Fast aid, reconstruction
to Soviet earthquake area

By ANATOLY ARKHIPENKO
MOSCOW (APN) — The Cen-
tral Committee of the Communist
Party of the Soviet Union and the
USSR Council of Ministers have
adopted decisions on the render-
ing of immediate aid to the popu-
lation of several areas in the cen-
tral Asia republics of Uzbekistan,
Tajikistan and Turkmenia, hit by
an earthquake on May 17.
Particularly great damage was
done to the community of Gazi,
Where 10,000 people were left
Without a roof over their heads,
and also to the ancient city of
Bukhara. A number of people
Were killed and wounded.
Homes and communication
Systems were wrecked on that
Same day and in the same areas by
Mud avalanches resulting from
torrential thunderstorms.
The CPSU Central Committee
4nd the USSR Council of Minis-
ters expressed deep sympathy to
the inhabitants of the disaster
areas, and expressed con-
dolences to the families and rela-
tives of the dead. Steps to render
assistance were taken without
delay.
Same-Day Aid
On the day of these natural
Calamities, food and medical
Supplies, as well as tents and pre-
fab dwellings for the homeless
gan arriving in the disaster
areas. Restoration work is being
Carried out by highly-skilled
builders, provided with all kinds
Of machines and equipment, and
also by military units.
Within hours of the earth-
quake, Gazli was visited by Sharif
ashidov, alternate member of
the Political Bureau of the CPSU
€ntral Committee and First
Secretary of the Central Commit-
tee of the Communist Party of
Uzbekistan, and the heads of a
humber of union and republican

ix.
a

* Sos

Reconstruction after earthquakes in Uzbekistan will include seismic-
proof buildings such as this office block.

ministries.
That night electric lights went
on again, communications were

restored, and the water system .

was restarted in the community.
Experienced specialists arrived
there from other republics.
Seismic-Proof

Houses, hospitals, schools,
and pre-school establishments
will be built in the quake- and
mudfiow-hit ‘areas in 1976-77. In

By GORDON MASSIE

eOCHL USSR — The 12th
Mternational Track and Field
SomPetition, sponsored by the
OViet newspaper Pravda, took
Place in Sochi on May 11-13. Ath-
Stes from 25 countries par-
Ucipated.

The Pravda tournament has
8teatly influenced the develop-
Ment of track and field sports in

€ Soviet Union, providing
World class competition in all
Vents. Many world records have
Seen set at these games.

Or the Soviets the games were
a integral part of the prepara-
/Ons for the Montreal Olympics
2 July. Final selection of the
Viet team will take place after

© Soviet championships and

Mpetitions with teams from
~teat Britain and West Germany

Une.

The most notable achievement
A the games was by the Soviet
thlete Yuri Sedikh, who threw
. © hammer 78.86 metres break-
e the official world record of

-5 and just short of the pending
Mark of 79.3 by West German
"alter Schmidt. This promises to

Ps i a,

- Paper hosts
athletics meet

be aclose event at the Olympics.

A tight race in the women’s
long jump saw the lead change
hands several times before Lydia
Alfieva of the Soviet Union edged
Pan American champion Anna
Bella Alexander of Cuba with a
jump of 6.47 metres.

The 10,000 metres was won in
clever tactical fashion by Muyana
from Tanzania in 28 minutes 19.2
seconds. Soviet records were
established in the pole vault by
Yuri Proherenko with a vault of
5.49 metres and in the 100 metres
sprint by Ludmila Maslakova
who clocked 11.1 seconds.

World champions in their
events Ludmila’ Bragina and
Fania Melnyk won their respec-
tive events, although inclement
weather affected their times and
distances. Bragina won the 1,500
metres in 4:6.2. Melnyk tossed
the discus 67.24 metres.

A very successful meet ended
ona strong note of friendship and
brotherhood with the presenta-
tion of prizes. All agreed that the
meet had been a great success and
many will be competing again at
the next games.

keeping with a government deci-
sion, money has been allocated
for this.

It is difficult to call this simply
restoration, because the program
of work envisages far more being
built than was destroyed. In place
of the old, ill-equipped homes,
modern, seismic-proof buildings
with modern conveniences will
rise.

