The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-03-25

suffering and anger, O letter comes
publishes below telling them how the
Soviet Russia live, and how they CO.
workers Soviet government which
follows:
Dear Foreign Comrades: AS
know that your bourgeois press is not
only giving you a wrong idea Of the
life of Russian workers, but is even
distorting facts, who am myself
worker will endeayor to describe in
this letter our factory life to help to
give you a right idea of it.
"Our factory is in the center Of the
textile industry, in the Ivanovo-Voz-
nesensk district. 1t is a cotton mill
which employs eleven and a half
thousand men and women. After the
October revolution our workers took
the factory into their own hands and
kept it going. The workers chose
from amongst themselves capable
people from the bench, and these
elected persons became the head of
the management Our workers were
not long in realizing that they them
selves were the true masters Of this
gigantic enterprise.
"Once workers have assumed pow
er, they begin to improve the condi-
lions under which they have to work
and live, and they improve production
at the same time. They formed a
protection of labor department which
looks after the needs of the workers:
provides them with suitable clothes
and footwear, fats (if necessary for
the kind of work they perform), etc.
We have special rest homes where
those whose health has suffered can
spend from a fortnight to one month
with full pay. Workers who are tu-
bercular are sent to sanitoria, and
health resorts for longer periods, and
they also receive their full pay. In
1924, over 900 of our workers spent
some time in rest homes, sanitoria,
and health resorts.
Working women-the mothers
are also well looked after, and per-
haps their privileges are greater than
those of the men. For instance, dur
ling pregnancy they are given two
months leave of absence and two
months after the birth of the child.
During these four months they receive
full pay and their places are kept
open for them. During the nine
months when she is nursing the child,
working woman works only six
hours instead of eight while receiving
full pay. During this period she re-
ceives special monthly grant.
I'VE have children's homes and
creches where mothers can leave
their children and can be certain that
they are better looked after there
than at home. All this is provided
free of charge. Our working women
have been given equal rights with
men and are drawn everywhere into
social work. In our factory there is
not single organization without its
quota of women. They are on the
factory committee, in the club, in the
cooperative, etc. There are women
who occupy responsible posts such as
chairman of factory committees, fac
tory managers, etc. In our factory
engineers are only employed as ex-
perts. Relations between them and
he workers have undergone a COM
olete change.
Our workers have no longer to
lbmit to rough treatment by the en-
.ineers, as the latter are aware that
icy will be dismissed for such be-
avior And the time is not far dis
mt when we shall have our own en-
ineers, technicians, chemists, mech
MICS, ETC., who have sprung from the
working class.
For young workers there is in our
actory an apprenticeship school
where they get thoro training and
from where they can enter higher
educational establishments. Their
labor is also protected.
"The factory has a club where the
workers can increase their knowledge.
II has a well-stocked library and a
reading room, and all sorts of circles
and sections are organized by the
workers themselves. The former
masters would not have given all this
to the workers, and neither will yours.
For the adult men and women
there is a higher grade school. The
attendance there is not very numer-
ous-about 300 people a day. On
leaving this school they will 60 to
higher educational establishments, as
the doors OF universities and techni.
cal colleges are opened wide to our
workers.
"The adult and young workers OF
our factory publish wall newspapers.
Thru this press many shortcomings
are remedied, production is improved
and old customs and habits are com
batted-the achievements OF these
wall newspapers are very great in
deed. Production Is growing from
month to month.