The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-13
Where the Miners of the Soviet Union
Take Their Annual Months Vacation
Coal Diggers Get Full
Pay During Their
Vacation Period

oOaAlOAl Il NA AOH
this and other Soviet rest homes.
Everybody must go to his bed,
undress, get in it, and lie quiet for
one hour. You don't have to sleep,
you can read Though I have heard
that in some places reading is
barred but you can't talk out loud
had always supposed when I heard
Of this regulation that it would be
irksome, but I found that on the
contrary, the big meals, the fresh
air with the smell of pines in it, and
the physical exercise made the hour
in bed quite delicious. You get up
from it feeling strong and well, and
look around for something else to
do until supper.
IN the library we're a lot of people,
l mostly the young ones, lolling
about reading. Each camp has its
library, and you can draw books to
read in your bunk if you want to.
The old people and a lot of young
sters were still playing games or
talking in groups. There was still
a lot of music to be heard. You can
draw a mandolin or a guitar just
like you draw a book Groups were
made up to boat on the river.
An hour or two after supper, the
clubhouse was the main center of
interest. There the interchangeable
physical director, after a day of
giving the &C. T o." examinations
(passage of Is tests enabling the
contestant to wear a special badge,
labelled Fit for Labor and Defense'D
was teaching mass games and
dances.
On the stage at intervals appeared
self activity" teams, presenting
short plays, putting on song and
dances pecialties, A string orchestra,
one or two professionals and the
rest volunteers, were performing and
were very popular. The games got
quite hilarious, everybody taking
part, with shouts of laughter The
only serious note was when the
Daily Worker correspondent was
recognized and forced to make
speech and answer questions. I'm
agine being asked, How do the
miners of America spend their vaca-
tions?" The miner Of America has
neither rest home nor vacation.
1t all wound up with a dance,
some time about II p. m. after
which the camp was quiet, the
houses darkened.
You don't have to take part in
games or self activity" but the
some time after II p. M, after
the first few days in camp. He
begins to feel a flood of energy that
demands expression.
Not all miners get to rest homes
every year, though the principle is
recognized that they have a right to
go. Not all miners can spend their
whole regular months vacation with
pay at a rest home. They all get
the months vacation with pay,
eevery year, but last year only $4,000
Don Basin miners got tickets, with
fare paid, to rest homes. The rea-
son is simply that there aren't yet
enough such places. The number of
monaSteries and palaces left by the
old regime isn't sufficient; enormous
building of rest homes has taken
place since the revolution, but five
times as many more will have to be
built. Building is going on at a
terrific rate. This one is an eX-
ample. Before 1887 it will be en-
larged so that it will hold 5000 at a
time instead of the present 2,700
The period of residence will also be
extended from the present two weeks
to the full month. They plan to
build many whole villages of Forest
Camps" each in a different style
of architecture, but each housing
about 500 workers and arranged
around a club house in the center.
They have forest enough for it
here.