Page:John Reed - Ten Days that Shook the World - 1919, Boni and Liveright.djvu/375

 OborontH — "Defenders." All the "moderate" Socialist groups adopted or were given this name, because they consented, to the continuation of the war under Allied leadership, on the ground that it was a war of National Defence. The Bolsheviki, the Left Socialist Revolutionaries, the Mensheviki Internationalists (Martov's faction), and the Social Democrats Internationalists (Gorky's group) were in favour of forcing tiie Allies to declare democratic war-aims, and to offer peace to Germany on those terms. . • •

.

.The following tables of wages and costs were compiled, in October, 1917, by a joint Committee from the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and the Moscow section of the Ministry of Labour, and published in Novaya

Zhizn, October 26th, 1917: Wages Per Day — {Rubles and kopeks) Trade July 19U July 1916 August 1917 Carpenter, Cabinet-maker 1.60 — 2. 4. —6. 8.50 Terrassier l.SO — 1.50 8. — 3.50 Mason, plasterer 1.70 — 2.85 4. — 6. 8. Painter, upholsterer 1.80 — 2.20 8. —5.50 8. Blacksmith 1. —2.25 4. —5. 8.50 Chimney-sweep 1.50 — 2. 4. —5.50 7.50 Lodwmith..^ 90 — 2. 8.5a— 6. 9. Helper 1. —1.50 2.50 — 4.50 8.

In spite of numerous stories of gigantic advances in wages immediately following the Revolution of March, 1917, these figures, which were published by the Ministry of Labour as characteristic of conditions all over Russia, show that wages did not rise immediately after the Revolution, but little by little. On an average, wages increased slightly more than 500 per cent. . ..

But at the same time the value of the ruble fell to less than one-third its former purchasing power, and the cost of the necessities of life increased enormously.

The following table was compiled by the Municipal Duma of Moscow, where food was cheaper and more plentiful than In Petrograd:

Cost of Food— {Rubles and kopeks) August t9U August 1917 % Increase Blackbread {Fund) .Wt}i .12 830 Whitebrcad " .05 .20 800 Beef... * .22 1.10 400 Veal •* .26 2.15 727 Pork... " .28 2. 770 Herring " .06 .52 767 Cheese " 40 8.50 754 Butter " -48 8.20 557 Eggs (Dob,) .80 1.60 448 Milk {Kruakka) .07 .40 471

On an average, food increased in price 556 per cent, or 51 per cent more than wages.