Mr. A. N. Filipoff has just returned from tong leave which he spent in New York and Inter in California, He gives detailed accounts of - the life "of Russians "in the United States, and his description is none too optimistic.
Being a former Navy officer, Mr. Fiipom met many of his former asociales who came to America with the fleet of Admiral Stark after the fall of Vladivostok to the Reds; and it was through these meetings' that he was able to picture to nimselt the life of his compatriots in' that country.
To those Russians who must corn their daily bread by manual labour, Ufe in America seems grey and monotonous. Russians also. watd, with no Little concern the growth of Communism, especially inthe uni~ versities, The fact that there are today 11 million people In the ranks of the unemployed makes it all the harder for them. Many trade unions require that would-be members must Ost ep themselves a job, while firms hire no-one without a Union card.
'The Russian colony of San. Francisco Is 25,000 strong, and is divided into' the older and the younger} emigres. The former section Is com posed of 8 to 10 thousand Russian Peasants who sailed to California over 40 years ago, and who today adhere sirletly to their Russian ways. and customs: they don't shave off their beards, they refuse to learn the English language and they simply will not mix with the native popula tion. Most of them, as a matter of fact, pine for the Soviet regime, but as they bought land at an extremely cheap" price when they frst immi-rated to America they are all well-to-do farmers with no financial worries. No ess than G.$8,000 needed to acquire a farm In California today.
White-collar work is, valued—in terms of dollars and cents—less than physical work. Most Russians are not employed in their own profes sion, a large percentage working in factories. Those who have really ood positions are in minute minor~ ity. Dr. N. A. Pehelkin, a former Shanghai, resident, enjoys a good practice, having passed the necessary University examination, Mr..N. N. Iazykoff, a former local journalist, work on a Russian newspaper. Duke Vassilt Romanoff, son of the Grand Duke Alexandre Mikhaitoviteh (ormer heir to the Russian Throne), shares. a Hollywood notoriety. with his wife, Princess Golitzina, Russian Students Day Last Thursday was the Day of St. Tatiana, the patron saint of Russian students, and the colony's students and Intelligentzia Joined. forces give full honour to tradition. the Russian Club, in the Youths" Club "Sokol" and in the. "Bohemian" Club KHLAM dinners and speeches lasted late into the night. 'The centre of the celebrants' attention. was Prof. G.G, Telberg, the oldest professor in the colony. Wishing to please everyone concerned, the venerable professor journeyed' from one party to another, and in the course of the night had to give three full speeches, brilliant speaker, he managed 10 hold his audiences in such rapt attention that each speech was followed by seemingly endless applause. Speakers that night were numerous and voluble, their speeches dealing with the history of Russiin university learning, and expressing the hope that everyone present may yet see their alma-maters again, 'M. P, Auge, French Consul-General, paid a visit to the Commercial School accompanied by Mrs. Jourdin, Chairman of the Freeh Benevolent Society, that gives much assistance to indigent. Russ families. They were met by Prof N. P. Pokrovsky, the school's. Direc: for, and Mrs. 1.' S. Kaznkoff, Chairman of the Schools Section' of the Orthodox Contratemnity. M. Auge was led on a tour of inspection over the building and showed keen interest in class-room instruction. Before leaving he suggested that a tennis-court might be constructed for the children, and made a donation of all the necessary equipment.
Businessmen Meet The annual dinner of the Society of Russian Businessmen and Industrialists was held last week in the Russian Club. 'The occasion was also a farewell dinner to the Society's President, Mr. V. I. Dukin, who is shortly leaving for the United States. 'The speeches dealt with the service done' to the Society by Mr. Dukin, who in turn promised to keep up his connection with Shanghai while in America. In addition discussions waged around the need for even closer ce-operation among Russian businessmen in view of the influx of hundreds of refugees from "Austria and Germany, In the opinion of Mr. A. G. Chibunovsky, the Vice-President, no less than iwo thousand resourceful men of business will settle down in Shanghai, and as the field for the energy of the white man is not very big, competition will increase to a large extent. "During the seven years of the existence of the Russian Chamber of Commerce," Mr. Chibunovsky. concluded, "a lot of work has been done, but the hard-fest work still Iles ah ad Rooms Rented by Contract It has already been noted in these columns that when the local Russian Bohemian world held a ball at the "Arcadia" fo raise funds for the former screen-star Ivan Mozhukhin, telegram arrived the same evening stating that Mr. Mozhukhin had died. 'The sum of $500, however, has been collected at that' ball to use as payment for medical service in some locat hospital for any one member the colony's artistic circles. In order to keep up this permanent hospital berth open for any alling member of the Bohemian world, 'a charity alt will be held annually on the day of Mozhukhin's death, Russians living In rooms—who constitute the majority of the colony's Population—have been alarmed by the decision of certain landlords to rent out rooms according to a contract. This contract stipulates: that payment for any month must be made on its frst day, that a further payment will be exacted for electeicity, that "noise" from a radio or gramophone will not be. tolerated, that the tenant is not allowed to lock his own room and hat the landlord reserves the right to inspect the toom and its furniture of any time he wishes, Furthermore, the signa-ory of such a contract cannot appeal to the court in ease of a rental increase, as the contact gives the landlord the right to give the tenant a two-weeks' notice to evacuate the premises. Russians living in rooms and their numbers run into thousnnds—are in consternation.
Mr. E.'S. Kaufman and Mr. G. N. Shipkoff, both Directors of the Zaria Publishing Company, have arrived recently in Shanghai, the one from Harbin and the other from Tientsin.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.