New-York tribune., 1922-04-07
Russia
liz the Red Shud0w

J tobacco. tea, etc, ESQ per cent: ex-
penditure on family, 80 per cent; mis-
ceilaneous expenses, 3 per cent. Total
, 100 per cent.
But the problems OF the average
householder are more concerned with
the running of his house and with the
daily obtaining Of bread than with tho
nice disposition of resources. Theoreti-
cally the household is not his concern,
Over every house in Russia there is a
Soviet commandant representing the
government upon whom presumab bly, re-
sponsibility rests. But the responsi-
bility rests lightly. If the command
ant is quiet and does not make too
many demands the residents of the
house have reason to be content.
AS for food, for the ordinary man
this is simple matter. The basis Of
the Russian meal is bread. What the
bread supply involves little arithme-
TIC will show Bread to-day costs
about 10000 rubles a pound. The aver
age salary of worker is perhaps 5O0,-
900 rubles a month That is enough to
buy fifty pounds of bread month. If
one wishes to live on twenty-five
pounds of bread a month one has $780,
600 rubles month to spend otherwise
Of course the wife and children must
work too at this rate Many do not
have 100000 rubles a month Many
have next to nothing. For them life is
struggle, the like of which do not
care to look upon. Sometimes they
beg, many of them die. If one wishes
to live better than this standard one
must be speculator and make big
money. But it takes peculiar qualities
to be speculator
1T cannot be denied that many people
hl
Behind the conditions with which we
are dealing starvation stalks.
| sat one day near the door of one
OF the new restaurants that are be-
ginning to spring up throughout Mos
COW. They are in small store rooms as
a rule, run by upper class women Of
the more ingenious type and catering
to those who live on foreign exchange.
Locking up | saw a wor2i OF perhaps
sixty, with strong refined face and
look as of some one familiar. per-
ing at me through the door, | smiled
and she made feeble gesture. ! rose
and opened the door and she toppled
to the floor at my feet. The restaurant
proprietor was for putting her out, but
ordered table set for her and gave
the same order that | had made for
myself AS the food came on she COW
cred her face with her hands--beauti-
ful hands they had been, but were no
longer-and her body was shaken with
dry sobs. When she tried to eat she
retched SO that she could not retain
her food.
The restaurant keeper told me after
ward that the reason she was cruel
vas because she had to be. If she
listened to the call Of her heart she
would be closed up in half a day. 1t
was hard enough to continue at best
1t was doubly difficult for her, for
most Of the people who came were Of
her own class.
AS everywhere life in Moscow to-day
is made up of light and shadow. But
shadow predominates.
Once Rich Persons Peddle
Wine on Sly to Get Food
| am in little bit Of a restaurant
near the university; inquire for wine
They have no wine, but the Young
woman VINO serves US says she knows
where wine can be found. We are
to go with her to her home at IL
o'clock at night.
The city is bitterly cold. We walk
down the long dim streets, between
Red barracks and through swirling
snow drifts, speaking broken French.
ny way itduS 70 one OF the pest neigh
borhoods in the old city. overlooking
park and near the great Cathedral of
the Redeemcr, its gold domes shining
under blue snow -heckcd sky. We
stumble up a Uttered outer stairway,
through a door that creaks on broken
hinges and enter tall apartment
building of majestic type, reminding
one of Paris. The building has now
sadly gone to ruin. The hallway is
dark and our young guide takes our
hands to lead US by the boxes piled
high in corners and against the walls.
There is racket as of fleeing
animals. then a double knock, plant
i've voice, and the door is opened from
inside by some one toilsomely pushing
back packing cases from before it, An