The following interesting _account of the doings of the Bolsheviks has been related to me by a Russian mine-owner, When the Reds got into power in Petrograd all trust ownership of dwellings was declared at an end but each person living in a house was allowed one room, and if any chambers were thus left untenanted a notice was put up to that effect and anyone who liked could come in and take possession of vacant rooms together with the furniture, as that was not allowed to be removed by its real owners, but was reckoned as belonging to the state. Moreover each large house or flat that had before the upheaval possessed its own st of servants was now "run" by a committee, this latter body having as its members the aforesaid douiestics themselves—no member of the bourgeoisie being allowed a seat on these august boards.
In many cases house-committees were composed wholly of _illiterates, and the question of keeping minutes led to. an amusing contretemps. On one of these soviets the only person -who had any knowledge of reading and writing was a charwoman, who was in consequence made both chairman and secretary.
Tae New Avrocrats.
These house Soviets had complete jurisdiction over the premises la which they were lodged and could turn a person out of his or her abode at their own sweet will. In cases where the servants retained enough fidelity or common sense to decline to take up the task of ruling their former employers, the "street" Soviets undertook the work of regulating the affairs of the houses in question.
In the case of the mine-cunner referred to above, a friend offered to lend him his house in the country some distance from Petrograd, thinking it might be more comfortable than living in the capital city. The friend's offer was accepted and the mine-owner set off for the coun try residence.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.