The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-02-28
By ELLA WINTER


or an industrial school, nor does
the stigma attach to it which those
names carry with them. 1t is
called a Rehabilitation Colony"
and it is run by the Ogpu, a sol
der at the head and doctor as
assistant.
But Kusnazore, the director,
looked little like soldier and less
like member of the secret police.
He was young, kindly-faced, smil-
ing. 1t was a hot day and he wore
his uniform unbuttoned at the neck
and his cap on the back of his
head. AS he sat in the summer
house telling of the colony, about
forty boys and young men and wo-
men and few small children hung
over the wooden ratings, listening
intently. They were the prisoners
with their wives and children and
they were listening to their war
den tell of the arrangements for
their training and welfare. Every
now and then they would corrobo-
rate his account with mods.
81 did not want to come here at
first" the young soldier said. 81
did not know anything about boys
or about criminals. And l. knew it
would be very hard work. l had
never been anything but soldier.
But now l have been here two
years and | shall stay. This is my
life work" Quite simply he said
this, as the Russians do say and
do things-simply, without pose or
pompousness.
A few years ago, iii 1924, a small
group of prisoners were brought to
summer resort and started at the
work of organizing shops. Out of
this handful the present colony
grew, till now there are a thousand
and more men and women, from
Is to 26 years of age, being taught
trades and a new slant on life. The
colony is about two hours from
Moscow, deep in the woods. One
sees no guards, no cell blocks, no
convict uniforms, no bent heads.
The men have their shirt sleeves
rolled up, working. The girls mix
freely with them.
The buildings, dormitories, din
ing rooms, workshops, are low,
white-washed bungalows or cot
tages. Doors and windows are wide
open, there are neither bars nor
fences. The single men sleep in
dormitories, the married couples
have separate cottages. Any pris-
oner may marry, either another
prisoner or a girl from outside.
So far there are only 100 women
in the colony. awe are combing
the prisons for MORE" said our
guide, "but there are not many
women in our prisons now"
Trades are taught and the chief
articles manufactured is sports
goods. This is new industry for
the Union of Socialist Soviet Re-
publics, since Russia was never a
sporting country. The boys enjoy
making these goods; there is
sense of adventure in turning out
racquets, skates, skis. footballs
and boxing gloves. The occupa-
ton is far from being routine
''hard labor" And, as with other
social institutions in the Soviet
Union, the practical objective is
not lost sight of. Eve have two
policies" said the director "one to
re-educate thieves who we're forced
into stealing by unequal conditions
existing in the Soviet Union, the
other to satisfy the market for
sporting goods"
The further practical scheme is
to create town around the colony
so that those who want to stay
after their sentence has expired
may settle there permanently.
"They will have their wives and
families here, they are bound by
long ties to the commune, and they
can earn their livelihood here, in
the country, away from town and
temptation" said the director. "In-
deed, so popular is our colony be-
coming that thieves have come
here and given themselves up and
others have taken up crime in
order to be brought here"
NEVERTHELESS. the ordinary con-