V. I.

Lenin

307

To:   THE NARROW COUNCIL OF PEOPLE’S COMMISSARS [1]

1

Our houses are terribly fouled up. The law is not worth
a damn. There must be a tenfold more precise and fuller
indication of the persons, responsible (not one, but many,
one after another), and remorseless incarceration.

| Written between August 8 and 11, 1921 | |
| --- | --- |
| First published in 1945 in Lenin Miscellany XXXV | |
| Printed from the original | |

2

I do not agree without these additions :

1) apart from the manager, the responsibility shall also
fall on his “deputy”.

There must be a deputy;

2) apart from them, the responsibility shall also fall on
a control commission consisting of tenants. There must be
such a commission. At least three persons, who should always be available , or their deputies .

3) All these persons shall be subject both to legal and
to administrative responsibility.

11/VIII.

Lenin

| Written on August 11, 921 | |
| --- | --- |
| First published in 1945 in Lenin Miscellany XXXV | |
| Printed from the original | |

3

That is not enough.

This must also be added:

1) responsibility of the tenants for failure to elect a
manager and his “deputy”;

2) ditto, for failure to elect a control commission;

3) it shall be the duty of the manager and his deputy
and the control commission to see that a responsible person
(either the manager himself or his deputy or a member of the control commission) is on duty daily apart from specially employed persons (yard-keeper, etc.)
where such are employed ;

4) responsibility of tenants in houses of less than 10
flats.

How is the tenants’ responsibility to be established? This
must be considered, and a way found.

19/ VIII.

Lenin

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Notes:
[1]
These notes were written by Lenin in connection with the
regulations “On House Management”, adopted by the Narrow C.P.C.
on August 8, 1921, which made the house manager most responsible for the good repair of housing facilities. On August 12 and
22, 1921, the Narrow C.P.C. examined the question of elaborating the additional measures proposed by Lenin to enhance
responsibility for the maintenance of houses in good repair.