The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-09-26
Worker CORRESPONDENTS Are
ActtUe IN the Soviet Union

MOSCOW, U. S. S. R. (By MaiD-
The workers and peasants who con-
tribute more or leas regularly to the
newspaper in the Soviet Union are
known as Worker and Peasant Cor
respondents lin Russian; Rabkors
and Selkors, respectively. The
Rabselkor Movement in the U. S.
S. R. is quite voluntary, there being
no elections or appointments of
Correspondents, no restrictions, and
no particular encouragement to
Communists to engage in this work;
on the contrary, an effort to at
tract the greatest possible numbers
of non-party workers and peasants
to contribute to the daily and
periodical press. This is essential
in order to get the fullest and
widest view of the aspirations and
living and working conditions of the
toilers and thus be able to attract
ever new elements and wider masses
to participate in our constructive
work.
10000 Correspondents.
The Rabselkor movement is grow
ing at a very rapid rate. Thus, in
the course of two years it has in
creased from $4,000 to nearly
100000 (115,6O7 Rabkors; 192,7SS
Selkors, and 1894 Red Army Cor
respondents-Voyenkors).
A prominent part in this wide
semi-literary movement is played by
women. The number of women con-
tributing to the general newspaper
press is about Ia per cent, which is
an increase of per cent since the
beginning of 1927. The percentage,
however, is much higher in the spe-
cial women's press, which has reach
ed a fairly large development. At
the present time there are IS wo-
mems journals with circulation of
about 100000, to which more than
1000 Rabselkor women contribute.
Furthermore, there are the Yum
kors youth Correspondence and
Dyetkors (Child Correspondents
with the resno"+ive newspapers for
the Youth and Pioneers.
Wall-Newspapers
The training of these Worker and
Peasants Correspondents is carried
on by the various circles organised
both in connection with the general
press as we'll as the wall-newspa-
pers, which constitute the first
school, as it were, for Rabselkors. 1t
may safely be stated that at the
present time there is not a single fac.
tory or office, not a single village
without it's wall-newspaper. In
Moscow city alone there are well
over 1900 such wall-newspapers,
each of which reflects the social
economic and cultural life of the
workers or employees of that parti-
cular factory or office. Further
the wall-newspapers also voice the
general sentiments of the worker or
employee on this or that policy of the
government or of the Party. At
these Correspondent training circles
are delivered lectures on all current
topics which are accompanied by
discussion, so that the outlook of
the Rabselkor is broadened and he
begins to handle the facts described
by him in more conscious manner,
bringing them into conjunction with
the general policies of the country.
The chief Importance of the Rab-
selkor movement lies in its social
aspect, as a growing and powerful
movement which helps in ascertain
ing the aspirations and require
ments of the masses of the people
and at the same time in enlistine
new public workers in all branches
of the constructive work. The move
ment is guided by it's own journa
"The Worker and Peasant Core
spondent" There are also Rabsel-
kor journals in the provinces. From
time to time Rabselkor conferences
are convened, both national and To-
cal. The number of Rabselkor clubs
are also increasing and there is
quite an extensive literature.
The Rabselkor movement plays g
particularly important role in the
conduct Of the various campaigns
that are organized from time tc
time, as for example-the campaign
for economy, the campaign for the
lowering of commodity prices, the
combat against bureaucracy for the
naturalization of industry, etc.
Aid Proletarian Industry.
Considerable economy in indus.
trial management is frequently eff.
fected as the result of practical pro-
posals submitted by the workers
through the press.
Particularly effective proved the
industrial surveys carried through
1927. Thus, in Tver, there were
carried out industrial surveys in a
number of factories. The staff
members of the local newspaper
went to the factory and addressed