V. I.

Lenin

The Language of Figures [1]

I

It is well known that particularly in 1905 and after factory workers’ wages throughout Russia soared. The factory inspectors’
reports say that the average wages of factory workers in Russia for the
five years 1901–05 were 206 rubles and for the following five years,
1906–10, were 238 rubles.

The wages of workers in Moscow Gubernia are somewhat below the average
for Russia. According to Factory Inspector Kozminykh-Lanin, they averaged
201 rubles in the 1901–05 period and 235 rubles for the succeeding four
years, 1906–09.

As a result of 1905, therefore, the wages per worker in Moscow Gubernia
increased by an average of 34 rubles , i.e., by almost 17
per cent. Estimating the number of factory workers in Moscow Gubernia at
between 300,000 and 350,000, this constitutes a total annual gain
for all workers of something like 11,000,000 rubles .

We see that the sacrifices made by the workers during the strikes of
1905 have been repaid by a considerable improvement in their economic
position.

Although the victory of the June Third system, i.e., the
counter-revolutionary system, led to the withdrawal of a number of the
workers’ gains, capital did not succeed in reducing workers’ wages to the
former low level. Workers’ wages in Moscow Gubernia averaged about 200
rubles from 1901 to 1905, fluctuating between 197 rubles (1902) and
203 rubles (1905). In 1906, when the results of 1905 first made themselves felt, wages rose to 228 rubles, and in 1907 to 237 rubles;
in 1908 there was a slight drop (236.5 rubles) and in 1909 they again rose
to 237 rubles.

The figures show that without the gains of 1905–06 the workers would
have been subjected to intolerable poverty since the cost of living has
been rising throughout the past decade.

II

Wages at the bigger factories in Moscow Gubernia are, as a rule, higher
than those paid at the smaller establishments. The textile workers, who
constitute 68 per cent, i.e., more than two–thirds, of the total number of
factory workers in our gubernia, received the following average annual
wages for the year 1909.

| | Rubles | Per cent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Factories employing more than 1,000 workers . . | 219 | 100 |
| ” ” from 501 to 1,000 ” . . | 204 | 93 |
| ” ” ” 101 ” 500 ” . . | 197 | 90 |
| ” ” ” 51 ” 100 ” . . | 188 | 86 |
| ” ” ” 21 ” 50 ” . . | 192 | 88 |
| ” ” ” 2O or less ” . . | 164 | 75 |
| Totals | 211 | 96 |

The bigger the factory, the higher the wages. The same is to be found
among the metalworkers. It is easier for the workers at a big factory to
unite, repulse the capitalist and uphold their own demands collectively. To
catch up with their more advanced comrades the workers in small factories
and workshops must unite more strongly in associations (trade union,
educational, co-operative and others) and rally more closely around their
working-class newspaper.

Strikes are more easily organised and are conducted more successfully
at big factories because of the greater solidarity of the workers. The big
factories took part in the strike movement of 1905 and 1906 to a greater
extent than the small factories.

We see that on account of this the workers in the biggest factories
gained more from the strikes of those years than the workers at
small establishments. Here are the figures for workers in all industries in
Moscow Gubernia;

| Category of factory | Five years 1901–05 | Four years 1906–09 | Ruble increase |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Employing more than 1,000 workers | 196 | 234 | +38 |
| ” from 501 to 1,000 ” | 186 | 231 | +45 |
| ” ” 101 ” 500 ” | 211 | 238 | +27 |
| ” ” 51 ” 100 ” | 215 | 240 | +25 |
| ” ” 21 ” 50 ” | 216 | 241 | +25 |
| ” ” 20 or less ” | 193 | 207 | +14 |
| Totals | 201 | 235 | +34 |

First of all we must explain, in respect of these figures, the
(apparent) exception to the rule formulated above, according to which wages
at the bigger factories are higher than at smaller establishments. The
point is that metalworkers, printers and some others earn much more than
textile workers (360 rubles, 310 rubles as compared with 211 rubles,
etc.). The share of the textile workers in the total number of
workers at big factories is much greater than their share at the medium and
small establishments. This accounts for the apparent exception to the rule,
which makes it appear that wages are higher at medium and small than at big
factories.

What conclusion are we to draw concerning increased wages at big and
small factories since 1905?

At the big factories (those employing 500 or more workers) the increase
amounts to about 40 rubles a year, that is, about 20 kopeks to a ruble.

At medium and small factories, employing from 21 to 500 workers, the
increase amounts to about 25 rubles, that is , about 12 kopeks to a
ruble.

At the very smallest factories (20 workers and less) the increase is a
mere 14 rubles, that is, 7–8 kopeks to a ruble.

Thus the more vigorous and united strike struggle by workers at the big
factories resulted in a greater increase in wages. We have already said
that workers in small factories can catch up with the workers in big
factories in this respect by uniting in associations.

III

Increased wages were not the only gains made by workers in the strike
movement of 1905. The position of the workers has, in general, changed for
the better.

It is impossible to express the exact extent of this improvement in
figures, but in 1905–06 every worker realised the improvement and felt it
strongly.

The data given by Factory Inspector Kozminykh-Lanin enable us to
determine the influence of 1905 only on the fining of workers. By
fining workers the capitalist is taking upon himself the role of judge. For
this reason fines are always accompanied by particularly extensive
arbitrary action in respect of the workers and at times even by direct
humiliation of the workers. It is natural that the workers always demand
the annulment of fines, the abolition of the capitalists’ right to
be judges in the workers’ affairs.

