iui Le | Lil By SAM RUSSELL MOSCOW — Main task of the Soviet Union’s new seven- year plan is to ensure a fur- ther advance of all branches of the economy. This will be done on the basis of priority for the ex- pansion of heavy industry and a substantial rise in the coun- try’s economic potential in order to ensure a continuous improvement in living stand- ards. Not so long ago when de- tails of a new five-year plan were published, experts said the plan could not be realized. The Soviet people showed that it could, as they had shown time and again before. There are still “expert” croakers, however, who claim that the emphasis on heavy industry somehow penalizes the consumer. Here are the facts: While heavy industry is to increase by 85 to 88 percent over the seven-year period, production of consumer goods is to increase by 62 to 65 per- cent. And while a 1 percent in- crease in Soviet output in 1952 amounted to 5,000 million rou- bles and in 1959 will amount to 11,000 million roubles, in 1965 it will amount to about 19,000 million roubles. So the consumer is going to be a great deal better off as a result of the plan. More steel will provide more machinery for production in turn of more houses, more clothes, more food, more con- sumer goods of all kinds. Average annual steel in- crease in 1952-58 was 3,400,000 tons, with other basic items of heavy industry increasing in similar proportion. There is a change of quality as well as quantity. The new plan relies on minds rather than muscles. It puts brains before brawn. The increases are to be ob- tained mainly by improving techniques, increasing the amount of electric power per worker, stepping up the speed with which science serves in- dustry and agriculture. This doesn’t, of course, mean that the Soviet Union is enter- ing some push-button para- dise. Brawn and muscle will still be needed and with it stark courage that takes men into the frozen wastes to bat- tle with nature, barehanded if need be. But behind the bare hands, backing up the brains and the brawn, will be mechanization and automation on an unprece- dented scale, a millions-strong machine army to lighten la- bor. About four-fifths of the new industrial output is to from higher productivity achieved through mechaniza- tion and automation. Productivity is rising faster : ——— come Automated shops in all industries by 1965. than in the capitalist coun- tries and the new plan will bring it close to the highest levels of the U.S. The planned 50 percent rise in productivity is even greater than appears; for the working week is to be reduced to be- tween 30 and 35 hours at the same time. The key is automation. In the seven years the Soviet Union will go over te fully automated shops in every branch of industry from metal and engineering to the food industry. i Since Soviet industry a few years ago developed the world’s first fully automated ball- bearing plant, automated re- mote control systems have been developed in the chemi- cal, oil, food and other indus- tries. Scientists: already have a telemechanical system for con- trolling from-a_ single centre oil wells hundreds of miles away. They are working on a standard design for automated production of polymers — one of the most complex chemical REEL LE GRIN LE LENDER LENE RINE Electrical Contractors SEASON’S GREETINGS TO OUR FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS from % 4 % HILLAND ELECTRIC 4 — May 1959 bring us one step closer to Socialism — Phone HANEY 5-9808 Fo a Tonk ae Pg Song Bong og Dona Poh es bons Pog Pole foie Pong Pie ove Pr Automation holds key to fulfilling new Soviet plan operations. In Moscow an engineering automation centre is being set up. By 1963 it will be able to turn out up to 70 automatic lines a year. By 1965 the coun- try as a whole will be turn- ing out 250 to 275 automatic lines a year. Development of automation will require vast supplies of cheap electric power and the plan provides for generation in 1965 of 500,000 million kilo- watt hours of electricty—twice as much as today. The purpose is to fulfil ee Lenin’s dream of completing the electrification of the Sov- iet Union and on this basis surpassing the highest living standards ever achieved under capitalism. There is no doubt the aim will be achieved. Meany says U.S. labor may form party... but hed rather it didnt ILWU seeks Pacific meet SAN FRANCISCO—The International Longshoremet'$- Warehousemen’s Union has proposed that a conference’ of longshore unions in the Pacific area and Asia be held i Tokyo between April 15-and May. 15, 1959. ILWU President Harry Bridges, following approval by a two-day quarterly meet- ing of the union’s interna- tional executive board, dis- patched identical letters to the All-Japan Dock Workers Union, Waterside Workers’ Federation of Australia, Mad- ras Harbor Workers Union of India and Waterside Workers’ and Seafarers’ Union of Indo- nesia, poposing they join the ILWU in sponsoring the con- ference, with the Japanese acting as the host union. — “We believe the conference should be autonomous,” he wrote, “and we do not envisage the participation of either the International Confederation of Free Trade Union (ICFTU) or of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) as such.” Proposed for inclusion as an agenda for the projected con-— ference were: @® Reports on basic condi- tions of dock work including method of hiring, wages, hours and conditions of work. ® Problems of. safety .in- cluding application of ILA Code of Practice on the Safety of Dock Work. @ Vacations, medical care and pension programs, if any. ® Mechanization, bulk handl- ing, containerization and othe! — cargo new developments