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

MOSCOW, USSR. - Interurban
trains out Of Moscow, fast electric
and steam trains both, are crowded
these warm summer days with
commuters. So, of course, are the
trains out of New York, and many
another big capitalist city. But
there is quite a difference, two main
differences, in fact. Whereas, since
the crisis, the number of commuters
has fallen off in capitalist lands,
during those same years the num-
Der has increased rapidly in the
Soviet land.
The other difference is even more
significant, and explains the first.
In capitalist countries, commuters,
living in summer houses and COM
ing into their business in the city,
are business and professional men.
very few workers among them, and
these mostly foremen and certain
highly skilled borderline cases, half
bosses.
In the Soviet country, commuters
with summer houses in pine and fir
forests near Moscow are workers,
on the average. The Moscow "Da-
tcha" ("summer house') Trusts.
one for each of the five main rail-
way lines out of Moscow, rents such
cottages for the summer to udar-
niks, that is, to the best workers
who pledge to fulfill their norms
and do their job we'll, whether the
udernik is a floor sweeper in a fac
tory or an engineer. These five
trusts together have over 5000
houses to rent, some of which are
very big ones in which so or so
people dwell, each renting a room.
but most of which are two and
three rooms, with kitchen, verandah,
lavatory, etc, cottages of wood,
boards or logs, most Of them newly
built. The Summer House Trusts
rent whole cottages to workers with
families and single rooms to single
workers through the trade unions.
The worker applies along in the
winter for a house in the coming
summer. His application is dis
cussed by his trade union depart
ment committee, and if approved.
as it will be if he is real honest
worker trying his best to build up
socialist industry, it goes to the
trust, which is under control of the
Communal Department of the Mos
COW District Soviet. There the work.
ers' medical record, kept in the am
bulatory of the factory is looked up,
and location found for him that
will give him the maximum of
health advantages-forest for some,
bathing facilities for others, open
plains for others, etc.
THE worker signs contract to pay
L rent, to an amount which is ri
diculously low by capitalist STAN
dards, 1t is charged for by the
square meter of floor space, with re-
auctions for low wages or large
families, and works out about like
this: A worker getting 100 rubles
salary month, will pay on the sv-
erage Is rubles for the whole five
months season, for a single room
that is, five rubles a month. A
worker with family, who rents
four-room cottage, will pay, if his
salary is $50 rubles a month, 100
rubles for the whole thing for the
whole season.
Then he buys his Communication
ticket. The houses are mostly in
the forests that lie along the rail-
roads, forests several miles wide and
reaching from about five miles out
of the city to 20 or more miles. A
one-way ticket to these farther
zones will be about 95 kopecks, and
oorrespondingly less for nearer
places. But season ticket for
summer house renter will be about
80 rubles to the farther zone for
an unlimited number of rides for
five months, and correSpondingly
less for nearer places. Such prices
for rent and transportation make
the cost hardly more than nominal,
transportation is not more than
street car fare would be in the city.
Besides, a considerable number of
the very best udarniks get summer
homes free as premiums, rewards
for good work.
The actual rent Is less than the
cost of current repairs, and the
trusts recently have made it a part