The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-26


izationS sending applicants for
summer homes that these organ
izations shall stand the loss. The
worker is responsible only for what
breaksge he might commit himself.
but is bound by the contract to
maintain the house in a clean con-
dition, and to use it properly.
IN addition to those who rent sum-
mer houses, or rooms in them, an
ever growing number of workers are
buying their own summer houses
on easy terms. Since 1929 the
building co-operatives of Moscow
have sold 2.78O such houses, mainly
two-room, or three-room, both with
kitchen, lavatory and verandah, to
workers belonging to these cooper
atives. The central Office of all
building co-ops. here estimates that
this is approximately one-tenth of
sales made by all other organiza-
tons put together, so that some
$1,000 workers must now be owning
their own summer houses, and this
number increases yearly.
The Moscow Soviet itself builds
such houses, all the Peoples Com
missariats build them, many fac
tories build them. These are all
new houses. The building CO.
operatives alone plan to build 512
more this year, $50 more next year,
1874 more in 1886, and 1,093 more
in 1887. Such houses are sold be-
fore they are built. The arrange
ment is like this. A worker Joins
the building coop. He pays what
he can afford monthly, until 30 per
cent Of the price of the house has
been paid in to the coop. The
price will be 1000 rubles up for
the two-room sort of house and
$500 rubles up for the three-room
sort. Higher prices are charged for
houses that are suitable for winter
use, for better materials in con-
struction, etc. The maximum cost
OF the most expensive type of three |
room house is $500 rubles. but most |
OF the houses are under 1000 in
price.
AS soon as the worker has paid /
his 80 per cent in, construction of |
the house takes place, and he can
move into it, paying off the rest at
the rate of 10 to Is rubles a month. |
for period of II to 50 years. The
workers government, through the |
state bank, finances the construc- |
ton of the house, and once the
worker is in possession, it is his. |
and his children's and children's
children as long as they want it. |
But it is for use, not profit: he
can't turn landlord and rent 1t.
except under supervision of the
trust, and at cost price, without
making money on it. A worker
might be sick or something and I'M
able to use his house one summer.
and in this case he is allowed to
rent it, but not to make money on
it.
DATCHA" life is ideal in the
~ summer. The little colonies
never more than a dozen houses at
one place, are scattered in the for
est, within easy walking distance of
the stations, SO that the worker can
catch his train to his daily lob. 1t
has all the facilities of the summer
colonies provided only for the mod
erately rich, in capitalist lands.
You see people running around in
sports costumes. You find central
athletic fields and Libraries and
stores, and kinos within easy walk
ing distance. But most of all YOU
find space and open air. The pine
woods are clean, and the scent of
pine needles is everywhere. There
is no smoke and practically no dust.
People sleep on the verandshs il
they want to, or in rooms with
large windows open. Birds sing in
the morning. Parties are organized
there is much social visiting about
from house to house,
And this is all entirely apart from
the vacation period-this is lust the
way a good worker in Moscow can
live in the summer while still STAY
ing on the job, only 20 to so min
utes ride away from it, and from
whatever the city has to offer And
what Moscow does, all other Soviet
cities do, too. !