The Washington times., 1931-10-21

Europe, tn e
writer has visit So
ed many Ameri- -
can colonies in Raymond p. Brandt
London, Paris, Coblenz, Berlin
and Vienna. Nowhere has he seen
American women showing such q
brave spirit as in the isolated
groups stationed in Moscow or
ut the industrial developments
throughout the Union.
Judged by Russian standards
the Americans are living in syba-
ritic luxury with their bathtubs,
soap, linen, china, canned goods.
shoes and changes Of clothing.
Judged by American standards
they are barely existing.
Slim Diet for Americans
In these American circles there
Is as much talk about eating as
there is talk in the United States
about prohibition. The reason is
that it is harder to get food in
Russia than to get good liquor in
the United States.
Americans are permitted to i'm
port some Of their supplies and
the government has tried to make
things easier by opening in Mos
COW two foreigners stores" one
which sells food in roubles and the
other in dollars. Goods at the
rouble store are much cheaper
than in the open market, but are
extremely high if the rouble is
taken at par-53 cents.
A 10cent bar Of chocolate, for
instance, costs three roubles. Prices
at the dollar store are only slightly
higher than American prices, but
the choice Is confined to such
staples as white bread, bacon,
cheese, butter, eggs, candies, cigar
cites, wine and q few Russian
canned goods.
/. Many Of the Americans receive
part Of their compensation in
rOubles and do not have American
OK other foreign money to buy sup.
plies at the dollar store.
The Russians can't understand
why the Americans are not con-
tented. An American correspond
ent and his wife, after living for
three years In a two-room Moscow
apartment, were joyous over the
fact that the correspondent was
about to be transferred to Berlin.
The Russian chairman Of the
house committee in their apart
ment tried to commiserate with
them thus:
cot course you are sorry to
leave Moscow where you have
20 many privileges. You know
IN Berlin, foreigners do not
have such privileges as you have
enjoyed here"
He would not believe the Ameri.
cans when they told him that
there was no need for privileges
in Berlin, that better apartments
could be had much cheaper and
that q wide variety Of food was
available to all who had the
money.
Feeding Children a Problem
The American families with
children have the hardest time.
The mothers have difficulty try
ing to duplicate the American
diets.
The wife Of an American en-
gineer in Moscow said that she
spent 400 roubleS, over 5000 at
par, a month for food and then
could not get enough fresh vege'
tables for her 1-year-old and g.
year-old children. Oranges, needed
to prevent ricketts,, are unobtainar
ble in Moscow at any price. Cas-
tor oil can be obtained only on a
doctors prescription and then not
always.
She said she could live better in
Detroit for $25 a month. Also
said that although they had been
given rooms in the newest Mos
cow apartment houses, they had
been forced to move three times
because of cockroaches and bed.
bugs. Her explanation was that
the Russian neigbbors brought
these pests into the apartment.
u. 8. Women Cheerful
But the American women put
on q cheerful front and try to
make the best Of small material.
= At Nizhni Novgorod the wives
of the Austin Company engineers
have made life much more en-
durable for the American con-
tingent. They preserve what Rus
sian fruits and vegetables that
are available in the summer;
they arrange picnics and mid
night Suppers, and they SWIM
play tennis, hike and boat with
the men after working hours.
Last winter, however, they al
most met defeat. Food was Sc
scarce that the Americans paid
five cents each for potatoes the
size Of an egg.
The most AmeFican-Iike homes
are at DnieprOStroy. This Is be
cause Col. Hugh L. Cooper had
the foresight to StipuIate In hi
contract that his men should bC
allowed to import their Suppliel