Date: 1895
Source: ru:LS/v40

1894—1922
YEARS

QUESTIONNAIRE 1
[1894-1895]
I. FACTORIES AND FACTORY ADMINISTRATION
1. Name of the factory or plant.
2. Address.
3. Year of establishment.
4. Have there been any changes in the factory's management,
production, and work order? Did the change of
manager, director, foreman, etc., affect the workers (their
position in the factory, wages, etc.)? Indicate the most
characteristic examples.
5. Surname of the owner and manager.
Number of workshops or subdivisions (shops, etc.).
6. List all.
II. WORKERS AT THE FACTORY
7. Number of workers, male and female, adults (approx.
years), adolescents, and children of both sexes.
8. Nationality of the workers (how many of each nationality).
What are the relations between them? Relations with Russian
foremen, etc. Is there any animosity between different
nationalities? How is it explained? Examples. How developed are
other nationalities?
9. Origin of the workers—villagers or local
residents. What made the former go to the city, how long ago? Are
village workers sharply different from city workers (in what way); how
do city workers treat them; is there alienation, discord between city
and village workers; do they socialize with each other; how do
village workers behave at first and then.
10. Do workers live long at a given factory; if they change, then why?

11. To what age do they live on various jobs?
Is rest required from time to time? Do they go to the village in the summer
months to improve their health, or, if villagers,
to cultivate the field? How many years in a row can one work
at a given factory? Conditions of admission to the factory. Doctor's
examination. Does it happen that most are given certificates
of diseases they do not have, but which appear later,
during the work process itself.
III. WORKING CONDITIONS
12. Indicate all individual work specialties (machine
operators, spinners, fitters, turners, unskilled workers, etc.).
Number of workers in each specialty, taking into
account sex, age.
13. Description of the work. What does the work of each
specialty consist of, i.e., does it require more mental or physical labor?
Immobility, monotony, tediousness of the work.
14. Factory premises, its size, temperature, cleanliness;
indicate departments where it is particularly bad (dust, heat,
drafts, cold, etc.). Hygienic condition of the premises.
15. What kind of machines, do they run very fast (has their
speed increased recently), are they dangerous
(gears, unguarded dangerous parts of
drives), are there any guards, are accidents
frequent in general, what kind and why are they most often (narrow
passages, fatigue, cleaning while running). How do workers relate to all
this—facts.
16. Is there any compensation for injury;
are lawsuits frequent and in whose favor is the win; indicate examples,
how much did the factory pay for injury and how many [times] gave
nothing; where do the disabled,
unable to work, mostly go.
IV. WAGES
(Conditions of receipt, reasons for increase, decrease, payment terms, etc.)
17. Wages by specialty, age, sex...
18. Comparison with the past regarding earnings; if
decreased, since when; if added, then why;
examples.
19. Piecework pay. Is there a norm (known
quantity of piecework output); if piecework pay exists, since
when was it introduced; compared to daily

YEARS
pay, is it better paid; is there a tendency to increase the norm, due to competition between workers.
20. Is daily or
weekly pay, etc., used in some departments; does the worker understand the advantages
of daily or weekly pay; how does he relate to both—examples.
21. Is there a division into shops and shop pay;
are there [not] cases when a worker receives below shop
pay ("burnout") and how much is the factory administration
to blame here; how high is shop pay compared to others
and how do workers relate to it—examples.
22. Payment terms; have there been any recent
reductions or extensions; workers' attitudes to various payment terms.
23. Are there contractors: 1. contractors (foremen) who only take work from the factory, but the factory itself pays; 2. contractors (pieceworkers) who give work taken from the factory from themselves and pay themselves (not the office); who are these pieceworkers—foremen or workers; do they benefit much from the workers (in terms of exploitation and receiving
profits); do they lower earnings; how do workers relate
to this, especially to the latter; was there a demand to eliminate
these pieceworkers.
24. Constancy (continuity) of work; when does the factory
work especially hard (time of year); do workers receive pay
or settlement in case of interruption; do they force workers to wait for the start of work without settlement.
25. Is there an "army of unemployed" at this plant;
are there permanent candidates living at the plant (visiting
the factory daily and, in case of refusal of a place by a worker,
taking his place); can it be indicated where the unemployed
come from (do machines push out, due to greater
productivity, or termination of orders for this factory,
etc.). Is the pressure of the unemployed noticeable on the working
in terms of lowering wages, more frequent purely
arbitrary refusals to work on the part of the authorities and in general
greater arbitrariness *.
27. Conclusion of contracts and factory conditions with workers.
Describe in more detail the conditions of admission. If they refuse, then
why—facts; how many come to hire daily.
At what time of year is there less, more.
28. About settlement with workers. Has there been and does there exist
any tricks leading to fraud by factory owners during settlement—facts in more detail.
* Point 26 is missing in the manuscript.

