LIVING CONDITIONS IN RIGA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A007900270002-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 12, 2008
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: September 13, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/09/12 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007900270002-7
INFORMATION REPORT INFORMAT'*ION REPORT
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
COUNTRY SSR ? Latvian SSR;
P
SUBJECT Living Conditions in Riga DATE DISTR. 1 o a
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
NO. OF PAGES 6
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
This is UNEVALUATED Information
SOURCE EVALUATIONS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
25X1
25X1
25X1
REPORT
Wages and Cost of Living in Riga
1. The average salary of a worker in Riga was 550 rubles per month. The combined
salaries of a husband and wife provided bare necessities, and they could seldom
afford new clothing. A technical supervisor (sic) in a factory with eight men
under him earned 600 rubles per month. The men earned more than he did, because
they were not under contract. He paid 175 rubles per month for childless taK
and 60 rubles for the State Loan. His rent was 45 rubles per month for one
small room and kitchen. The house had electricity and one water faucet but
no gas.
2. A driver-mechanic first-class received 700 rubles per month and three -weeks!
vacation per year. He left at 6:00 am to drive a director to work and took
him home is the evening. During the day, he drove a truck. He was responsible
for all necessary repairs. He often had to make trips to Moscow and Leningrad;
for which he received no extra compensation.
3, An Army captain received 1,050 rubles per month, including quarters and sub-
sistence. A major earned 1,100 rubles, including quarters and subsistence.
He had only one stove, which used six cu m of wood per heating season.
4+. A man with a motor saw,who went to individual homes to saw wood, received 30
rubles per cu m of wood. He was not in the service of the State and had to
pay 4,500 rubles tax per year in order to carry on his work.
5. The head nurse in a hospital earned 800 rubles per month.
6. Consumer goods were exempt from rationing but were scarce or not available in
State stores, expensive, and of poor quality. People relied chiefly on the
free market where the goods were twice as expensive as in State stores. The
goods at the market were supplied by kolkhozniki. The proceeds from the goods
were put into the kolkhoz fund, from which purchases for new machines were
made. Annual price reductions were of little value. Once,when_ the price of
INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
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bread was reduced, a new kind ofThi ead was put out, which was as expensive as
the old bread before reductions, and the old type was no longer available.
During the Malenkov regime, living conditions improved; more goods were avail-
able in State stores,which meant a saving because of the lower prices in State
stores than in the free market.
7. Following are some prices of food in Riga up to spring 1955:
Item Unit Cost (in rubles) Remarks
(State store) Tree market)
Butter kg 50-55
Milk ltr 1.8-2 3.5-4 Usually not available
in State store.
kg
20-25 Seldom available in
stores.
Potatoes kg .6 3.5-4 Available in stores
only in spripg and
of poor quality.
kg 1.5-2.6 Three grades;
sufficient supply.
Margarine kg 14.
Sugar was seldom available, and, when it was, one had to
Thus, only t;hose families in which the wife did not work
able to get sugar.
8. Following are some prices of clothing and miscellaneous
Riga up to 1.955:
item
'Unit
Cost (in rubles)
Shoes
!poor quality)
pr
180
Leather shoes
pr
400-500
Woman's dress
1
1,000-1,400
Man's suit
1
1,000-1,400
White cotton
m
18
Yellow cotton
m
10-20
House slippers
(poor quality)
pr
350 (sic)
Boots
pr
750
Razor blades
5
35
Linen cupboard
(three drawers)
1
2,000
Poor quality.
35-36 rubles; source
of supply not stated
stand in line for hours.
during the day were
consumer goods in
Few persons can
afford new clothing.
90 cm wide.
Available only when
brought in by sailors.
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Furniture was generally very expensive, but there was no great demand for it.
People were satisfied with a table, chair, and bed, particularly since there
was room for little else in their living quarters.
9. There were no separate stores in Riga for Party members.
Construction Activity
10. No factories or dwellings were being built, and existing homes were not being
kept up. A critical housing shortage existed in Riga, and people were offering
900 rubles to occupants of dwellings which rented for 4+5-50 rubles per month,
if they would give them up. Four or five families sometimes occupied a residence
originally intended for one family. One family of three adults and three children
occupied a room 15 in square. Ten families living on one floor had only one water
tap and two toilets.
Agricultural Labor Conditions
11. People had no desire to work on kolkhozy,preferring to work in the city, and
there was insufficient manpower to harvest the crops. Factory workers were
compelled to work for ten days on kolkhozy during the harvest season. The
worker received only half his salary daring the ten days and was under strict
control, as his labor book had to be stamped by-'the chairman of the kolkhoz.
Workers who did not put in ten days on a kolkhoz lost their factory jobs and
were put to work elsewhere. Formerly, kolkhoz workers who married city dwel-
lers were permitted to move to the city, but this practice was stopped. The
Soviets collected all passports from kolkhoz workers, and persons desiring to
go to the city had to obtain a permit. Without a passport, it was not possible
to be married.
