Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-03

the youth in their Com.
mune; attend stirring fac.
tory elections, and go with
red headed sailor editor
Traubi to visit the towns
one remaining church, spend
friendly evenings with the
Betkin family around their
samovar.
About an hour and q half's
journey from Moscow, in Il
small city by the name of PO-
dOlsk, there Is factory which
makes sewing machines. Be
fore the 1917 revolution this
plant was owned and operated
by the American capitalist,
Singer. Today it is owned, like
all Soviet workshops, by the
working class and run by those
who man its machines.
What have been the results
of this change? Has production
increased or fallen off? Is the
product of an inferior or bet
ter grade? Can the workers
produce their own directors
and engineering force? In other
words, has the working class
proven itself capable of man
agement?
What of living and working
conditions? Are the workers
better off and happier than in
the old days? Than those EN-
plOyed by Singer in the United
States? What chances do their
youth get for education and
training? What are their in
terests and ambitions? What
future is before them?
How do teachers, doctors and
white collar workers live?
What about community and
family life, and the new posi-
ton of women? How do people
spend their free time? What
activities does the local Soviet
Government carry on? Who
runs it and how do the people
look upon it? What role does
the Communist Party play?
In general, how does the Red
POdOlsk compare with and diff
fer from any town in the Unit
ed States?
1t was these questions, as
well as many others put by
American workers and students
that took me to POdOlsk.
Friends from the States
now in Moscow, made a wry
face when they heard of my
plan. Why pick such a town?
Moscow, Leningrad, Odessa,
dozen other places would be
far better! They thought by my
choice | was doing the Soviet
Union an injustice.
Frankly, if my purpose had
been other than that of show
ing a very average town, then
| could have selected
far more interesting, cultured
centers, than modest little PO-
dOlsk. 1t would be similar, my
friends argued, to describing
America in terms of Troy, New
York, or Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Yet what is more typical of
modern America than Middle
town, Indiana? POdOlSk is So
Wet MiddletOwn. My aim was
to find neither the worst nor
the best, but the average, dig
ging into the many-sided whole
of existence that makes up
Main Street.
A Main Street, which for the
first time in history, has gone
Red.
For several weeks have
been living in this young so
cialist city, sharing daily ex-
periences in the factory, union,
Party, clubs and homes; max
ing friends and exchanging
ideas on subjects ranging any
where from the technique of
skiing to lowering production
costs, new. standards of con-
duet, problems of child train
ing, proletarian culture, rela-
tiOns between factory and
countryside, the recurrent top
ic of international politics and
will the imperhlists dare to
start war on us in the
spring."
What innumerable cues
lions they ask about America?
They are as eager to learn
more about life in the States
as We on the other side of the
water are to find out about
things here.
So come with me to PO-
dolsk! You will be accepted
by Jack, Olga, Andree and
young Paul, as one of them.
We will go with them to their
work and meetings, drink many
a glass OF tea around the friend
ly samovar, and altogether get
acquainted, at first hand, with
our factory and home town in
the Soviet Union. And what we
find in POdolsk will be typical
of what is going on throughout
this vast land.