The following are the figures for fines levied on all workers in Moscow
Gubernia year by year.

| Year | Average fine per worker (kopeks) |
| --- | --- |
| 1901 | 30 |
| 1902 | 27 |
| 1903 | 27 |
| 1904 | 29 |
| 1905 | 17 |
| 1906 | 12 |
| 1907 | 15 |
| 1908 | 18 |
| 1909 | 21 |

We see how successfully the workers “reduced” the amount of the
fines. Before 1905 the fines amounted to 27–30 kopeks a worker.

But then comes the year 1905. Fines immediately drop to almost a
hall—to 17 kopeks. In 1906 the results of 1905 are more clearly
demonstrated—fines drop to 12 kopeks.

The revolution passes. The capitalists grow bolder. The fines again
rise to 15–18–21 kopeks.

But even in 1909—the year of the longest and deepest lull—the
capitalists did not succeed in raising fines to the former disgraceful
level. No matter how the capitalist may fawn upon Purishkevich, these two “dear friends” have not succeeded
in going back to the good old days—the worker in Russia has changed . The worker in Russia has learned a thing or two!

If we compare the total fines with the total wages of the workers—and
such a comparison is essential for it is not the same thing to pay twenty
kopeks out of wages of one ruble as paying twenty kopeks out of wages of a
ruble and a half—the victory of the workers in 1905 becomes still more
obvious.

Out of every 100 rubles of the workers’ wages, the fines per annum
averaged in kopeks:

| 1901 . . . . . | 15 |
| --- | --- |
| 1902 . . . . . | 14 |
| 1903 . . . . . | 13 |
| 1904 . . . . . | 14 |
| 1905 . . . . . | 9 |
| 1906 . . . . . | 5 |
| 1907 . . . . . | 6 |
| 1908 . . . . . | 8 |
| 1909 . . . . . | 9 |

It follows, therefore, that the workers of Moscow Gubernia achieved a
reduction of atrocious fines to one-third as a result of
1905. They will succeed in obtaining the complete abolition of fines.

IV

In conclusion let us take a brief glance at the question of what share
of his wages the Moscow worker obtains in cash.

The Moscow workers are in a difficult position in this respect. In 1909
their total wages amounted to 73,000,000 rubles; of this sum they received
61,500,000 rubles, that is, 84.2 per cent, in cash. Almost a tenth of their
wages, 7,200,000 rubles, was paid in the shape of groceries and other
commodities from the factory shops. This type of wages places the workers
in serf-like dependence on the owners and gives those owners
“superprofits”.

The position of workers in the cotton industry is particularly
bad—over one-fifth of their wages (5,900,000 rubles out of 28,800,000) is
paid in foodstuffs. If the workers were to win for themselves free workers’
co-operatives there would not only be a saving of hundreds of thousands of
rubles for the slaves of capital, but the semi-serf dependence of the workers on the factory owners’ shops would he removed.

To continue: 3,750,000 rubles (5 per cent) of the workers’ wages went
to pay for products they took from the shops of consumers’ associations,
etc. Lastly, 680,000 rubles (0.9 per cent) of the wages went for the
maintenance of workers boarded by factory owners.

This form of payment, which dooms the workers to a thousand forms of
dependence of a serf character, has been preserved most noticeably in
industries processing silk and flax, and after them in those processing
food and live stock products.

As for the influence of 1905 on the forms in which wages are paid, we
may say that there have been practically no gains. Here are the figures, as
from 1901:

| Year | Workers’ total wages (million rubles) | Cash | Goods from factory shops | Goods from consumers’ associations | Boarding of workers by factory owners |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1901 . . . . | 53 | 81.4 | 8.9 | 7.3 | 2.4 |
| 1902 . . . . | 54 | 81.5 | 9.1 | 7.0 | 2.4 |
| 1903 . . . . | 57 | 83.0 | 8.3 | 6.6 | 2.1 |
| 1904 . . . . | 55 | 82.7 | 9.0 | 6.5 | 1.8 |
| 1905 . . . . | 57 | 82.8 | 9.2 | 6.5 | 1.5 |
| 1906 . . . . | 64 | 85.1 | 7.6 | 5.8 | 1.5 |
| 1907 . . . . | 71 | 83.8 | 9.4 | 5.3 | 1.5 |
| 1908 . . . . | 73 | 82.9 | 10.4 | 5.2 | 1.5 |
| 1909 . . . . | 73 | 84.2 | 9.8 | 5.1 | 0.9 |

Since 1905 payment in cash has increased to an extremely insignificant
extent. The system of boarding workers by factory owners has been reduced
to an equally small extent. And payment of wages through factory shops, on
the contrary, has somewhat increased.

Taking it by and large, the situation has remained as bad as it was
before. Moscow workers must struggle for the payment of wages in cash and
for the replacement of factory shops by free workers’ consumers’
associations.

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Notes:
[1]
When this article was published in Nash Put ( Our Path ) it was accompanied by the following editorial comment: “The
editors offer the author their apologies for the necessary
deletions and amendments to his article.” Exactly what changes were made
is not known since Lenin’s manuscript has not been found.