20
Soviets' Heel Has Crushed Labor;
8-Hour Day Gone, Says Berkman
Trusts Rule Russia Asserts Anarchist Depor'ea III
Emma Goldman by u. .;Ponis TO on Comoi"a'
,;nns viii 08o Plants and Sol, 900 Workers

..,,s,ctv owned indurtrial and trade
d.,.ari7.tions OF Moscow the employ
,,ciuding youths and even chldreh'
wo,t from twelve 20 fourteen hours
The bakers work from twelve 70
cichteeu hours. In numerous cases u
has been proven that In many bakeries
,bc workers do not leave their places
~ work for wceks. working continu,
ouslv dav and night. with IN occasional
rest Of one or two hours. See MOS
COW Pravda. first part OF December
1920.
Worse In the Provinces
"a sirnilar situation obtains In Petro-
grad rat in the provinces the con,
di,ion OF labor is even worse. omciai
reports show that on most Of me ran
road lines therc are employed only
two shifts. each working twelve con
tinuous hours. IN almost all Of the staie
industries and establishment the eight-
hour day has been de facto abolished
either directly or BY means OF over
time work. In a large factory In the
province OF Nizhy- -Novgorod the ton
hour workday has been introduced by
the desire Of the employees ~ the
.Trud' Of November % cynieAlly re-
marks. In the Mogolitovsky cotton
mills the employees work nine honrs
rPravda November 81. In various
factories and mills OF the southern Ufal
the twelyo-hour day has been estab-
lishod rPravda.' November 81. In
Witebsk. IN the government leather
works. the piece system obtains. WIN
twelve hours work. The miners m th"
Don Basin work sixteen 20 seventeen
hours. (Seo report OF their delegates
at tho second All-Russian Conference
FOR tho Protection Of Lahor)
THE above data. quoted from Official
sources. eharacteristica' reflect the
nrcsent condition Of the Russian prole-
tariat. The workers. these alleged dc
tators OF Soviet Russin. have been re-
duced 20 q miserable helplessness'
They can offer almost no resistance 10
their subjection and exploitation by
state capitalism and private corpora
fions. Years OF starvation have wcak-
cned them; long working hours leave
no energy for struggle; the pieee-"ork
system Is corrupting them and Great
ing competition and antagonism with n
The ranks Of labor; above all. tho nh-
senec OF real ,.roletarian labor organi-
zations robs the workers 81 the pos
sibilty ~ concerted. solidaric activity
In behalf of their interest,".
Cheap Labor Menace
The Russian industrial prolctar'at
.- thus facing very critical situation.
Its first and most urgent problem IS
10 find means Of sclf-deiense against
the ever more intense exploitation OF
safe capitalism on the one hand and
Of private enterprise on the other.
Another great menace is cheap labor.
The ranks ~ the city workers are be-
Ing swellcd by the large influx o. the
uoararf poor. whom rcquis.tion and the
famine have deprived OF the possibility
u munortinC themselves on their land.
Moreover. n tfc agricultural districts
a new pr0lotariat class is making its
appearancc-a added threat 20 the
city worker. a potential competitor for
his lob. II r. the peasant who. without
horses or cattle. is unable % work his
land and is now forced 20 hire himself
out to his luckicr ncighhor. The new
economic policy. favorable 70 tho
wealfhier peasants, enables him also
10 dispose OF his surplus Of farm
produce az a profit, buy more cattle
and machinery. secure more land and
hire help. This new class OF farm
hands is already large and is steadily
on the increase. Together with the
farm workers Of the great 7tate-ownod
estates. this class is now entering the
field Of labor competition. potent fac
tor in the fortunes Of the city prole-
tariat
"In view Of this situation il is np-
parent that the fate Of the Russian
workers. individually and as a class
now depends on the possibility Of their
united. sympathetic and intelligent ae-
tivity In behalf Of their interests. But
the fundamental prerequisite Of such
activity demands. first of all. real labor
organizations which. 10 be strong and
effective. must be free from all state
pa;crnaiism and interference. II also
involves freedom Of the press and as
sombly. without which no labor organi-
zation can develop vitality and unity
Of purpose. These are the immediate
needs and demands of the Russian
prolciariat'
doca Tho .var and ffs icseons havo