Soviet Archives - Collection of Government Documents on Workers

From the Collection of enactment and decrees of the government for 1921, Administration of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR

Download PDF this collection
Article 20.

Decree of the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars.

In development of the resolution of the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars of March 25, 1920 (No. 20, Art. 109) on the abolition of payments from Soviet institutions, enterprises and farms for using mail, telegraph, radiotelegraph and telephone, the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars decided:

1. To extend the right of free use of mail, telegraph and telephone to officials, both posted on business affairs, and independently in charge of individual branches of the service of Soviet institutions and enterprises in the center and in the localities.

2. To abolish the collection of fees from Soviet institutions, enterprises and farms and the officials specified in clause 1 for the delivery of telegrams and orders to call to the telephone by courier to the side of the address institutions.

3. To abolish the collection of payments for the use of city and intercity telephones from workers and employees of Soviet institutions and enterprises.

4. Abolish all interdepartmental settlements for postal, telegraph and telephone communications of Soviet institutions and officials specified in paragraph 1, with the assignment of settlements with foreign states to the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Posts and Telegraphs.

5. The use of telegraph and telephone is limited by certain norms established by agreement with the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Posts and Telegraphs, the Peopleʹs Commissariat for Ways of Communication and the Communications Department of the Red Army. The use of radio‐telegraph is permitted exclusively by the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Posts and Telegraphs, and for communication outside Soviet Russia with a visa from the Peopleʹs

Commissariat for Foreign Affairs.

6. Institutions and enterprises that do not qualify for the resolution of the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars of March 25, 1920, in cases where they perform special tasks of the organs of the Administration of Soviet power, as well as the officials specified in paragraph 1, carry out postal, telegraphic, telephone communications at the expense of the norms provided to the local institutions corresponding to their jurisdiction.

7. The foregoing with regard to mail, telegraph and telephone should be extended to all invalids of war and labor, to wives, widows, children and parents of Red Army men and sailors; to all persons under the care of the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Social Security or the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Health.

8. The implementation of this resolution is entrusted to the Peopleʹs

Commissariat of Posts and Telegraphs.

9. This decree shall enter into force on January 1, 1921.

Signed by:

Chairman of the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars V. Ulyanov (Lenin) .

N. Gorbunov, Administrator of the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars .

Secretary L. Fotieva .

December 23, 1920.

Published in No. 3 of the News of the All‐Russian Central Executive

Committee of Soviets dated January 5, 1921.