Advance Preparation

Incidentally, on April’8, when
the earth rocked in Gazli the first
time, the population were warned
of possible fresh tremors.. The
tenants who doubted the strength
of their houses were moved then
and there to tents and caravans.
Also on April 8, headquarters
were set up to handle the con-
sequences of the earthquake. It
began on May 17 when, at almost
the same minute, the elements
again made themselves feit.
Thanks to all this, there were
fewer casualties than might have
been the case.

A wonderful tradition exists in
the USSR of the entire country
coming to the aid of quake-hit
areas. Such was the case, for in-
stance, after the violent earth-
quake in 1966 which rendered
homeless every third resident of
Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan.
All the Soviet republics sent their
people, materials and machines to
take part in restoration work.
Each contingent rebuilt its ‘‘own
neighborhood.” :

The same will happen to Gazli.
It is symbolic that three days after
the nation began rendering assis-
tance to the community, a monu-
ment in honor of the friendship of
peoples was unveiled in Tash-
kent. This sculptured group,
showing a strong man shielding
with his body a woman and her
child against the effects of an
earthquake, is set up in the epi-
center of the earthquake that
shook the city 10 years ago.

By FILS DELISLE
Tribune Berlin Correspondent
BERLIN — The Ninth Con-

gress of the Socialist Unity Party
May-18-22 took stock of the mas-
sive achievements of the German
Democratic Republic during the
last five years, and proclaimed a
program of continuing progress
for the people in the future.

Erich Honecker, SUP General
Secretary, presented the report of
the Central Committee to the de-
legates. Declaring that the prog-
ress called for by the last congress
had been achieved, he added:
‘‘The Central Committee prop-
oses to the congress to consis-

‘tently and unswervingly continue
the Party’s central policy of stead-
ily raising the people’s material
and cultural living standards.”

The cheering delegates showed
their unmistakeable approval of
the policy that has made the last
five-year period the greatest in the
history of the GDR.

The program offered by Hon-
ecker for the next five years in-
cludes ‘‘a higher level of social
production’ along with ‘‘a steep
increase in economic perfor-
mance’’.

Pointing out that the leading
capitalist countries are. still
plagued by mass unemployment,
crisis and uncertainty, Honecker
said the vast housing program in
the GDR will bring another 2.2

million citizens improved housing’

by 1980. The five-day working
week will be shortened. The net
eamings of the people will in-
crease by at least 20% by 1980,
with prices continuing on their
stable level. The government will
‘put more money into industry,
medical care, the educational sys-
tem, old age pensions, cultural ac-
tivities and the all round im-
provement of the people’s living
and working conditions. It was
clear to observers that this prog-

m of planned and uninterrupted
improvement is inconceivable
and impossible in the capitalist
countries.

For the first time at such a con-
gress, Honecker also raised the
question of the ultimate transition
to communist society. The ad-
vances the GDR will continue to
make in fully elaborating the de-
veloped socialist order, he said,
will become stages in the transi-
tion to the higher and more ad-
vanced form of communist
society.

No wonder this young GDR wo-
man is smiling. She has no worries
about cutbacks in government
spending or about unem-
ployment. :

Among the 103 delegations pre-
sent from more than 90 countries,
were official representatives from
the Socialist Parties of Belgium,
France, Italy and Japan. This was
seen as a favorable development
in the process of bringing together
all sections of the workers’ and
socialist movements in the world.

Present from Canada were
Communist Party delegates, Nan
McDonald from Toronto and
Jack Phillips from Vancouver.

Tim Buck, the late Canadian
Communist leader, was honored
when the delegates stood in si-
lence in a tribute to outstanding
figures of the world movement
who had died since the last SUP
congress

Erich Honecker told the con-
gress: ‘‘We are fully justified in
saying that the past five-year
period brought out the advan-
tages of-socialism with particular
clarity. None of the major
capitalist countries attained a
comparable degree of continuity
or rate of growth in its economy
over that period. The German
Democratic Republic consoli-
dated its position among the
world’s 10 leading industrial na-
tions.”’

BIG BUSINESS APPROVES BRITISH WAGE DEAL
LONDON — World big business has given its approval to the wage
control deal between the British government and the Trades Union
Congress, Chancellor of the Exchequer Dennis Healey announced.
Among those who found the deal ‘very encouraging’ were the Inter-
‘national Monetary Fund, the European Economic Community Com-

mission, and West German Chancellor Helmut Schmitd

Three members of the Trades Union Council executive after approv-

ing the wage deal.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 4, 1976—Page 5