V. WORKING DAY
29. Length of the working day on weekdays and Saturdays; by individual
specialties, sex, age, workshops, and departments;
regarding stokers and in general the length of the working day for workers
who need to arrive at the factory earlier (to
prepare the steam boiler for work, the machine, etc.).
30. Shifts; do they exist, describe in more detail
when they start, end, what breaks; night work
by sex, age, specialty... How do workers relate
to shifts and night work at this factory.
31. If there is a restriction of the working day for children,
is it strictly enforced in accordance with the laws of the factory
inspection; who does it depend on; does the work of children lead to a reduction
of the working staff and throwing adult workers
onto the pavement. Examples.
32. Is there a difference between the established working
day and overtime work; are there arbitrary extensions,
for example, they start the machine earlier and stop it later, take away time from breakfasts, lunches, etc.
33. Is there overtime work, how often, for how long,
do they force you to work on holidays; how is it paid at
various times. Indicate an example of how much overtime work
there was per week, month... at what time of year is it most;
is it noticeable that overtime work has lowered earnings;
if so, indicate examples.
34. Holidays, their number, do they celebrate Sundays, tsarist,
twelve great feasts; is there work on holidays and how
is it paid.
VI. IMMEDIATE SUPERVISION OF WORKERS,
CONDITIONS OF WORK ACCEPTANCE, THEFT AND FINES
35. Foremen, journeymen, and sub-journeymen (pointers,
rankers, etc.); workers' attitudes to them; who are they, how
do they treat workers (abuse, beatings); are there protests from
the workers and what do they lead to—facts and facts; how do
foremen and other authorities treat women and children.
36. Rejection of material; do they fine when the fault is
not the work, but the unsuitability of the given material (shoddy threads for weavers, etc.). Examples, in detail.
37. Does theft of material occur, both on the part of
workers and on the part of foremen. Are there searches, in more detail
this operation on women (are there strip searches,
abuse); if there is theft, what does it entail

consequences for workers (fine, settlement, prosecution). What
causes the theft, is it not low wages.
38. Fines; list them (for lateness, for how much
time—how much do they fine, for example, */4 hour, У2 day,
non-appearance, absenteeism, disobedience, etc.); in what amount, more
examples, how much did factory owners collect in fines from workers per week, per month. Where does the money go (for the benefit of
capitalists, or into capital for the needs of workers, according to the law).
Was this law circumvented by means of, for example, fines
as rewards. (They reduce workers' pay with fines, and then,
they say, we will reward them.)
39. How do they treat those who have lost the ability to work
(injured or from old age). Do they settle or provide
security. Do they place them in a factory hospital; at whose expense are the injured treated—fact.
VII. CLEANING MACHINES, SCHOOLS, MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
40. Cleaning machines, machine tools, is special time given,
on the go or do they stop during cleaning. Are accidents frequent during this
and was there a protest from the workers. Is special pay due
for cleaning.
41. Are there schools, number of students, children of workers or
foremen, does it happen that working people study, are there
deductions from wages for the maintenance of schools. How do
factory owners and workers relate, what importance do they attach.
42. Are there many literate people, do they read newspapers, books, what
more often, are reading intelligent workers distinguished from the rest, how do other workers relate to them, are foremen
not hostile to readers.
43. How do factory owners treat workers reading books, to attending Sunday schools, do they not look hostile
at this.
44. Are there hospitals, how are they set up; are there
deductions from workers' pay for them, how do doctors treat workers,
and vice versa.
VIII. FACTORY INSPECTION, COMPLAINTS, HOUSING, FOOD
45. Factory inspection, how often does it visit the factory,
how attentive and conscientious are they to factory shortcomings. How do they relate to workers' complaints. Examples, examples
and examples. Names of inspectors and their addresses.
46. Complaints to factory owners, the police, or the inspection. Do
workers consider it useful to complain, were there dismissals
from the factory, arrests, fines after the complaint—examples.

