Russian Consumers to Get Their First Checkbooks Dec. 1

Consumers in the Russian Federation, the largest of the 15 Soviet republics, are to get checkbooks for the first time, the Communist Party newspaper Pravda reported today.

It said that beginning Dec. 1, people in the republic, used to carrying large amounts of cash to do their shopping, could be issued a book of 20 checks valid for two years for paying for any industrial goods or consumer services.

Pravda described the use of checkbooks as a new form of payment, although one bank-guaranteed check could previously be arranged for a single expensive purchase.

Users will have to show passport details to protect against other people using their checks. Soviet consumers do not have credit cards.