Soviet Union Information Bureau


MISCELLANEOUS


Communist Party Membership

THE membership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, as of July 1, 1928, consisted of 1,317,369 members and applicants. They were classified as follows: Workers 60.8 per cent, peasants 20.9 per cent, intellectual and office workers 18.3 per cent. Women members numbered 172,107, or 12.9 per cent.

The members were divided according to their current occupations as follows:

Number Percentage
Workers 559,097 42.4
Factory and transport workers 534,978 40.6
Farm workers 24,119 1.8
Peasants 162,063 12.3
Intellectual or office workers 461,175 35.0
Students, independent artisans and others 135,034 10.3
1,317,369 100

The Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the U.S.S.R. maintain an agency in the United States at 1776 Broadway, New York City. Dr. B. H. Dubrowsky is in charge.

This office, in cooperation with the American and Canadian Red Cross, secures for the families or dependents in the

U.S.S.R. of men formerly soldiers in the Army of the United States and the Canadian Expeditionary Force, the war risk insurance, dependents' allotments, bonus or other monies due them. During 1928, up to November first, 556 American veteran cases and 192 Canadian veteran cases were handled, and 141 awards were secured in the American and 7 in the Canadian cases, involving a total sum of $830,000.

In addition, 464 industrial insurance, workmen's compensation and inheritance cases were handled for the United States and 23 for Canada.

Searches were also conducted for the relatives in the United States and Canada of families in the U.S.S.R., 466; and of relatives in the U.S.S.R. of individuals in the United States and Canada, 35.

State Flag of the Soviet Union

The flag is of red or scarlet cloth, length to width, 2: 1. In the left upper corner are a golden sickle and hammer, surmounted by a five-pointed red star with a golden border.

State Flag of the Soviet Union

Russian Weights, Measures and Currency

1 pood equals 36 lbs. About 61 poods equal a metric ton.
1 verst equals about two-thirds of a mile (0.66).
1 arshin equals 0.77 yard.
1 Sazhen equals 7 feet.
1 dessiatin equals 2.70 acres.
1 vedr (bucket) equals 3.25 gallons.
1 gold ruble equals $0.5146.
1 copeck equals .01 of a ruble.
1 chervonetz equals 10 gold rubles; its gold parity is $5.146.
The metric system is gradually being introduced in the Soviet Union.