The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-09-29
BRITISH UNION
WOMEN ON TRIP
TOlSOvIET LAND
FindUnprecedentedCa Care
for Workers
BY MARY ouAILE
| (Trade Union Women's Delegate To
Soviet Russla)

| Grade Union Women's Delegate To
Soviet Russla)
| THE visit to Russia OF six British
working women is a milestone on
! the road to International trade union
unity. It win long live in our memoir
les and also in the memories of the
thousands of workers that greeted us
wherever we travelled in that great
country. We left London on April 30,
and were met Tin Riga by comrades
from the central council of the Rus
sian trade, unions but our first great
welcome came when we stopped at
the first town across the border from
Latvia.
Women were there in hundreds,
many of them with punches of wild
flowers to giveato their British sisters,
all OF them wanting to shake our
hands, some with tears in their eyes,
not Of sorrow, but of Joy at our meet
ing. There also came to greet us chill
dren, the pioneers of the new social
order, which, will emancipate the
workers Of the world. 1t was Sunday,
but these workers in their hundreds
had been out early planting trees to
give value and beauty to the country
they now owned. This was voluntary
work, but it was done in the willing
spirit that afterwards we met with
so often in Russia.
Welcome
Moscow was reached a day sooner
htan was expected, but tremendous
welcome awaited us with bands, ban
ners flowers and speeches. One was
glad and proud, to be member of
the class that, demonstrated so plainly
their love for the women workers
of Britain. Our tour of Russia took
US to Leningrad, back again to Mos
COW. down thru the Ukraine via Khar-
koff and then to the Don Basin, the
Crimea. Rostov, Kislovodsk, Crosby,
Baku, Tiflis, ,Borjom, Akhaltsikh, Abb
astuman and Vladikavkas.
Visits were made to factories, mines
oil wells. rest homes, sanatoria, nur-
series and children's hospitals,
schools, universities. museums and
workers houses, both old and new
Cooperative stores, peasants villages,
farms for experimental purposes
were also investigated by the delega-
ton. 81.
| can best summarize our impress
sions by paraphrasing the prelimin-
airy statement we issued on our re-
turn. sa
Soviet Has Support.
After many personal talks with
workers of all trades and grades, in
Guiding peasants and agricultural
workers, we have no hesitation in say
ing that the Soviet government not
only has the enthusiastic support of
the vast majority of the workers and
peasants, but that both these classes
Of workers look upon the present gov
eminent as essentially their own.
There is certainly a dictatorship in
Russia, but It is workers and peas
ants dictatorship. The Russian Com
munist Party is undoubtedly the dir
ective force. but it is the workers and
peasants thru their elected Soviets or
councils that rule.
Women are encouraged as far as
possible to enter all classes Of work,
and for equal work they receive equal
pay. Their entry into industry is
facilitated by the fact that most fac
| tOriaQ hava uurcariao oud l,indaroor
tens attached where the women can
leave their children to be cared for
by skilled attendants, and this in most
cases is free of any charge.
In addition to this every woman
factory worker gets two ponths leave
of absence before and after the birth
of her child, with full wages. All sorts
of other benefits, such as food and
clothing, are provided.
Workers canteens or communal
dining-rooms help to make the domest-
c drudgery very much less for work
ing wife or mother
Not Like Capitalism
The health of the worker is a first
charge on industry, and rest homes
and sanatoria are feature of Rus
sian life which will give the workers
better chance to carry on their great
work of reconstructing their indus
tries and abolishing many of the evils
inherited from the capitalist regime.
, The workers showed very lively
interest in the cause Of trade union
unity, as the tremendous May Day
demonstrations which we witnessed
in Moscow made clear to us. We were
asked many questions about the chan
ces of a real international united
front. They see in this movement
chance for the workers of all coun-
tries to emancipate themselves from
capitalism and also to afford greater
protection for the Russian workers
from the many Vaccinations OF the
imperialist government OF the world
The British workers have in the
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