47. Workers' housing at the factory and from the factory. Factory
barracks, how much do they cost, size, cleanliness, furnishings,
does the owner take profit on this, the price. Do they strictly watch
the workers in the barracks, are there restrictive rules and other
police measures, how for single and married—in more detail; are there baths, workers' attitude to factory barracks, are they
satisfied, are there protests—examples.
48. Free workers' housing, describe it as well as the
barracks. How are families, singles arranged; how many
live in one room; crowding, price, what is the distance and how
much time is taken to walk to the factory.
49. Workers' food, how often do they eat meat. Is there a
canteen at the factory, do factory owners profit from them; are there general readings in such canteens, what do they read; price, how
do workers relate to such canteens; examples.
50. Do factory owners pay with goods, what kind;
is it more expensive and in general is it beneficial for workers or not—
examples.
51. Are there factory shops; is it mandatory to take
in them, the difference in prices; examples in more detail; quality
of goods, workers' attitude to such shops, protests, are there
agreements between factory owners and shopkeepers; what does this lead to;
examples.
52. Are there consumer or savings societies.
Are deductions from workers mandatory for this. Is there control
on the part of workers; are there abuses; how
do workers relate to this. Is there a desire among workers
to independently organize funds that provide assistance in case
of unemployment.
53. Are there donations (do they exert pressure
on workers—to donate to prayer services, icons, etc.). Do
those who do not give this not suffer disfavor from the authorities.
How do workers relate to this. Examples.
54. Credit from shopkeepers. Do many take goods on credit;
the difference in price in this case; do workers understand the losses
in this case; the disadvantage of this. Do they think about changes.
Examples.
IX. BLACK BOOKS AND STRIKES
55. Black books, are there any, where factory owners write down
workers. How do they treat those politically involved.
Do they make notes on passports. How friendly are
the relations between factory owners and the police, the factory inspection.
Examples.

