MOSCOW LETTER

RALPH PARKER

No old age worries for workers
in Soviet Union: pensions for all

HE new building of Moscow

University and the Trade Un-
ion headquarters stand together
on the Lenin Hills, tthe one
crowning its heights, the other
on the southern slopes. It re-
minded me Of the way student
and factory worker march in
paralle] lines through the Red
Square on the great national
holidays, inseparable partners in
Soviet life.

I had come to the Trade Union
Council to enquire what social
insurance provisions are taken
in the Soviet Union for ageing
workers, for those who retire and
for those who wish to continue
at work. :

“In the first place, you must

understand that in the USSR all,

expenses connected with social
insurance are borne by the state.
The worker’s right to pensions
giving him security in his old
age are inalienable whether he
decides to retire or not} We
were told by an officials of the
Social Insurance department,

“Tf the worker wants to con-
tinue at work his old-age pen-
sion is paid to him by the trade
union committee of his place of
employment out of the social] in-
surance fund, and he receives
the pension in addition to his
wage or salary. If he retires
he receives his pension from the

CHARLES SIMS

agency of the Ministry of Social
Maintenance in his locality.

“In the USSR,” continued the
trade union official, ‘all work-
ers are entitled to old-age pen-
sions on reaching the age of
sixty and after having worked
25 years (for women the age is
55 and the period of work is 20
years). Workers in the coal,
metallurgical and chemical in-
dustries, transport workers,
teachers, doctors, postal workers
and those in a number of other
branches of the national economy
are entitled to pensions some- .
what earlier,

‘These pensions are establish-
ed according to the average
monthly wage or salary of the
last 12 months of employment.
For example, pensions are paid
to persons in the educational sys-
tem upon completion of 25 years
service irrespective of age. Such
pensions amount to 40 percent
of their salary during the 25th
year, and, I repeat, the pension-
er forfeits nothing if he decides
to go on working, getting full
salary plus pension.”’

We were curious to know
whether arrangements were. +
made to enable ageing workers
to requalify for lighter work
more suitable for their powers.

“The idea of throwing old
workers out of employment be-

Malthus theory debunked

by life under socialism

Yankee scribbler by the name
of Pendell authored a book
titled Population on the Loose.

He says the
world’s problems is ‘‘overpopu-
lation” and proposes a reduc-
tion of the world’s population by
one-third, This trash is being
spread in Canadian universities
and public libraries.

Pendell aserts that imperial-
ist wars are not waged for pos-
session of raw materials, mar-
kets, territories, profits, but to

check the imbalance of popula--

tion, You will find examples of
this type of fascist thinking in
many editorials of Canadian
papers, in most of; our universi-
ties.

It is the modern version of
the “theories” of the English
clergyman Malthus who, 150
years ago expounded the idea
that the world’s population was
growing faster than the world’s
food production. