1959-09-26 — Page 8

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THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, · · · 1959, ✔

THE POSITION OF CHILDREN IN THE SOVIET UNION TODAY

Mother puts the State before her family

VASSILY was not really conscious that he had a

father or mother-or even what those words meant-until he was six or seven years old. A few days after his birth he and his twin sister Natasha were put in the care of the creche attached to his

mother's factory. A few weeks later she was back at work, leaving the children at the creche at eight o'clock and collecting them at five, in time to get them their supper and put them to bed.

Phr sically, Vassily was usually happy at the kindergarten. He was well fed and looked after by well-tramed nurges, and enjoyed playing with the other children.

But someurnes he felt lonely, and when he cried the nurie, although kind, was usually too busy to comfort him,

At first he did not remember | the face of the woman who came to take him akay at night, but at he grow older and under; Bood what she said, he learned that this was his mother.

(1

ills mother justified herself by saying that Russia had lost twenty million people in War ana that the State word that soon begun to crowd Vassily's young horizon need ed the women's contribution to the national output, from women doctors to bus drivers. teachers to machine hands.

☆

from

She would always end the quirrel by saying she would rather be a man's equal in every way and do a man's work or she did in Russia, than be tied to the kitchen sink us he would be in any other country. and emancipation Communiom were her twin slogens.

"Well, it it's emancipation to

labourer, be h bullders' can keep it," her husband would

Emancipation non reply. sense, Tacy are just mak ing a virtue out of economic necessity."

By

JOHN GRIFFITHS

The Rursions can, sometimes overcome the impositions of red

tape by practical commonsense, and an incident told me by a very pretty student teacher lus- trafes this

At the end of tarm she was directed by the Komsomal-the Young Communist League to work for 4 hours on a building He began, too, to build up a site before taking her holiday.

of other countries as After only four hours it was ob picture places of poverty and oppres- vious that a girl straight from a stan bent on destroying Russia, college desk was not going to be Tids picture was coloured by of much more use and might even the many children's books injure herself, so the foreman cheaply available which he was packed her off home and jotted encouraged read:

down 10 hours' labour" in her student record book.

days of the Revolution.

to

on

The starvation of information

On his 11th birthday Vassily Vasily's father was an elder became a regular buyer of the All the same, the whole sys- ly man and a little old-fashion- youth memizing "Zinc Sila" em la geared to creating mon ed. He and his mother. would ("Knowledge is Strength"), and women who will drop un- sinnetimes quarrel over the Through he began to acquire resistingly into Ure Socinits! children being sent to the kin the desire and

energy to gain patiem. Except in the field of dergarten.

on, junt as knowledge, or rather informa aclonice and technology, orginal

Lenin had urged and critical thinking to nearly al the workers to do in the early ways discouraged. Naturally this

emphasis places greater Vassily was too young technical education in which tho realise yet that he was Be Russians are probably supreme. cumulating information but not

* trained to think. to being discriminate and to take de- elsions for himself. Nor did he in most marked among univer know that facts and ideas that ally student and graduates who .contradicted Communist as- Me eager to weigh the evidence sumptions were

carefully kept for themselves as they gradually not they are through from him

24 State become aware controlled syllabus and in- allowed to see it all. deed from his teachers, also, Vassily's realest need was Both Vassily and his sister for European books and papers went on to do a further three which would give him the op- years in the secondary part of posite side of a picture that he the school, Dut

only Vassily only realised at university had passed the examinations for another side. He wants desper- university and the world of ately also to talk over his yearly

Increased scholarships theories with foreigners, and further exams that have to I found quite a number of be passed.

to ready

criticise people the practical mistakes of Com- munitum, although these "nd- missiona"

10 seemot

have There is some truth in both

been learned by rote," their arguments, but the matter

One young man was at great of-fact way in which the broken

pains to say how wrong Russla link between mother and child

had been to build tractors with is accepted that is something

caterpillar traele, auth how that, She spent three days a week in Bied with the spirit of self- I found disquieting.

When they were seven years clay and two doing practical criticism, the government

hnd Natasha left work at a factory where she learned from the West to bulld old, Vassily and

employed when she them with tyres. He genuinely the kindergarten for n

joint would be

left school. In this way she primary and secondary school

expect me to be Impressed by Attendance was compulsory and gained a good acquaintance with

really the practical aspects of life. free for the next seven years.

nagunimity. I found the Russians very During those reven

Vassily was a rarer birch but years proud of this aspect of their cefti. Vasally heard his teachers eon-

was equally calional systems they were of not unique, Ho stantly saying, "The system all of it, and rightly so from the ready to discuss and even trill- point of technical achievement.

else certain aspects of the philo- Teachers in Moscow, Leningrid sophy of Communism and Minsk, however, were ail effect on men's way of life. He

incisive equally worried by the possible decline was

you

will ensure the social education of the child at all singes ... and turn out fully developed men bers of Communist society."

