Evening star., 1946-09-04

the prosperous co-operatives and
better situated household plots.
The work credit procedure is de-
scribed as follows:
Each able bodied member of a
collective is obliged to perform q
specified amount of work for the
collective. The governing body OF
the collective determines the amount
each year, subject to certain mini
mum standards prescribed for all
collectiveS, The specified amount of
labor to be devoted to the collective
is expressed in terms of workdays,
A workday is measured, not in terms
of time, but in terms of the type of
work performed and the quality of
the performance. Production quotas
are established for various kinds of
work. The number of workdays
credited for one actual days work
may vary from one-half to two. de-
pending on the type of work and on
performance in srelation to the
quota. Skilled work, such as tractor
driving, is given higher evaluation
than unskilled work. In other words,
one member may earn the number
OF workday credits prescribed for the
year in far less actual working time
than another.
The member is largely free to
spend the remainder of his time as
he chooses. He may earn extra
credits, work on his individual plot,
or engage in other work. There ap-
pears to have been a steady in
crease in the proportion of working
time given to the collective, the
average having been nearly so per
cent before the war"
Money Not Accurate Guide.
Concerning standards of living of
Russian industrial workers, the re-
port explained that money is not
the only form of remuneration. It
also pointed out that great fluctua-
tions in the purchasing power of
the money, the large percentage of
income spent on food and the scar
city OF consumer goods must be
taken into account in determining
how well off any worker or group
of workers is.
The report included statements
that office workers in 1885 averaged
234 rubles month, engineers 436,
unskilled workers 118. It added
that from 1885 to 1899 "a gradual
rise in real wages was experienced"
although considerable variation
continued among groups.
Due to the system of piecework
and bonuses now in operation in
Russia the report said, "it has
been stated that the average earn
ings of higher-paid grades NAV
well be five or six times that of the
lowest grades. Stakhanovites (high-
ly skilled workers) generally re-
ceive bonus of 100 per cent or more
over the normal wage of their
grade"
Peasant Standards Improve.
Peasants, comprising more than
SO per cent of the population, are
still the "underprivileged" group in
Russia but their living standards
gradually are improving, the report
states. 1t goes on.
Although peasants are now con-
suming greater amount of bought
goods than formerly, this is partially
offset by the fact that not nearly
so many articles are now produced
on the farm. Native handierafts.
formerly very extensive in the rural
areas, have greatly diminished. On
the other hand, peasant consump-
ton OF such items as meat. butter,
sugar and soap is said to have
greatly increased. In 1899 rural CO.
operatives sold such articles as
gramophones, cameras, bicycles,
sports and athletic goods to the
amount of 100000, 900 rubles.
The Soviet Union appears, how
ever, to continue to suffer from a