The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-12
RENT IN THE u.s.s.R.

AlC oOFACL Ill organic
ing broad cooperative administration
of the State housing facilities also
established the norms of exploitation
and utilization of the buildings, pro-
tecting thereby the interests of the
toiling people in all buildings, regard
less as to whether they live, in CO.
operative houses or in the houses of
State institutions or such which be-
long directly to the municipal organs,
or those which belong to private
people.
The most important right secured
to the working people is to occupy the
place in which they live, regardless
as to whether the house administra-
ton or owner agrees to it or not.
The inhabitant, if he pays his rent,
cannot under any conditions be put
out of the building. This guarantee
of the right of the inhabitant, re-
CARELESS of the desire of the house
administrator or owner, existed also
in the bourgeois countries, but there
it was instituted during the war and
only short period after the war. In
the Soviet Union, however, this right
of the toiling inhabitant is a perma-
nent right; it is one of the most vital
rights given to the workers in the
code of laws.
Another important measure taken
by the Soviet Government towards
the protection and improvement of
the living conditions of the toilers is
the system of rent payments. The
payment of rent is regulated by the
Soviet Laws on the following princi-
pies: the entire rent system, as ap-
piled to the teilers, is based on the
amortization and the administration
of the houses; it does not include any
house or ground rent, which burdens
the toilers in bourgeois countries. The
Soviet laws provide for a sliding
scale in the payment of rent depend
ent upon the paying capacity of the
inhabitant and the conditions of the
house in question. An inhabitant
with an income of from 125 roubles
to 155 roubles month pays exactly
enough to cover amortization and ad-
ministration of the house Those who
have higher income pay partly also
interest on the capital invested in
the building which enables the house
to cover the deficit formed as re-
suit of the low payments of the
poorer inhabitants. In order to cover
this deficit a considerably high rent
is taken from the inhabitants not en-
ioyed in product work. The over
whelming majority of the toilers
whose income is less than 125 roubles
a month, pay an average of rs per
cent less than the amortization of the
house requires. The unemployed pay
an absolutely insignificant amount;
they pay altogether SIS. copecks per
square metre a mouth.
Owing to this class principle in
collecting rent, the average worker
with an average income pays for g
fairly good room four to five roubles
a month. whereas before the revolu-
ton he had to pay just as much and
even more for some corner or only
for the use of bed.
On an average, the worker spends
about to s per cent of his budget
on rent, whilst in bourgeois countries
(not including heating light, water,
and cleaning) he spends 10 per cent
or more Of his budget for rent. But
what is most important is the fact
that the housing conditions of the
workers, at least in the urban cen
tiers are now much better and more
hygienic than there were before
1t should be observed that owing
to the municipalization of the largest
and best houses and the regulation of
rent, the government is able to regu-
late the income of the houses and to
control the surplus income of some
buildings as well as the income COM
ing from commercial enterprises
This surplus income goes to form
special capital funds of the town So
viets to subsidise and to finance the
repairs of the poorer houses.
In general the entire system Of
Soviet management protects the in
terest of the toiling masses and en-
sures the further extension of housing
facilities; it prevents any form of
housing exploitation which is so
tries.-D. Schneinik.
THE growth Of the irrigated cotton
area in the Soviet Union is shown
by the following figures; Fiscal year
1921 -22-1, 100000 dessatins (4,806,-
900 acres); 3,44S.o00 des-
siatins (9,309,600 acres); 1886
3,754, 900 dessiatins (10,035,S00 acres) !,
1926-27-3,S95, 900 dessiatins no.
$4,000 acres). The area irrigated
in 1914-15 was 4,349,000 dessiatins
(11,745, 900 lacres).
The sums appropriated for this
purpose from the State budget We're
4.604,000 rubles (S2,371 ,000) in 1922
90; 7,949,000 rubles ($4,093,700) in
1923-24; IL, 482, 900 rubles CSC, 429 ,000)
in 1924-25; 100000 rubles (about
16,000,000) in 1885, and 43,225,-
900 rubles (S22, 26o,o 0O) in 1926-27.