The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-01
May Day In The Soviet Union

MORE than ten million workers and employees
"a and more than a hundred million peas
ants of the Soviet Union celebrate May l not
any more as suppressed and exploited slaves
of the capitalist robber system, but as free
toilers of a country the socialist transforma-
ton of which, is heading towards its speedy
completion.
The proletariat of the Soviet Union has been
able to show already within a few years what
tremendous achievements a working class,
freed from its chains, is able to attain Under
unbelievable difficulties, surrounded by flood
of hostile capitalist states, it developed its in
dustry at a speed which the bourgeosie, even
during its best times did not dare dream Of
"a per cent production increase of socialist in
dustry in the economic year 1928-29, 80 per
cent increase in the year 1929-30 and so per
cent probably in 1930-31-this means no less
than the definite confirmation of the death
sentence passed by history upon the capitalist
order.
The free proletariat also leads to freedom
to light, to better life, the other broad toll
ing strata who had been suppressed by capt.
taism, especially the million masses of the
working peasants. The "mushik," the Rus
sian peasant, who has been in the pre-war
time the most backward human type in Europe
kept in ignorance by church and state, fades
into the past More than half of the many
millions of peasants have already voluntarily
broken with the desolate existence, with the
misery of the individual peasant holding and
under the leadership of the Communist prole-
tariat joined the big collectives to win from
the earth through purposeful organized col
lective work, with machines which the prole-
tartan state gives, more food, more power,
more raw materials, better possibilities of life.
Mighty Soviet estates, whose organization
and division of labor surpass that of the
American "mode" farms, grow up from the
formerly fallow soil. They sometimes attain
higher degrees of mechanization than the most
modern factory. In the biggest one of these
"grain factories" in the "Gigant," practically
not single function is done directly by hand.
The progressing mechanization of agricultural
work, the agricultural towns" that grow up
the Soviet estates and colectives, "agrar-
ian-industrial combinates" with every kind of
cultural comfort that until now was only en-
joyed by inhabitants of the town, they all con-
tribute to the gradual abolition of the differ
ence between town and country.
Every progress in economy carries with it
at the same time an improvement of the posi-
ton of the proletariat. The Russian worker
who before the war was the worst paid in
Europe, has already attained fourth place.
Even according to the prejudced statistics of
the League of Nations his position is only
slightly behind that of the worker of London,
Paris and Berlin land of course the U. s.
and has already surpassed the wage level of
all other European countries. Within three
years the workers of the Soviet Union will be-
come the best paid workers in Europe, accord
ing to the wage increase program He has
already now the shortest working day in the
whole world And one must not forget the
entire system of social insurance for the Rus
sian workers.
In socialist competition, in the storm bri-
gades, communes and similar institutions the
Russian worker builds an entirely new rela-
tionship to economy. He is no more slave.
As member of the ruling class he is master
of his own work. He already got rid Of his
chains, and is now, hand in hand with the OPP
pressed and exploited Of the whole world, pre-