The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-11-06
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE NICE-PRESIDENT
OF THE MOSCOW SOVIET
~ MYRA PAGE

ssF MY kA PANNE-
Foreign Correspondent of the Daily Worker
TT is a clear, autumn day We make our way
past the Lenin Institute and across the square
where now stands the monument Of fallen heroes
of the revolutions of 1905 and 1917 Children
of the new day are playing about its base. Two
small lads are spelling out its inscriptions let
ter by letter Directly across from the square
stands a sturdy, handsome building Of red trim
med with white-the Moscow House of soviets
over the roof of this former palace of the
czar's governor general of Moscow now floats
z Red Flag When the workers took over the
city and set up their own government they
thought it fitting that in these halls where for
nlerlv their slavery was dictated they should
carry on deliberations regulating their freedom.
The correspondent of the British Daily Worker
and 7 with an interpreter, are going for an in
terview with Conrade Khvesin, vice-president
of the Moscow workers City Council or Soviet.
Picture Jimmy Walker or the Lord Mayor OF
London receiving two representatives Of the
workers revolutionary pressl Also, picture us
caring q whit about interviewing their "honors!|-
However, in the Soviet Union, which is run not
by capitalists but by the working class, workers
and representatives Of workers organizations, re
'ceive every help and consideration
Rebuilding a City
The conrade at the entrance examines our
passes and shows the way in. We go through a
heavily carpeted room up broad marble stairs.
In the next room notice group Of workmen
seated around table, evidently in serious con-
versation. We learn that they are members Of
the SoHets committee on transportation, and
are preparing a report and recommendation to
the broader commission that meets in the eve
ring The Moscow Soviet is composed of 5000
members elected from the factories and all places
of work. The general body meets once in three
months, while the bulk Of the work is done thru
its various commissions, such as housing, educa|
ton, labor protection and health.
Comrade Khvesin, quiet man dressed in
workers clothes, greets us warmly. yes, COM
rades follow events in England and America
very closely. So I am very glad to give you any
information you wish for the workers of your
countries-about our Red Moscow"
For more than two hours we put questions
and talked of the problems plan of development,
and achievements of the workers capitol, with
worker selected by his fellows to fill this post.
Transforming the old backward Moscow which
we took from the car into city worthy Of be-
ing the capitol of workers republic is ire
mendous task Formerly Moscow was known as
Europes biggest village unsanitary, with narrow,
winding streets, and working and living condi-
items for the masses Of the very worst The
spendor of the Krenllin, the glistening doines of
the citys forty times forty churches, the palaces
of the mobiles looked down on block after block
of one and two-story houses filled with hides
cribabe misery and filth.
During the approximately fourteen years
ince we raised the Red Flag over the city we
have had to give our main attention, as you
know, first to holding our country against our
enemies, and since then to repairing the damage
done by years OF war and civil war; to remodel
ing and reequipping the old factories, and in
general to transforming our backward agrarian
land into a modern industrial one However,
while we have not been able to give other as
poets as much attention as we would like, from
the moment that the working class took power
it has been busy Transforming its general social
life as we'll
Let us take housing for example. Before the
revolution laboring families lived seven, eight
and nine in room; with only curtains between
families to give even a bare semblance of pri-
Yacy. Under these crowded conditions women
dition in Moscow; in the provinces things we're
much worse. BY taking over houses formerly ocl
cupied by the rich and by an extensive program
of building we have now arranged that every
working family have at least one ROOM with a
minimum of five cubic metres to person. In
the old days the average space per person was
one and fifth cubic metres. Of course many
families have more than one room You have
seen perhaps some of our new workers apart
Inents and two-family houses?"