LIFE IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA: PRICES/FOOD AVAILABILITY AND QUEUES/IMPORTS/CLOSING DOWN OF RESTAURANTS/ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEES/HOUSING SITUATION/FURNITURE/WOMEN EMPLOYEES/MOVIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000500250161-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 4, 2003
• Sequence Number: 161
• Publication Date: November 12, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2004/01/21 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500250161-3
F
25X1
25X1
SUBJECT Life in Czechoslovakia: Prices/Footii,-Tailability and
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
25X1
25X1
25X1
DATE DISTR.
25X1
25X1
25X1
NO. OF PAGES 3
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
Price in Kce
nftar tho Curren Reform)
700 - 900
350.-
120.-
400 - 550
1200.-
80 - 120
16o.-
120 - 300
25.-
500 - 800
280.-
16o.-
32-
35
3525 , _.
3.50
24-
2-
30.-
11-
Irv
This report 1s for the use within the USA of the Intelllge:.ce components of the Departments or
Agencies Indicated above. It is not to he transmitted overseas without the concurrence of the
originating olllce through the Assistant Director of the Office of Collection and Dissemination, CIA.
L.--- Approved For Release 2004/01/21 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500250161-3
Qaaeues/imports/Closing Down of Restaar-oasts/Administrative
Employees/ Holasing Situation/Furniture/Women Employeeo/
I L I.'$ ..CO 1.1 CO.TA1.l 1.,a...t10. AT ....... ..r .ATIONAL Ot?(.l(
01 THE UNIT90 /71T(1. 11711M T.t r(A,INO 01 TItlt II )LCT I Ohl Tll
A.0 TI.. 01 TOt U.S. COOL. AN AnENO(0. IT( TA071M I$1407 ON A(TI.
ATIO. 00 11l CONT(NTS TO ON 0(C(I.T AT AN
-ee
IIP*0000TI a. I r.Il .UT0O.I,N _ -
1.1
l lI KO'l~
THIS !s LM VALtUAT`D I NFUHMAT I ON
1. "TI'!e f o'.1:
,,,,.:,,r, information dates through
25X1 Auguot 1953.
1 small portion of Gervals cheese
1 kg of cheese of its hum gatality
1 box of Swiss cheese, about 1~C graze
woolen cratfle: : or women
woolen owes,,..,- for women
lady's chat,
stockings of artificial silk
'Ferlon' stockirg6 ~ertifi iul
women's shoee
soles for shoes
hand-made shoes
1 meter of cottor.
1. kg of ham
1 kg of sausages
1 kg of mortadella salami
1 kg of ham s a?ae age e
1 kg of tinned p,:.rb:
Ruselan egga,, each
1 tart
2. "item
1 m Of ! oo1CL uAa :,nom .:ai. ZOO' ma-06, S::.it
woolen uw;.fmiing it for women
I movie ticket - 5
 Approved For Release 2004/01/21 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500250161-3
F
25X1
CONE IDENTI
25X1
according to the origin of the film
for an Eastern film
for a Western film
1 small bottle of finger-nail pcllsii
I rouge of bad quality
1 rouge of good quality
1 wedding ring of 14-carat gold
Note: the buyer is obliged to provide the gold himself
25X1
Food Availability & Queues
"The following food is hardly ever available: sagar, coffee,*chocolate, fruit from
southern climee, furs. Vegetables are available in large quantities at Prague, but
only a few kinds. The largest queues are for movie tickets for Western films. Most
of the women in the queues were 20 - 50 years old. Only at one time did I see a
queue before the Darex firm where chocolate was on sale for only that day.
Food Items Imported from tha USSR and oths, -tcllites
"The following food items were limp rtc d rse the US& and. other Satellites :
(a) From Hungary: jam-9, Hungarian salami, woolen material for men's suits, tinned
pork
(b) From the USSR: marmalade, sardines, wine and watches
(c) From Bulgaria: gamy eggs, tinned meat
(d) From Poland: eggs, tinned geese
the following slogans in shop windows:
(a) 'With the social trade for the better living stendard of the working people.'
(b) 'Bohind oi.alin using the Gottwald way forward toward Socialism'
(c) 'We are marching forward with the Gottwald and Stalin way'
Closing Down of Restaurants
"During the past 12 months `August 1952 - August 1957,the following restaurants in
Prague were cloned: The Liepert Restaurant was liq~iidated and transferred over to
the former restaurant Pelikan at Prague Prikopy. The Liepert shop was also liquidated
because of too many queues, and because the shop was situated in the neighborhood of
the Red House where it is prohibited to form groups. The shop was transferred over
to the former 'Schiller' textile shop at Prague Prikopy.
