MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC ORGANIZATIONS IN SMILTENE, LATVIAN SSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A039600260001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 5, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 24, 1958
• Content Type: REPORT

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INFOI.VIMATION REPORT INFGRMATION 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, V.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
COUNTRY USSR (Latvian SSR)
C-0-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
SUBJECT Miscellaneous Industrial and Economic DATE DISTR.
Organizations in Smiltene, Latvian SSR
NO. PAGES
REQUIREMENT
DATE OF REFERENCES
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ.
24 January 1958
1
RD
reports on the Smiltene District Industrial Combine, the Smiltene 25X1
Forest Industry Establishment, the Dreb?.icks Artel, the Smiltene Kolchoznieks
publishing office, and consumer organizations in Smiltene
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
STATE ARMY NAVY X AIR FBI AEC
--
(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by ".#".)
I N FORMATION REPORT I N FORMATION REPORT
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MEMORANDUM
USSR (Latvian SSR)
,DATE: 19 July 1957
The Smiltene District Industrial Combine No. pages: 2
The Smiltens District Industia om n? oocup ? oa?
and s?vera adjacent repair shops and storehouses near the center of
8miltene (N 57-259 E 25-55), Latvian 888. The function of the combine
consisted in directing and managing a number of smaller enterprises. It
was also responsible for controlling operations, maintaining machinery
and tools, providing all administrative and clerical support as well as
transportation for them, and in many instances, helping these smaller
enterprises dispose of their production. The combine consisted of the
following enterprises$
a. Two sawmills, one of which was larger than the other and both located
at the edge of 8miltene. Each sawmill had a furniture or joiner's
shop attached to it.. The smaller sawmill took orders from private
individuals and public organizations for such items as lumber out to
specifications, window frames, windows, and similar articles. The
combine would also receive lumber from the Smiltens Forest Industry
Establishment (lespromkhoz). the combine
purchased this lumber. The smaller sawmill and its attached furniture
shop would then use this, lumber to turn out such items as wardrobes,
chairs, tables and other furniture, as well as elaborately hand-carved
coffins which cost 1,200 rubles or more. The combine: wo-dld then sell
these manufactured items throughout the rayon. The larger sawmill was
mainly engaged in turning out for the State such items as railroad ties
and barrels. It also consisted of a tire-vulcanizing shop,
b. One blacksmith's shop located in Smiltene: This shop accepted work
orders from both private individuals and organizations, such as kolkhozy,
and did all types of blacksmith work, such as shoeing horses, banding
cartwheels, and placing the metal trim or bands on sled runners;
c. One dye shop, which dyed material for private individuals and also dyed
the production of weaving shops;
d. One pottery shop, which made pottery to be sold throughout the rayon;
e. About six mills, which were either steam mills or water mills. Two
of these mills were located in Smiltene and the remainder were located
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in Smiltene Rayon. The mills located in the rayon were engaged mainly
in milling grain for private farmers. In exchange for this, they
received payment in grain, which they in turn processed and sold. The
two mills located in the oity,for the most part, milled grain for the
warehouses for State purchases (zagotserno), but also attended to
orders from private individuals. The milling of State grain was
performed without compensation as a public service, but for individual
orders, payment in kind was exacted. Attached to some of these mills
were weaving shops (tkatskaya masterskaya) which produced woolen or
other materials or thread; on orders from private individuals. In
exchange for their work, the weaving shops received payment in kind,
such as raw material, which they in turn processed and sold as a
source for revenue;
f. About three brick factories located throughout Smiltene Rayon. These
brink factories turned out bricks ordered by'various kolkhozy or other
regional organizations, as well as by private individuals, for which
they were paid in rubles)
g. One electrical radio technical shop, located in the center of Smiltene.
This shop employed two men who performed radio repairs, minor electri-
cal repairs, and recharged batteries. Services were paid for in
rubles;
h. One tin shop, which produced such tinware as milk pans, buokets,and
dishpans. This shop received its raw material from Rigs and its
products were sold throughout the rayon;
i. One retail store, where some of the products produced by the enter-
prises listed above were sold. Items for sale included tinware,
pottery, material, harnesses for horses, furniture, barrels, shoe
lasts, and coffins.
2. The Smiltene District Industrial Combine directed the entire distribution
of all products manufactured by its subsidiary shops and enterprises. The
combine had one ZIS-150 truck with aide panels, which normally sufficed
for all transportation needs of the combine and its subordinate enter-
prises. If occasionally more vehicles were needed for a specific task,
additional vehicles were obtained from a vehicle pool (avtokolonna)
located in Riga.
3. The combine subsisted on the revenue realized from the sale of its products.
The more it produced and sold, the more money it earned. The combine
paid the Government its taxes and workers received their pay in rubles.
the combine was not doing well and that often its workers
would either receive their pay late or not at all.