56. Protests and strikes. List in more detail all cases
and reasons, course of events, consequences, and results. Are there
and have there been examples of workers' desire for all kinds of unions, for what kind. More examples.
57. How do workers view such means of protecting their
interests.
Printed from a manuscript written by an unknown hand
1 This questionnaire for studying the working and living conditions of workers
was distributed in the winter of 1894/95 among members of the St. Petersburg
"League of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class," as well as propagandists
of other circles.
The questionnaire was found by Candidate of Historical Sciences V. V. Lozhkin
among the documents of the police department on the affairs of comrades
of V. I. Lenin, arrested with him in December 1895, and during
subsequent mass arrests of members of the St. Petersburg "League of Struggle
for the Emancipation of the Working Class." According to the inventory of items seized during searches
conducted on December 9, 1895, it was found in the apartment of P. N. Lepe-
shinsky and S. Gulyanitsky, A. L. Malchenko and P. K. Zaporozhets, and later,
on August 12, 1896, at M. Ivanova's. The questionnaire is written in black
ink by an unknown hand on sheets of paper the size of a notebook. It
has no signature or date. The authorship of V. I. Lenin has been established by means
of stylistic comparison of its text with Lenin's works of this period
and on the basis of the memoirs of comrades in the St. Petersburg
"League of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class." Thus, M. A. Silvin,
a member of the central group of the "League of Struggle ...," wrote in his memoirs
"In the Days of the 'League of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class'": "The question
of studying the working and living conditions of workers in each factory had already
been raised by Vladimir Ilyich. Now he has compiled a detailed 'questionnaire,'
which would be interesting to find somewhere in the old gendarme archives.
This questionnaire occupied a little more than four
quarter sheets of paper, written in his neat handwriting. This questionnaire
was available to each of us. We multiplied it and distributed it to propagandists
of other circles. We were so carried away by collecting information that
we abandoned all propaganda for a while. Vladimir Ilyich
also took up this matter very zealously. Someone from our workers, Shel-
gunov or Merkulov, visited him at home, and he brought
them to the seventh sweat with his inquiries" (Memoirs of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin,
1984, vol. 2, p. 47).
Mention of leaflets with developed questions, which
listeners of the circle received from their lecturer—V. I. Lenin,
is also found in the memoirs of I. V. Babushkin. "We received from the lecturer leaflets
with developed questions, which required us to carefully
familiarize ourselves and observe factory life. And so, during
work at the factory, we often had to go to another workshop
under various pretexts, but in fact—to collect the necessary information
by means of observations, and sometimes, when convenient, also for conversations.
My tool box was always filled with all sorts of notes,
and I tried to secretly copy the number
of days and earnings in our workshop during lunch" (ibid., p. 34).
V. I. Lenin himself, in his work "What Is to Be Done? Burning Questions of Our
Movement," also recalled his conversation with workers on issues close

in content to the published "Questionnaire" (see Complete Collected
Works, vol. 6, p. 152).
The Central Party Archive holds a similar document. It begins with the
question: "1) Year, month, day." This question is missing in the source stored
in the Central State Archive of the Republic.
This may explain the omission of point 26 in the published
questionnaire.
ON THE QUESTION OF GRAIN PRICES
(Letter to the Editor)1
[Late February—early March 1897]
Mr. Editor!
Please give space in your newspaper to the following lines.
In No. 54 of the "Samara Vestnik" was published an article:
"Meeting of the Imperial Free Economic Society,"
containing a report on the debates that took place in this society
on the book: "The Influence of Harvests and Grain Prices."
The editors of the "Samara Vestnik" preface the report itself
with several remarks concerning the most significant
shortcomings of the named work.
Agreeing fully with the editors in their basic point of view, I cannot
but point out one place that may give rise to misunderstandings.
"From a class point of view, the interests of the hired worker are
opposite to the interests of the owner, and in such a question as grain
prices. It is undoubtedly more profitable for the seller of labor, the peasant, whose
main income comes from the sale of his labor power,
a cheap product than an expensive one. It is more profitable for the owner
hiring a worker that the product produced by him
is sold more expensively."
What does this mean? That low prices for grain are more profitable for the peasant?
Not at all: the peasant, insofar as he is a small landowner,
a producer of grain, forced under the present economic
conditions to bring the products of his farm to the market, is obviously
interested in higher prices for grain—a position that does not require
further explanation.
If, however, we are talking about workers here, i.e., about the class that
lives by selling its labor, then, asserting that it is beneficial for the
worker to lower grain prices, the editors again

