Evening star., 1953-08-30
Typical Russian Family
Living Conditions Are improving Ever So Slightly;
TeIevsion Is Popular; Child Beorinq Is Promoted

W1Ao nave aPpcdleQ 10 my VIE,
and other Russian women I
know. to assist them in this
problem. For obvious reasons,
my wife could not help them.
The Woyword Son
Now. as to the other son.
He's just out Of prison. His
term was not q long one and,
looking at 1t from one angle.
I suppose he brought it on
himself.
He kept indulging in the
national f1rewater. vodka, and
every time he did it he would
sound OF on the subject of
Stain communism. He didn't
like it. He added that when
he was a soldier. in the West
during the war and immedi-
ately thereafter, things looked
pretty good to him.
He received a three-year
sentence at hard labor for this.
Had he not been drunk when
he voiced such sentiments his
sen tence, unquestionably,
would have been longer. Rus
slams are tolerant of drunks.
He got out of Jail when the
Malenkov government ordered
an amnesty shortly after it
took over.
The mother Of this family,
as have pointed out. is now a
grandmother. She has been
working at the same textile
factory since she came to
Moscow 27 years ago from a
village in the Tula province.
Her salary is 800 rubles a
month. less certain taxes. She
works about 8 hours a day,
6 days a week. But if the
factory lags in its monthly
plan. then she often works a
10 or even IL hour day toward
the end of the month.
She did this under the
Stain regime. Since, Malen-
kov had been in power her
factory had rot had to con-
tribute extra hours to help
the director hit his production
target.
There is considerable grum-
bling among the workers, but
there is little they can do.
They have labor unions in
Russia. But they don't have
strikes. Definitely not.
The GoIdbrick Fother
And now for the father of
this family. His name is.
let's say, Sergei, because it
isn't Sergei. Sergei, in COM
mon with a lot ofe other peo-
pie. has serious objections to
male labor in any form. He's
had some trouble with his
factory over the years because
of this. He's been docked pay.
He's been denounced and he's
been threatened with a Jail
sentence for dogging on the
job, showing up late. cutting
corners, and sometimes sneak
ing home a little early.
But Sergei is a willy opera
tor He can sail very close to
the wind-the party state dis
cipline wind-and never lose
his job. Like so many Rus
slams he has tremendous
charm, is a marvellous drink
ing companion and can tell
and enjoy-a good story.
When his son got that
prison sentence for denounc-
ing Stain communism, Sergei
shook his head.
That would never have
happened to me-" he sighed.
II might have said that
Stain was a bastard. But I'd
have said he was wonderful
one"
Just before I left Moscow.
I ran into the old rascal on
the street. After a quick eX-
change of pleasantries. I asked
him what he thought all the
new gestures from the new
regime meant.
II don't know yet" he
whispered, "but I'll say one
thing. If they start giving
a little away, they better
watch out. The people have
gone too long without many
things. If they give little.
they may be forced into CIV
ing a lot"
almost didn't ask the next
question.
There may be another
revolution?" asked.
mot the kind you mean," he
said. But the people are
tired. We want to rest. Rest
from a lot of things. There
are all sorts of revolutions"
ASSOCIATED Press)