A just pride in Russia's tremendous nehlevements grew

in him and he was taught to

Jook

It was in the secondary school that Natasha especially learned the signideance of the new edu- catlon scheme which fulfilled Lenin's an "to Link up tuition with productive labour."

seemed

to

and its

when

in neademic standards which this questioning Western preconcep- division of labour might cause. tlons. Like his fellows, however, As one of them put 1, "is bo was utterly convinced that

up to Lenin and other is one sphere in which inere intrinsically and in most ways great Russion leaders of the productivity is not the sin le Corrmunkin

of solution the planners would like the best form

it to be."

revolution ns

plenty,

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coco.

was the mean to

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OCTOBER. 1.

OCTODER 25 „NOVEMBER 14

„OLÇEMĀTĀ 11

·ST. GEORGE'S BLDG. - 7 CONNAUGHT RD - HONG KONG

PSST!"

London Express' Bervice.

Confusion, chaos at dawn

was September 1, 1937. Newspapers carried By. banner headlines announcing rapid Japanese military advances across China. Tucked away in a corner of one of the inside pages was a brief item: "Forecast: Light westerly winds, freshening to a gale from the north to north-east. Fair at first, cloudy with rain and squalls later."

This forecast was the harbinger of the most destructive typhoon ever to strike Hongkong. It left behind 11,000 dead, and over 40 ships in the

harbour in distress.

of

Hongkong had never experi-

ANDREW

SLOAN

out Insurance polletes with one of the lording local Insurance companies on Sept. 1. (the day before the typhoon struck).

On that same day the shang- hal Refugees Committeo had and higher. Fighting decided that all the refugees A Butterfield and Swire ship, higher

debris of fallen accommodated in the. Jockey the Kalgan, pulled her anchor through the

over to from Kowloon Bay to a point beams and walls, the firemen, Club were to move

up residence ncar the Kowloon Star were later supported by police Kowloon to take

In the Lalchikok Gaal Quar- Ferry Pier, There the wind men who arrived on the scene.

480 women and direction, owung One policeman said that It lors. The changed

estimate children were to have been her completely pound and would be difficult to

the last day of she crashed into the pier. Deck, the number of people who died moved on hands and ferry, coolies helped in the fire, as the bodies of are August, and final arrangementa to lash her to the pier, which victims were washed out of the had been drelded.

But the typhoon' cums firal enced anything like it before and roads, blocking the majority in was the way she appeared the buildings by the high tide. But is not likely to sgah-although the Perit district.

next morning. She had a heavy it was known that at least 20 It was just as well the refuzata

not

beenus moved course the possibility re- In the harbour, which Was list outwards, and on board people lost their lives,AUD were mains.

quite busy at the time, ships wreckage was littered all over am, the fire was still smoulder- Laichikok came in for its sharo

of damage.

A row of houses' were grounded, a number sank, the decks. All her hatches had ing The Colony experienced

construction in Lower local junk population been ripped off. The bow of the

It was later described as one under

Road were heavily wild, sleepless night. After the and the

Kelgen war over the Kowloon of the most spectacular blazes Laichikok

The unflalibed top followed were decimated.

damaged. typhoon struck there

The same tidal wave that Police pier, and her anchor chain in the history of the colony. four hours of fantastically high

swinging and clanking

When the storm died down, floor of each house was blown EOTIO winds-one gust was unofficially washed way Taipo Hui, sank was

reports altered into newspaper out of position, and in registered at 100 m.p.h.-which practically all of the Shautaukok against it.

AWE-INSPIRING

offices, and here are some of cases was banging dangerously

over the floor' beneath, ripped off housetops, wiped out sing feet. One correspondent,

which them, dramatic, funny and village. #complete

disrupted plecing together the story from

had been flooded. Some 15 other ships were

tragic: communications

fossed Information he had glecood from and

about the people who had seen the tidal aground or in grave danger of. ocean-going iners

were small wave, sald: "A tkdal wave more sinking. But death on the sea harbour as if they

than six feet high, rose in Tolo was not as heavy as had been the tramlines after being lifted. over the Gloucester Road band Bay harbour shortly before 3 feared.

sampans.

HURTLED

m

fres

in

living

which was

risen

a

A small Junk was found. On

*

**

havoc.

But.

complete shornblen addition the whole aren was

seriously flooded," a China Mall correspondent soiri.

46

Then as it lo cap it all, a trund typhoon was. reportert Bading for the Colony by the CONFUSION

[1.7 Thursday, September 2, On the Island, one of the most by huge wayer,

Royal Observatory. According to a report from the Manila When dawn broke everywhere swept down the entire length of spectacular

Following the flooding of the Obervatory, at 10.30 am on was confusion and chaos, utter the inlet, devastated the Shau- memory at the time, broke out

taukok fhing fleet, (more than on the waterfront,

the accond, typhoon WHE and complete.

