A Report on unemployment in Russia laid before the Soviet
Trade Union Congress says that though there arc over a million unemployed registered at the labour exchanges, the number of unemployed is really about two millions. The Report records that the number of industrial disputes has steadily increased, and in the first half of 1926 equalled the total figure for 1925. The " economy regime " of the Soviet has resulted in reduction of the grants for rest homes, medical and sanitary services, and so forth. The social insurance scheme, even so, shows a deficit of 28.000.000 roubles. and a further reduction of- the grants seems to be inevitable. Presumably such a lamentable state of affairs appeals to Mr. Cook, as he is reported to have said in a speech to 2,000 *omen . workers in a Russian rubber factory :- " You must help us ; our fight would be better if we had better leaders, if we could borrow your leaders—for instance, Ugaroff and Tomsky. The British workers now suffer a tyranny equal to your overthrown Tsarist tyranny: Help us to create a Soviet State in England ; help us to accomplish a revolution such as yours."
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