The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-03-14
The Progress of the Communal
Economy of Moscow
By Fred Ellis

and vegetable gardens covering an
area of 525 hectares.
The collective farms are accorded
far-reaching support. 1t suffices to
mention that in the current economic
year 81 per cent of the capital in
vested in collective farms has been
covered by our credit system, and
only 16 per cent by the members of
the collective undertakings them
selves. We have granted credits to
the village poor to the amount of
about one million rubles, and have
organized the comassation (redis-
tribution of several scattered hold
ings of an individual by exchange
with those of others so as to bring
all his holdings together into one or
as few as possible areas Ed. note)
of 10000 poor peasant farms free of
cost.
The development of our COM
mercial activities is characterized by
the decline of the small trade centers
by Is per cent (of the private sales
centers by 80 per cent? and by the
SO per cent extension of the network
of the co-operatives. In the course
of the coming year nearly all work.
ing class districts will possess large
and well equipped department stores.
Mechanical Bakeries.
We have taken up the reorgani-
cation of bread production, our aim
being to replace the small-scale I'M
dertaking by the mechanical large
scale one. In Moscow we have
erected two new bread factories, and
within very short time two others
now in course of construction will
also be completed and set going.
These factories will be able to meet
more than one half of Moscows bread
requirements. Speculation in bread
is being combated by the introduce
ton of control over bread produc-
ton and flour distribution. This
control has already been able to
record considerable success, but it
must be increased.
The population of Moscow has in
creased by 100000 persons in two
years. 10000 of these have mi
grated from the country, or from
other districts. This great increase
in the Moscow population has had
the effect of increasing local unem-
ployment. Of the unemployed. places
can be found fairly rapidly for the
| industrial workers, who form only
ID per cent of the unemployed.
Housing.
We are engaged at the present
time in freeing the municipalized
houses of Moscow from all nom
working elements. The whole of the
housing accommodation thus set free
will be placed at the exclusive dis
posal of proletarians.
We are making rapid progress in
combating illiteracy. During the
last five years we have taught 20O,-
900 adults to read and write. There
are still about 100000 illiterates in
Moscow and its gubernia, but these
are for the most part new arrivals
fl ON other districts.
Turing the two years under re-
port we have been able to stimulate
our ,5oviets greatly. One of the mair
tasks Of the further development OF
proletarian democracy must be the
broadening and deepening of self.
criticism. In this direction we must
advance more courageously thar
hitherto.
The main line along which the
Moscow district will develop is that
Of accelerated ndustrialization. Be.
sides this, we have another supreme
ly important task in guiding the
great masses Of the peasantry more
rapidly into the path Of specialization
and in accomplishing the technical
transformation Of agriculture.