East 123 miles A record of the typhoon kept 100 people were drowned) and caused by a short circuit. Water railway tracks in Kowloon, a

were seen scooping fish out of cf the Colony, moving NW, out Talpo Old Market, hnd found its way into the number of enterprising Chinese centred samo at the Royal Observatory says: wiped

a ground floor of one of the build-

of water In

Nathan straight for Hongkong. pools "This was probably Hong- after which it continued for

ings when the tide Mad

Read many catches of Uyo ish fortunately this one, died out, for quarter of a mile inland." kong's worst typhoon,

causing the blaze. although the highest hourly

HAVOC For five hours at the height were still being made lato on wind has been exceeded on

of the steam, police and firemen the morning of September 2.

Among these was one colour- Looking at the quiet residén- several occasions, the maxi-

tal area of Kowloon Tong as mum gust (1d5 kunts) and the More than 40 big ships were in battled with the binge, waist-

2 ful floh severs! feet long, of

Hongkong it is now, ji s hord to imagine minimum pressure (956.4 mb. difficulties after a wild night of deep In water. Just after

when the number 10 type unfamiliar

which waters,

had evidently what it looked like after the at me) are the most ex- furious winds, The Royal Obser- treme on record, Certainly vatory's anemometer, brake after typhoon signal was ralced,

been swept along with the typhoon had finished wreaking : alarm went out from

typhoon for many mlies. Hongkong has never before or registering a gust at 130 m.p.h, fire

"The area bore every appear. since suffered such extensive It was only built to register up Connaught Road west,

Fieret gusts of wind fanned

unce of having been visited by to 125 mp.b. damage."

In the De Luxe Garage, in n voet ficet of bombers. Roofa Early reports indicated heavy Many sul remember the wild the conflagration into a raging

one Nathan Road, part of the bulld- had boen blown off, walld of life and millions of journey of a Chinese ship, the Anterno, sweeping from dollars worth of minor damage. An Lee. Qught in a 100 m.ph: building to the next. When it ing was fintioned, but a car was blown in, and everywhere wea

WPS eventually extinguished till sitting ten feet up on 群 As it proved, this was ua- gust, she broke anchor and be- fortunately the care.

gan to career around the har- the next morning, 10 buildings hydraulic lift, unharmed.

# For nearly 24 hours there was bour. Two warships HMS Suf- had been completely gutted.

From the mid-level Peak no contact with the New folk and HMS Diamond got in

Included in all the shipping

On September 3, ang editorial Territories. Then now head- the way, but still the An Lee district, the Bre was described

as an awe-inspiring sight," by, ju distress, were quite a large writer concluded bla summing lines were made.

continued.

saw it, Flames number of river boals. One up of the results of the typhoo She finally hurtled stern-Brst residents who

China by saying: into a section of the prays, and shot high into the lashing rain ovrrespondent

Next and wind, and the entire area Mall at the tuna wrote; "In the

".... who "Tidal Wave Hits Taipo- there she came to rest.

can altogether quash a sneaking feeling that Entire Village Wiped Out In morning, only her stern could be was bathed in the ruddy glow. case of the river boats it is. Night of Terror, "the head been sticking high in the air, As the fire grow worse, the learned from a reliable, source they have been through an ex- perience something of a lark." lees and poster screamed. Still with her bows.well under water. water in the ground floors rose that the owners had only taken stunned by the effect of the storm around then, the town-

people were further astonished- to learn that a tidal wave of gigantic proportions had swept through a small fishing villogo near Tulpo, called Talpo Hul.

Not a building the villago was left standing, and пото than 200 people had either been swept to sca or drowned when caught under the wreckage of their homes. One of the first persons to get to the village, recounted how he had seen a huge pile of corpets, numbering at least 100, under the wreck of the Talpo Bridge. Evidently, he said, they had been caught thore us the flood waters had receded

TIDAL WAVE

Only a few miles away at Talpo Market, Police and all The able-bodied were feveristily working to clear wreckage. hoping to find survivors. but there were few. By the oven- ing of the third, more than 100 badice had been found and laid out for identification. It was extinatech that at hundred mure, had been awept out to sta.

Most of the people of the village ot Talon Hul werd. isherfolks, and many of them had come ashoro from their sampar and junks hoping b cape the ravages of the størr they know was on the way.

Back in town it was the same. Tom of te was: high, and damage, was immers

Before and during typhoons there is rain. From 10.30 pm. on the evening of the first, until 7.00 am. on the second, just over five inches fell.

Nullahs and draina, could not cope with the deluge.

In many cases the foreo of the water rushi- ing along them, tore up the éement, As the water eroded the underlying earth away, miniatime waterfalls were furned,

Raging torrente aweeping down `hiliaidda washed away trees and

JETAIL. Kušten, wirowing their over i

for

the

rumbling nõlse?

for Dulles

turning in his grava .