12. Venereal diseases were widespread; there were two hospital buildings in Riga
filled with persons with such diseases. Although prostitution was illegal,
it existed on a large scale, particularly in labor camps. Abortions were
practiced openly. There was a special apothecary and a clinic for Party
members.
13. The Rodenberg Hospital was located on Duntes iela 12-22. At the beginning of
1947, the hospital was divided into a tuberculosis unit and an orthopedic
unit. A Russian named Kroesin (fnu) (sic) was the head of the orthepedic unit.
At first, only war invalids were admitted, but later other patients were taken.
A total of 400 to 500 patients were cared for. (See layout sketch on page 5 .)
Public Opinion: and. Morale
14. Approximately 90 percent of the population could speak German but were afraid
to do so. The population was very anti-Russian and was waiting for war. It
was said that everyone had three spies watching him, who in turn had two spies
watching them. Because of this, everyone reported even slightly suspicious
activities of others, out of fear that his failure to do so wpuld be discovered
by the authorities. There were rumors that there were partisans in the woods
outside Riga.
15. Private radios were registered with the post office, at a cost of three rubles
a month. It was not forbidden tt listen to foreign broadcasts, but this listen-
ing was generally fruitless because most broadcasting was heavily jammed. One
could get only the Netherlands broadcasts well, since they were jammed very
little or not at all. Recently, a new jamming apparatus was put into operation
on Lenina iela (see note on the map of Riga).
Bridges in Riga
16. The Soviets built a new bridge across the Dvina River, at the top of the Lenina
iela. The bridge was arched and built completely of wood. It was guarded by
soldiers. There was only a single track for the streetcar, since the bridge
was too narrow for a double track. The Russian engineer under whose supervision
the bridge was built was blamed for this and sent to Siberia. In the winter
when the pontoon bridge was out of use because of the heavy ice drift, all
traffic was sent via the new bridge.
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17. The foot bridge beside the rail bridge was broken. The rail bridge, which was
also greatly damaged in the war, was completely repaired.
Industry
18. The Taube Driving Belt Factory was located on Duntes iela in Riga. Factory
equipment included three cutting machines, six presses, and a few stretching
machines to check the durability of the matetial. Approximately 35 men worked
there in one shift, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The factory was combined with the
Soomdar Factory (sic), with offices on Lenina iela, sometime prior to 1955.
The equipment was moved from the old factory, and the factory made into residences.
19. The Riga DOK Factory was located on Duntes iela and manufactured Finnish barracks
for kolkhozy and sovkhozy and some furniture. The factory was not producing
at full speed because of lack of wood. The barracks were mostly shipped by rail
to the place of destination. The head of the factory was a Russian named Teplov
(fnu), who had first worked there as the chief engineer. Approximately 800 to
900 persons were employed at the factory in three shifts. Until 1943, German
PWs and political prisoners worked there and were quartered in a camp near the
factory. The camp was later converted into living quarters for free workers.
(See layout sketch on page 6.)
20. A cattle fodder factory was located on Gaujas iela. About 900 tons of fodder
were produced per day. Originally,the fodder was supplied only to sovkhozy,
but later kolkhozy also received a certain amount. Approximately 150 persons
were employed at the factory, mostly women. Two shifts were worked, 9:00 am
to 6:00 pm and 12:00 midnight to 8:00 am. There was no third shift because of
lack of current. Equipment included 12 mills of German manufacture. (See
sketch on page 6.)
21. A large number of Swiss watches were returned (sic), because they were not
labeled "made in the USSR". Tools of Soviet origin were of very bad quality.
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Riga Hospitals; Orthopedic and Tuberculosis Units
8
10
Orthopedic Unit
Tuberculosis Unit
rail line
14
Key to Orthopedic Unit
Key to . Tubercul
osis Unit
1.
Porter
1. Porter
2.
Kitchen and office
2. Not in use
3.
Reception desk
3. House of direc
tor
4.
First pavilion
4. Kitchen and s
hop
5.
Second pavilion
5. Office
6.
Boiler house
6. Garage
7.
Third pavilion
7. Apothecary
8.
Sheds
8. Red pavilion:
(R9de pavil .oen) :
50 beds
9. Residence for personnel
9. Nunnery
10. Residence for personnel
10. Throat TB pav
ilion: 1+5 beds
11. Workshop institute
11. Pumping stati
on for removal of d
irty
12. Workshop for technical personnel
water
12. Shed and mort
uary
13. Hothouse
1+. Shed for gard
en tools
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Sketch No. 2
Riga DOK Factory
1 furniture
workship
rsSorm*r
ur ines
ood works g
Workers' Residences
Sketch No. 3
Cattle Fodder Factory
Trolleybus line
cattle fodder
factory
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