The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1931-08-21


embraces the inner city, these post
ers make a vivid and refreshing /
There is youth in
their appearance. There is I'M
bound energy in their language.
They are the record of a will to
do and an ability to carry out.
'Let no one, however. be mistak-
en- about the "ancient" Moscow
structures. For their number is
gradually decreasing, giving way
to products of modern soviet archi-
lecture. From every point of van
tage new buildings greet the on
locker. Office buildings, school
houses, museums. The new build
ing of the Moscow soviet is a mas
terpiece of proletarian beauty. The
new post office building is sheer
poetry in stone and glass. The new
architecture differs from the old
no less than new Russia differs
from the Russia of the capitalists
and landlords. Whereas old Mos
COW spread horizontally, the new
buildings are rising high with oft
en- as many as ten or fifteen stor-
les. Whereas the old buildings
were heavily laden with ornamen-
tation, the new ones are simple, al
though somewhat austere. Whereas
the mansions" and palaces" had
rather small windows and a great
deal of blank wall space, the soviet
structures display large windows
and glass roofs. balconies and some
times whole walls of glass. In
brief: old Moscow had a forbid
ding, morose and suspicious look.
New Moscow is frank. free, easy,
altho by no means lacking in dig
nifty and firmness.
"Shall we now have a look at the
signs over the business places of
the city? Not so long ago you
could still see many signs of pri-
vate business. True, the nepman
was under the strict supervision of
the proletarian state. He paid
taxes and had to adhere to the
rules and regulations of the work
ers. Still he was the enemy with
in. He accumulated wealth. He
tcherished dreams of counter revo.
luton, he helped the damagers
He was often a damager himself
Now you can hardly find a private
business place in Moscow. They
have been wiped off the slate
The nepman has been pushed bacl
into the remote crevasses of tht
old town. He may still be selling
shoe strings or old books off ;
stall. He may still be begging
He is an enemy, perhaps, more vi
cious than before. But his glor.
is gone. Proletarian economy tri
umphS.
"There are many stores, man,
restaurants, many cafes in Mos
cow. They all belong either t
workers, co-Operatives or to tn
soviet. They are all doing thriv
ing business. But he who think
that he can just enter a store an
order things for himself will b
disappointed. In most cases h
will be asked for his membershi
card. In the restaurant he wi
be asked whether he is attached
to the place. He viii soon lear
that the stores are mostly close
to the general public, that the res
taurants give meals only to thOs
assigned to them as eating places
and the private citizens" cannC
be served. Moreover. he will lear
that whatever is sold to the privat
citizen, and there are many sue
commodities, is charged four an
five times the prices charged
members. This NAV be very IL
convenient for the private citizel
but since this category include
only foreigners, former gulak
former and present nepmen an
other such element. while the bul
of the population is attached
either a factory or an office or
cultural institution and belongs
co-operatives it guarantees Il
workers and employees a mi
mum of necessities, plus meals
moderate prices. A member Of
cooperative restaurant viii pay f
a dinner so kopecks go cents),
foreigner may pay for the san
dinner as much as three roubl
($1.50). No wonder he is sore.
among the signs over Off
buildings you often encounter Il
word "Stroi." In Russian it meal
construction" works" "upbu;l
ing" Wherever you go you me
with "Stroi." Magnitostroi-hea
quarters of the trust building Il
huge iron and steel works in &
Ural. Observation-Disclosures
the great power station on e
Dnieper now nearing cornpletio
Observation-Disclosures of I
combination of plants producil
agricultural machinery.
AS we resume our walk tn
the Moscof Electroselstroi, Enc
gostroi, Sooperstroi. Kuznetzkstr
Salstroi, Sovkolhozstroi T
soviet union is building. 1t is o
huge workshop extending over OF
sixth of the globe.
"But what does this little &
nouncenent mean? 1t is posted
the front door of an office bui
ing and reads: "The commission
cleaning the central office me
, on the third floor, room 3p1. "
!, receive visitors from 9 to s." I
commission on cleansing is
; pointed to examine the person
of the office from the peint
view Of efficiency and loyalty
- the workers state. 1t meets op
ly. It receives complaints. 1t
amines everybody's work. 1t CT
out the unfit, the hostile, the N