V. I.

Lenin

576

UNDERLININGS AND AN INSTRUCTION ON A. V. LUNACHARSKY’S LETTER

Comrade V. I. Lenin, Chairman of the Council of People’s
Commissars

You forwarded me a telegram from Kazan complaining about the
lack of currency notes. I have received similar telegrams from Vyatka
and Vologda gubernias. In all these places, because of the lack of
money, teachers have not received salaries for three months.

Thus, it turns out that in the absolutely starving gubernias
teachers go hungry for lack of foodstuffs, while in the producing
gubernias such as those of Kazan, Vologda and Vyatka, in which teachers
in fact could feed themselves, they are starving through lack of money.

I earnestly request you, Vladimir Ilyich, to issue some sort of
directive or to put this before the Council of People’s Commissars, so
that currency notes issued for the needs of the gubernias will be
divided proportionately, i.e.: where there is a 10–20% shortage, this shortage should be spread among all the departments. Otherwise, what happens in practice is that absolutely all, except those engaged
in education, receive their salaries....

To the Narrow Council: please put this through. Even more: it is necessary to give preference to teachers.

Lenin

17/IV.

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