Evening star., 1942-12-20
Moscow Settles Down
For Winter, With Life
About Like Year Ago
breod Situation Better
iheuter Season Lends
Some Cheer to City
By EDDY GILMORE.

MOSCOW, Dec. 1s-Its watch
nose and your toes lest they
! 1reeze these days as the second lonp
winter ofNwsr settles down on a
MOSCOW wffefe life goes on lust
about as 1t did u months ago.
once more bitterly cold winds are
whipping up and down the streets
ana you've got to keep the tin of
your nose a-wiggle, your feet on
the move and
Grandpa's long-handled under
wear, subject of many a Joke hack
IN the United States, is no Joke here
It's a necessity,
Booted folk fill the sidewalks the
Vallnkl - traditional Russian felt
oooe-having been taken out of the
closet again for another season,
mead shawls are worn by women
ana girls everywhere now.
Fewer Lines Before Stores
one OF the differences between
thls winter and last is that there
are fewer lines before the stores
ana restaurants now.
Last year all restaurants had 1ines
before them for many hours. Bread
e.oies, milk stores, and practically
au 1000 shops were to be found st
tne mead OF many long queue.
now you see but few such lines.
Bread definitely is better handled
A Russian workers ration is lust
the same as last year, but distribu-
tlon is far superior.
Meat is about the same. and here
IT might be pointed out that for a
country which has suffered as this
one has with the invader in the
oepths OF some of its richest lands
It's considerable tribute that it
has meat at all.
Virtually every class worker has
place where he eats daily. LAWYERS
dine at one restaurant: singers and
radio performers at another. This
undoubtedly has saved considerable
from the catch-as-catch-c can princi-
pie by serving many people in public
restaurants.
People Know It's Grim War.
But don't get the impression that
life is gay and bright in Moscow,
Tor its not. This is grim war and
the people know it. There are not
many clothes, no luxuries. and if the
food seems to be sufficient, it's not
abundant.
The loss of large areas which pro-
HlJra6 @,,t
cities such as Moscow. Smaller bulbs
have been installed in hote rooms
and homes. The electricity ration is
smaller than last winter and there
are many places where people, for
a few nights month, live by the
light of their food stoves.
Central heating has ali but dis
appeared from numerous apartment
houses, but the Soviet people who
sensed this during the summer in
stalled thousands of iron or brick
stoves. Thousands Of persons went
into the woods close to the capital
this summer and fall to cut wood
for the winter. There is good sup
ply of this.
On the brighter side, the theater
season is on in full swing. Art
theater players have returned. to-
the city and the market for tickets
is bullish. In fact, you endanger
your shins, if not your life. when
you join the mad rush for them.
New Stars Appear.
New ballets have come. New stars
are appearing. There has been one
American movie here recently
Don Ameche in The Three Mus
keteers." A Lawrence Tibbett film
has been announced as appearing
soon. It's called Charmed BY You"
here. Its American title was Under
Your Spell"
There appears to be as many auto
mobiles on the streets as last winter
but none of them belong to private
citizens They're Red Army or
government cars or trucks going
about the city on business.
Streetcars. buses and subways are
all running better this year.
Again on the non-gloomy side.
skiing days have arrived. You see
lots of this in Moscow's nearby
hills. There's ALSO some skating,
although its not going strong yet.
Friendly Feeling.
The most encouraging fact to
note about life in Moscow today is
the increasingly friendly feeling be-
tween the Soviets and the United
States and Britain.
The African operations and the
fact that more information is
reaching the people about the
United Nations efforts to help their
ally are probably responsible for this.
American officials who daily are
conducting business with the Soviets
report most cordial atmosphere,
ever-increasing cooperation and
sincere feeling of friendship,
Many express the opinion that it
will get even better.