Working Standrrds & Budget of Administrative Employees
'M.'v nietrative employees are divided into 16 groupc, according to the state catalogue.
Single employees have been reduced by about 25%. Forced transfer of employees to
production work has been stopped, but many, clerk typists wad /_aJmir.istrative?7
officers report for work in the factories volurtsrily because of the better wages
there. The b-id,get of an administrative officer's family is as follows: A young
couple joth employed in offiips (hue eau,),carn 1500 Crowns per month. They pay
250 Kcs (in the new currency) to sublease a flat. For the dinners in the factory
canteen they pay 160 Kcs per month. Supper at home costs 300 Kcs per month; 40 Kcs
for cinema tickers; 50 Kcs per month for laundry of linen; 126 Kcs per month for
breakfast; 100 Kcs per month for lunches, Sunday dinners for two in a restaurant
costa 200 Kes per month; toilet articles and linen repair cost 50 Kcs per month;
60 Kos per month for streetcar transportation; 64 Kcs per month for use of State-run
bath facilities; small expenses 60 Kos per month. The rent could be saved for new
cletflcc.
25X1
125X1
Approved For Release 2004/01/21 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500250161-
 Approved For Release 2004/01/21 : CIA-RDP80-00809AO00500250161-3
25X1
1 :1
25X1 8.
Housing Situation
In distributing living quarters, a kitchen with a gas installation is not counted as
a living room. For one person, only 15 m of space is allotted. It is quite
possible that in one flat consistiep of four rooms, twelve people are living together.
Out of this number, there are likely tour small children. A child until he is twelve
is counted as half a person. If a famil:' ithout children makes a request for a
flat, they are not entitled to receive a flat with conveniences. Administrative
officers are discriminated against in plat distribution in favor of the factory
workers. In the following distriote of Prague the housing commissions are very
often in charge of living quarters: Vinohrady, Letna, DeJvice. It is possible to
file a maxi=.2n of two Petitions for review of a decision of a housing commission.
Ir a person told by the housing commission to leave is not willing co leave the flat
voluntarily, he is expelled forcibly. The lodging commission does not inform the
Landlord of the expelled tenant of its decision. Most of the family members are
moved forcibly out of the flat if the head of the family is arrested. Most of the
prisoner's property is stolen by the executive organs. Single persons could not
have even a one-room flats they are obliged to live as sub-tenants. Members of the
C P receive better flats, mostly in n,tw apartment houses. A request form for a new
flat should have answers to the fr l?o.in _=-- ~--- .ostle_. r. the
?au.c of the pc c i T.ioaer, the
dimensions of his old flat, his form of employment, and the reason why he is about
to move from his old fl-At. If e.nebcdv lcavco hi flat f Or to report this fact to the SNP. but nrist write =wn In the hoee se earot
logging book ai.1 important data about his voyage. Inthisn book must registered
the names of all visitors received by sub-tenants who stay in the sub-tenant's flat
longer than 11 ho-u=s, or, who stay overnight. The housekeeper is obliged to show the
lodging book once a month to the nearest State Security Corps station.
Furniture
25X1
CONFIDENTIAL
25X1
Wom n Emplo?,,~ a ,e
"Women employeeo d ring 1953 have increased in the following fields: taxi-drivers,
bus-conductor, waitresses, saleswomen and factory workers. The men in the factories
were transferred to the heavy and mining industries and their places were taken
over by women. Most of the women went to work because of lack of money in the
household. rt i nearly impossible for families to exist on the men's wages alone.
There are three rill-women orchentrnp rague. The women's salaries are loner
than the men's salaries, the health standard of the women-workers
is very bad.
10. Soviet movies are very poorly attended although the factories are distributing
the cinema tickets to them free of charge. Even the new Czech movies are badly
attended. The old Czech movies with the actresses Vlasta Burian or Voskovec or
25X1 Werich are very well attended. All Western movies are the best attended ones.
Tickets for Western movies are sometimes available only or. the black market for
exaggerated prices up to 30 Crowns each." -
25X1
-end-
25X1
CONFIDENTIAL
25X1
Approved For Release 2004/01/21 : CIA-RDP8O-00809AO00500250161-3