The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-07-12
CHURCHES OPEN IN USSR, BUT
NOBODY Goes; NO JOBLESS
Four Day Work Week Tremendously Popular;
Workers Have Many Excursions

unemployment, and / can see with
absolute certainty that there are nc
unemployed here. There is no use
arguing with the Abramovich type.
They are merely counter-revolution-
airy liars.
Any capitalist representative
and there are undoubtedly many
knows Abramovich's statement to be
untrue. In fact, what the Soviet
Union is facing is labor shortage
not in skilled and semi-skilled
workers only, but also in unskilled
workers.
A few days ago / attended labor
court. One of the cases that / wit
messed was the complaint of eighty
three unskilled workers against a
certain trust in Moscow. The par
ticular complaint is not important,
but what is important is that the
trust in Moscow could not obtain
unskilled workers here and it here.
fore appealed to union about forty
miles away to obtain workers from
the villages around that section,
These eighty-three workers were
peasants brought here by special re-
quest because there were none to be
obtained here.
The other day l spoke to person
who is actively engaged in the or
ganization of building two of the
largest steel factories in the world,
and he said that one of the major
problems is the lack of unskilled
workers. The reasons are as fol-
lows:
In the first place, the Five-Year
Plan has set into motion unpreced-
ented activities. One need be in
Moscow only one day to convince
himself of that. In the last six
months close to half million work
ers have been added to the manu-
featuring industry alone. The fac
tories work three shifts daily. In
very few instances do they operate
only two shifts, and in some in
stances there are even four shifts.
Secondly, the collectivization of
the villages is cutting off the sea-
sonal supply of part-time peasant
workers. Heretofore many peasants
would come to the cities when the
I seasonal weather did not permit
them to work on the farms or when
they did not have sufficient work
there. Now the collectives-with
the help of government loans, are
starting enormous improvements
and construction programs - new
homes, schools, warehouses, fac
tories, clubs, etc, ETC., out in the
country, so that these peasant work
ers are absorbed by the collective.
Thirdly, more and more workers
4 from the bench are being drawn
| into work in the Soviets and the
Party. This is general policy now
to train proletarians for the po-
sitions of leadership.
Fourthly, many workers are taken
from the factories and sent to col
leges to study engineering and tech
nology and also economics and eff
cheney in production.
| The last two categories may seem
inconsequential, but tens of thou
sands of workers are thus with
drawn from the factories and they
have to be replaced.
This shortage of laborers is al
ready absorbing the old bourgeoisie
and petty trader as well as DECEASED
groups (police under the Gar, all
such people) who are not permitted
to register on the Labor Exchange
until they have worker for five
years as common laborers. Here
tofore, these elements could not find
work very readily; but now they
have no excuses. There is plenty
of work.
Of course, it may not be so pleas.
ant for them to do ordinary mental
labor, but that is the only way out
for them. In Moscow this group of
declassed is very insignificant, but
in the provinces there are still quite
few. Even considering this last
group of DECEASED it is correct to
say with certainty that right now
there is no unemployed problem in
the Soviet Union. Anyone who
wants to work can do so.
Another thing that attracts the
foreigner Immediately is what is
called excursions. This is a pecu-
liarity of the Soviet Union. Wher-
ever one goes-whether it is to the
art galleries, or to the church, or
to the Kremlin, or some former old
Jail, or to the cultural park, or to
a workers institution, he meets
groups of workers, students, Red
Army men or peasant excursionists.
| One meets them in every public
place of any interest. At the head
Of each excursion is a guide who
explains thirgs. Very often one can
see such groups in the middle of the
street with the guide explaining the
Importance of this or that building (;
the difference between one type Of
architecture and another, etc.
h Such excursions are made not only
locally but to other cities. In the
summer acknowledgement now
such excursions are on a grand scale.
There are one-day up to one month
| excursions and at yery reasonable