Evening star., 1928-03-20


upon thousands who were receiving $50
IT'S. 200 and 225. or more Every mine
worker at the bank-head. the man with
the pick and gas mask, receives $50
rubleS and In addition special cloth
ing and special food and works only 6
hours day as against StalinS IL or l8.
Scarcely skilled worker of any kind
machiniSt. engineer, conductor, elec-
trician. plumber. bricklayer. carpenter
but receives $50 to 200 rubles Actors,
producers. singers, dancers, connected
with the official stage Of Russia. which
is, roughly. the only theater. often re-
ceive more, some actors. ballet dancers
and singers as high as 600 rubles a
month. Perhaps because unlike so many
Others, they can leave Russia and sue
ceed elsewhere.
And yet in the main the economic
plan of the leaders is not so much for
minimum as for an average return
or wage, which is to be always the best
that can be done under the circum-
stances. Later on. as things grow bet
ter, wages are TO be increased, not for
any one class, as classes are to be
done away with, but for everybody.
And there is never to be any great diff
ference in wages, just enough to make
exceptional merit and exceptional skill
comfortable according to their needs.
but never luxurious as contrasted with
the state Of any other In short, there
is to be no luxury which any worker
with the taste for 1t cannot literally
aspire TO out of wages. which as near
as possible. are to be the equivalent OF
the best.
Distinction Persists.
A queer doctrine truly. as we West
ernerS see it, and yet. once you are in
Russia. comprehensive after a fashion
though never logical as life goes. For
try as YOU will, even there, you cannot
quite conceive how people are to be
made equal in significance however
equal they may be made in means, and
it is just this mental or temperamental
significance which makes all the diff
ference in people, money TO the contrary
Notwithstanding.
For now here We are I'm Moscow, let
US say. And here comes a street cleaner,
or a hotel porter, or a droSchky driver.
or the manager Of small store for
the government. And ne may be as
well. or as poorly. dressed as Mr.. Stain
or Mr.. Bukharin. and paid as much.
And his rights and privileges under the
new system are the same as those of
any other But does all this make him
In your eyes, or mind. or those of any
discriminating Russian of any mental
rank whatsoever. the equivalent of any
of the really significant people In Rus
sia? Try to think It'll Or 60 there and
try TO see or feel it! It is not so.
Orders, hierarchies and powers, how
ever completely stripped of financial
significance. have not disappeared. A
learned doctor Is still a learned doctor.
and kowtowed to as such. A scientist,
ditto. A statesman the same. Try to
see Mr.. Stain. Mr. Lunacharsky, Mr..
Rykov. Mr. This, Mr.. That of the reign
ing powers! Or seek an introduction to
one of the directors OF the great thea
ters. the State moving picture organi-
zations the directors Of libraries, uni
versities or any poet or writer of fame!
You viii fnd what I found. and exactly
what you will find anywhere, that, COM
munism or no communism. ii Is brain,
or cunning, or both. that mysterious
something called ability or personality,
that makes all the difference In Russia
between one who Is respected and one
whc~is not, one who is sought after and
one who Is not one who Is in authority
and one who Is not. A man who is
mentally fltted TO be a street cleaner is
q street cleaner And q man who Is
wise enough TO be leader Is a leader
Claims Are Denied.
Yet according TO all of the Com
munist leaders with whom you talk,
there are to be no classes. There Is To
exist only a claSSless society. equal
and In every other way. But
look about you, and with one exception
there are all of the classes you have
ever known. professional. scientific, So
cial. The only one that appears to be
missing is the monied class And even
there you are likely to find its equiva-
lent, moneyleSs. 70 be sure. but still in
possession OF the one thing its former
wealth epresented-power and position
In Moscow one heard so much of this
remarkable economic system being care
fully worked out among all of the l67
OF the immense commune.
And that 1t was working, everywhere in
Russia
But then ! vent further. to be con-
fronted by certain indisputable facts
Among these, for instance, that the
major portion Of the population Is In
poor II not insufficient clothing, that
there is not any too much heat, also
inadequate. and certainly from q West
ern point Of view. uncomfortable trans
portation for the masses; no furniture
anywhere worthy of the name: insuffi-
cient, II not expensive, and certainly
not comfortable housing: very few pub
lie roads. few modern vehicles. such as
busses. automobiles or trucks not enough
schools as yet. not enough places OF
amusement. all forms OF commodities.
from bread and tea, meat and grain.
down TO clothing and utensils. of the
simplest and only the most necessary
kind, high In cost and poor in quality:
unemployment stu great 100000 In
Moscow. i60, 900 In Leningrad, and other
cities In proportion); beggars. In Lenin-
grad, Moscow and other cities; prosti-
tuition among women OF the old order
either unequipped or unwilling to meet
the new conditions.
Constant Changes Noted.
But then. as reflected. the world
should remember that the technique
Of so great a thing as Communistic
state is something still TO be learned
and 1t Is being studied hourly in Russia
Last year tor In 1925. or -, or '23)
we did so and 50. but we found II
wouldn't do. II was too expensive. II
confiicted with such and such a thing.
and so we changed II"
II Ii not enough that the govern
ment should take over the railroads,
post ONCE. telegraph, public roads.
land, houses, stores. manufactures. but
IL must manage them In such way
as 10 avoid waste, make a profit. keep
one industry from conflicting with
another. and still sell TO the indi-
vidual at such price that he will
never be charged too much nor favored
80 much that his healthy personal
industry and interest will be- stultified
Truly. II is an enormous problem.
One meets with It's various facets and
angles on every hand. Is there not
waste here, graft there7 How prevent
Esf0 hal tA