0-0 N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
I
25X1
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USSR (Latvian SSR)
DATE: 19 July 1957
The Smiltene Forest Industry No. Pages: 2
Establishment
2. The Smiltene Forest Industry Establishment was located about three
kilometers south of Smiltene (N 57-25, E 25-55)9 Latvian SSR,
and occupied three to four buildings. One building held offices
and the others comprised sleeping quarters for some of the workers,
a recreation hall (klub), garages, repair shops, and POL dumps.
n us ry s a s men operatea a forests of the three rayons
of Smiltene, Ape, and Aluksne. It employed about 450 people,
including lumber workers, drivers, technical personnel, and
loaders at the railroad station. Approximately 20 percent of the
personnel were women. The lumber workers lived in huts in the
forests at various lumber points throughout the entire year.
On free days, they would go to nearby towns, villages, or settle-
ments to purchase their food and other articles for daily needs.
The main task of the establishment consisted in felling trees,
sawing them into lumber, and taking the lumber to the Smiltene
Railroad Station. Although the ultimate use of the lumber was
kept secret, most of it went for construc-
tion material, possibly in mines, while some of it might have
been used for the paper industry. The establishment had about
44 trucks most of which were ZIS-21s, operating on gazogene
(wood gas engines. The hauling norm for each truck and trailer
was about 1,200 to 1,300 cubic meters of lumber per month. The
felling of trees and preparation of the lumber was accomplished
at various lumber stations of varying sizes scattered throughout
the area. Most of them had a generator to power electric saws.
Most of the work was done mechanically, except for the trimming
of branches and foliage.
3. The pay of th< .,4orkers depended on their production. The normal
work day was eight hours, but during the summer period, when
the weat?,,er was good, the work day would be from 12 to 16 hours.
The lumber workers would receive about 600 to 900 rubles, while
the drivers might make as much as 1,500 rubles a month. In
exceptional cases, some drivers might make as much as 3,000 rubles
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a month."
as driving gazogene trucks was considered harmful, the driver
received additional compensation amounting to three percent of
their pay. Premiums were also given for driving without accident
and.for fulfilling or surpassing the norms, There also was a
progressive pay scale to provide an incentive for the workers
to remain on the~job and not to seek easier employment elsewhere.
The performance or hauling norms for drivers depended on the con-
ditions of the roads travelled. Roads were classified into four
categories, depending on their conditions. Since it was up to
the director to classify the roads by categories, he could give
drivers an additional advantage by designating a road as belonging
to a worse category than it actually did, thus permitting the
drivers to achieve a higher performance. Conversely, by designa-
ting a road as better than it was in reality, the director could
penalize the driver, making it harder for the latter to meet his
norms on a bad road which he had classified as a better road.
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. I
C -O-N- F-I.-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
MEMORANDUM
COUNTRY: USSR (Latvian SSR)
Smiltene
Miscellaneous Organizations
DATE: 19 'July 1957
25X1
Drebnieks Artel
1. The Drebnieks glothingj Artel ve t ted ` iu~ thodcon ;:b ~.Zinilctene
(N 57-25,.. E 25-55). This artel consisted of a sewing or tailor-
ing workshop and a shoe workshop; the shoe workshop-was also
known as the "InvalidsArtel", because the majority of the workers
were invalids. The sewing workshop employed about 25 workers,
both male and female, including two cutters. The management
staff of the Drebnieks Artel comprised a director, an accountant,
and a cashier. The sewing workshop took orders from individuals
for all kinds of men #s and women's clothing; I.t also received
from the State material out-of which it made clothing.to be subs
sequently sold in State stores throughout the district. Person
nel workigg in the sewing workshop included regular tailors who
were paid'for the work performed, and student or apprentice
tailors who received a small fixed salary of about 25 rubles per
month. The shoe workshop employed about 25 male worker*, mostly
invalid deaf and dumb people. It turned out all types of foot-
wear, either on individual orders or for the State out.of
leather provided by the State purchasing agencies Isagotahivsirye).
wtonsumer or Trade Organizations
2. 'There were two consumer or trade organizations in the oetiter+ of
Smiltene. The smaller one of the-twowwas known as Consumer
Society (potrebobshohestvo). The larger one, known as District
.Consumer Union Jraypetrebsoyus),, was a trade organization which
dealt in goods of all possible types, from bottled soda to large
appliances; It had in stock goods amounting in value to, four
million rubles. These goods were received from such large cities ,....
as Leningrad and Riga,to be distrlibuted throughout the 'ayon.
Thet*ne Ko1khozn ik
3. Smiltene also had an editorial office which-published:?.a news-
paper-known as the Smiltene Kolahoznieks (kolkhosnik). The
office was located in the center o own.
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