By encouraging the home workers to form labour organisations, we encourage their painless transformation into workers of the great united, organised, “mechanised” system of social production.
Much has already been done in this direction. For the winter season of 1919-20, for example, State orders were extensively placed among home workers: 2,000,000 pairs of felt boots; 2,200,000 pairs of woollen mits; large quantities of knitted goods; bast shoes; sheepskin jackets; etc. An improvement in production has already become noticeable. For the winter season 1918-19 the deliveries of felt boots down to March 1st, 1919 (!) were only 300,000 pairs; for the winter season 1919-20 there have already been delivered 500,000 pairs by November, 1919.
The advances were given in accordance with a definite plan; raw materials, petroleum, illuminants, and fuel were supplied. In the years 1918-19, the work of organisation took the following form. Conferences were summoned consisting of the representatives of cooperative organisations, of the home workers’ leagues (Centrosoyus, Centrosectia, Moska, Kustarsbyt, etc.), and representatives of the section for home industry of the Supreme Economic Council. These conferences drew up a general plan. Kustarsbyt (the central league of cooperatives for the production and distribution of goods manufactured by home workers and artels) is the largest organisation of home workers which has been drawn into the general organisational scheme. It embraces 29 leagues with 1306 cooperatives, representing in all 631,860 homeworking enterprises. They receive their supplies either from the central organisation or through the local economic councils.
Under the soviet regime, the number of assoeiations is steadily increasing.