Evening star., 1923-08-12


communist colony in soviet
- Russia has exploded. The
/. W. W. leader had visions Of fair
land of promise, where man should
work. but not for money; where free
homes with running water would
house the contented proletariat. and
where each should be granted rein to
follow his chosen calling according
to his own free will and for the good
of all.
But. according to information
reaching Washington from sources in
Russia regarded by officials as most
reliable, the sweet Utopia of vision
has become a vile failure in fact.
And after two years of experiment
the "Kuzbas" settlement, colonized by
Americans. has failed utterly to meet
the expectations Of it's promoters.
"Incompetency In government and
the extreme in dirt in the living con-
ditions OF the colonists" is the dam
aging description given by an Ameri-
can observer lately returned from the
colony.
Pathetic tales of blasted hopes. OF
penury and suffering, and the account
OF Big Bill" retreating from the
colony, after disillusionment Of the
Americans. when the weather became
too cold for his comfort. reveal hith-
erto unknown details of the dismal
fiasco.
The Kuzbas concession, which is
now described as colossal fraud,
was granted to the American organ
kH1rn
years ago by the soviet government.
It was understood that the properties
which were soviet owned, were to be
exploited by workers brought from
the United States with the assistance
of the native Russians already on the
ground. This exploitation was to be
accomplished without the assistance
of any capital except that contributed
by the workers themselves and with
the assistance of the soviet govern
ment. No money was to be received
In wages, but each worker was to
receive a satisfactory standard of iiv
ing and housing.
In April, 1922. the first group of
seventy colonists left New York for
Russia and arrived about a month
later at their destination. Four addi-
tional groups followed at intervals of
one month.
The Kuzbas properties had been
represented as being a concession
already granted to an organizing COM
mittee of American workers, yet upon
the colonists' arrival they found that
neither at Kemerovo (the coal prop
pIant) had an actual concession been
given. Not only that, II Is now learn
ed, but the original agreement be-
tween the soviets and the organizing
committee had been abrogated and
new agreement made without this in
formation having been impaired to
the colonists in America. They went,
blissfuIly ignorant, to their land of
misfortune.
Having arrived at Kemerovo. the
colonists were compelled to make the
best of their situation. Instead of the
four-room cottages with running
confronted with filthy barracks and
houses alive with vermin.
The food was bad and the water
unfit, being pumped from the river.
Chaos prevailed from the time the
colonists arrived up to the time of
the dispatch of certain letters just
received in Washington. The bar
racks had been formerly occupied by
the so-called labor army" and were
In an inconceivably filthy condition,
from which they had not at the time
Of writing been cleansed, particularly
of vermin.
The administrative branch of the
commune is described as farce, the
important positions being placed in
the hands of persons either too young
for the positions Of responsibility, too
old or else wholly incompetent. The
labor departments are said to be ad-
ministered by men who have abso-
lutely no conception of the require
ments of their duties. A former rail-
road conductor Is in charge of the
comnlissary; a train dispatcher was
made superintendent OF the American
section of the coal properties at
Kemerovo, and a twenty-one-year-oid
matchmaker had q mandate appoint
ing him mining engineer in charge.
It is charged in the communications
reaching Washington that the New
York Office of Kuzbas misrepresented
the facts by promising coionists work
at their trade or profession, when in
reality no such work was available.
The case of one man is cited as
typical In a letter to the New York
office he Is said to have specified that
or construction as an engineer and
asked that IL they could use him in
that line or az an industrial organ.
izsr they advise him accordingly. A