make, in my opinion, a major mistake, the reason for which
lies in the incorrect formulation of the question.
Indeed, a decrease in prices for essential items, and
including, therefore, grain, may seem beneficial for the consumer,
in this case for the worker. What, in fact, is better? For the same ruble, which
previously gave me the opportunity to acquire a pood of wheat, I
buy two poods today—hence I, as a consumer, am interested
in a further decrease in prices for wheat; however, it
turns out that this decrease entails a small
inconvenience for me. The fact is that, before appearing as a
consumer, a buyer of grain in the market, I must in the same
market engage in the alienation of something; in this case
I, as a worker, alienate my labor power. And so, during this
sale of working hands, the buyer of the goods alienated by me
always checks its value, in other words, the value
of essential items, and first of all grain—and on the basis
of these data assesses my labor power. With a decrease in prices
for grain, the price of my labor power also decreases. It has even been noted that the decrease in prices
for grain is not equivalent to the decrease in prices for working hands;
the latter always fall in price more than grain in this case.
Thus, a decrease in prices for grain is at least indifferent
for the worker. But a well-known German economist, whose
authority I will allow myself to refer to here,
even asserts that a fall in grain prices is directly disadvantageous
for workers. He proves this position in the following way*:
"As long as the price of grain, and with it wages, is still
high, a rather insignificant saving on grain consumption is enough
to satisfy other needs.
But as soon as the price of grain, and with it wages, is low,
the worker will hardly be able to save anything on grain to buy
other consumer goods."
Thus, indeed, the interests of the hired worker are opposite
to the interests of the owner, and in such a question as grain
prices. Higher prices for grain are more profitable for the seller of labor; it is more profitable for the owner
hiring a worker that prices for grain are low.
In conclusion, I allow myself to express the hope that the editors
will not refuse to clarify the true meaning of the place I quoted
above from their article.
S. T. A.
Printed on March 13, 1897
Printed according to the text of the newspaper in the newspaper "Samara Vestnik" ЛЗ 58
* K. Marx. "Rede liber die Frage des Freihandels" 2.

1 The letter to the editor of the "Samara Vestnik" "On the Question of Grain
Prices" was printed in Volume II of the second and third editions of the Works
of V. I. Lenin. However, later, in 1928, Lenin's authorship
in relation to this letter was questioned (see "Notes of the Institute
of Lenin." Issue III. M., 1928, pp. 87—92). In connection with this, in subsequent
editions it was not included.
Further research on this issue at the Institute of Marxism-
Leninism under the Central Committee of the CPSU, a thorough comprehensive study of all
materials, including those identified in recent years, made it possible
to draw an reasoned conclusion that the letter "On the Question of Grain
Prices" was written by V. I. Lenin.
"Samara Vestnik" is a newspaper; it was published in Samara (now the city of Kuibyshev)
from 1883 to 1904. From the end of 1896 to March 1897, the newspaper was in the hands
of "legal Marxists" (P. P. Maslov, R. Gvozdev (R. E. Tsimmerman), A. A. Sanin,
V. V. Portugalov, etc.). In the 90s of the XIX century
it published individual articles by Russian revolutionary Marxists.
In No. 254 of November 25, 1895, the first part of V. I. Lenin's article
"Gymnasium Farms and Correctional Gymnasiums ("Russian Wealth")" was published in the newspaper under the signature "K. T-in" (see Complete Collected Works,
vol. 2, pp. 61—69).
2 K. Marx. "Speech on Free Trade" (see K. Marx and F. Engels.
Works, 2nd ed., vol. 4, pp. 409—410).
512, 516, LISTS OF BOOKS
USED IN THE WORK ON THE ARTICLES
"PERSECUTORS OF THE ZEMSTVO AND HANNIBALS OF LIBERALISM"
AND "THE AGRARIAN QUESTION AND 'CRITICS OF MARX' " 1
[Before June 13, 1901] "The Bell."
Prince Peter Dolgorukov g)
"Free Word" 2 "The Truth About Russia" *. 2 volumes (German
translation) Sondershausen 1861—2.
Koshelev. Notes
Berlin? (Leipzig?) materials (see on the ob.**).
for the latest St. Petersburg history.
Anatole Leroy-Beaulieu. Russian statesman in his correspondence (Nikolai
Milyutin). Paris. 1884.
"La Revue des deux Mondes" 3, June 15, 1862
* Full title: "The Truth About Russia, Expressed by Prince Peter
Dolgorukov."
** See below.