ABSTRACT
The foundation of the system of obligatory labour was laid in a resolution of the Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets, When the outbreak of cholera occurred in Petrograd, Zinoviev. In order to stimulate production a system of premiums was devised. As a preliminary to the fixation of these, the character of the normal day's work in the various industries had to be determined. The practice of determining the normal quantity of product per unit of time is well known in many countries, but in Russia it was a novelty both to the workers and to the new labour administrators. The central committee of the Textile Workers' Union recommended the introduction of a uniform assured ration for all workers and employees in the various branches of industry and labour. The hostility of the Textile Union to payment of wages in kind did not avail to prevent an edict of the Supreme Council of People's Economy from being issued.
