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object is to be the reestablishment of through traffic between Moscow and
Ekaterinburg and the repair of the Kazan…Ekaterinburg line； which
particularly suffered during the war。 An attempt was to be made to
rebuild the bridge over the Kama River before the ice melts。 The
Commander of the Reserve Army was appointed Commissar of the eastern
part of the Moscow…Kazan railway； retaining his position as Commander
of the Army。 With a view of coordination between the Army Soviet and
the railway authorities； a member of the Soviet was also appointed
Commissar of the railway。 On January 25th it was announced that a
similar experiment was being made in the Ukraine。 A month before the
ice broke the first train
actually crossed the Kama River by the rebuilt bridge。
By April of this year the organization of industrial conscription had
gone far beyond the original labor armies。 A decree of February 5th had
created a Chief Labor Committee； consisting of five members；
Serebryakov and Danilov； from the Commissariat of War； Vasiliev； from
the Commissariat of the Interior； Anikst； from the Commissariat of Labor；
Dzerzhinsky； from the Commissariat of Internal Affairs。 Dzerzhinsky
was President； and his appointment was possibly made in the hope that the
reputation he had won as President of the Extraordinary Committee for
Fighting Counter…Revolution would frighten people into taking this
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Committee seriously。 Throughout the country in each government or
province similar committees； called 〃Troikas；〃 were created； each of three
members； one from the Commissariat of War； one from the Department of
Labor； one from the Department of Management； in each case from the
local Commissariats and Departments attached to the local Soviet。
Representatives of the Central Statistical Office and its local organs had a
right to be present at the meeting of these committees of three； or
〃Troikas；〃 but had not the right to vote。 An organization or a factory
requiring labor； was to apply to the Labor Department of the local Soviet。
This Department was supposed to do its best to satisfy demands upon it by
voluntary methods first。 If these proved insufficient they were to apply
to the local 〃Troika；〃 or Labor Conscription Committee。 If this found
that its resources also were insufficient； it was to refer back the request to
the Labor Department of the Soviet； which was then to apply to its
corresponding Department in the Government Soviet； which again； first
voluntarily and then through the Government Committee of Labor
Conscription； was to try to satisfy the demands。 I fancy the object of this
arrangement was to prevent local 〃Troikas〃 from referring to Government
〃Troikas；〃 and so directly to Dzerzhinsky's Central Committee。 If they
had been able to do this there would obviously have been danger lest a
new network of independent and powerful organizations should be formed。
Experience with the overgrown and insuppressible Committees for
Fighting Counter…Revolution had taught people how serious such a
development might be。
Such was the main outline of the scheme for conscripting labor。 A
similar scheme was prepared for superintending and safeguarding labor
when conscripted。 In every factory of over 1；000 workmen； clerks； etc。；
there was formed a Commission （to distinguish it from the Committee） of
Industrial Conscription。 Smaller factories shared such Commissions or
were joined for the purpose to larger factories near by。 These
Commissions were to be under the direct control of a Factory Committee；
thereby preventing squabbles between conscripted and non…conscripted
labor。 They were to be elected for six months； but their members could be
withdrawn and replaced by the Factory Committee with the approval of
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THE CRISIS IN RUSSIA
the local 〃Troika。〃 These Commissions； like the 〃Troikas；〃 consisted of
three members： （1） from the management of the factory； （2） from the
Factory Committee； （3） from the Executive Committee of the workers。 （It
was suggested in the directions that one of these should be from the group
which 〃has been organizing 'Saturdayings；' that is to say that he or she
should be a Communist。）The payment of conscripted workers was to be by
production； with prizes for specially good work。 Specially bad work was
also foreseen in the detailed scheme of possible punishments。
Offenders were to be brought before the 〃People's Court〃 （equivalent to
the ordinary Civil Court）； or； in the case of repeated or very bad offenses；
were to be brought before the far more dreaded Revolutionary Tribunals。
Six categories of possible offenses were placed upon the new code：
（1）Avoiding registration； absenteeism； or desertion。 （2）The
preparation of false documents or the use of such。 （3）Officials giving false
information to facilitate these crimes。 （4）Purposeful damage of
instruments or material。 （5）Uneconomical or careless work。 （6）（Probably
the most serious of all） Instigation to any of these actions。
The 〃Troikas〃 have the right to deal administratively with the less
important crimes by deprival of freedom for not more than two weeks。
No one can be brought to trial except by the Committee for Industrial
Conscription on the initiative of the responsible director of work； and with
the approval either of the local labor inspection authorities or with that of
the local Executive Committee。
No one with the slightest knowledge of Russia will suppose for a
moment that this elaborate mechanism sprang suddenly into existence
when the decree was signed。 On the contrary； all stages of industrial
conscription exist simultaneously even today； and it would be possible by
going from one part of Russia to another to collect a series of specimens of
industrial conscription at every stage of evolution； just as one can collect
all stages of man from a baboon to a company director or a Communist。
Some of the more primitive kinds of conscription were not among the least
successful。 For example； at the time（in the spring of the year）when the
Russians still hoped that the Poles would be content with the huge area of
non…Polish territory they had already seized； the army on the western front
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was without any elaborate system of decrees being turned into a labor
army。 The work done was at first ordinary country work； mainly
woodcutting。 They tried to collaborate with the local 〃Troikas；〃 sending
help when these Committees asked for it。 This； however； proved
unsatisfactory； so； disregarding the 〃Troikas；〃 they organized things for
themselves in the whole area immediately behind the front。 They divided
up the forests into definite districts； and they worked these with soldiers
and with deserters。 Gradually their work developed； and they built
themselves narrow…gauge railways for the transport of the wood。 Then
they needed wagons and locomotives； and of course immediately found
themselves at loggerheads with the railway authorities。 Finally； they
struck a bargain with the railwaymen； and were allowed to take broken…
down wagons which the railway people were not in a position to mend。
Using such skilled labor as they had； they mended such wagons as were
given them； and later made a practice of going to the railway yards and in
inspecting 〃sick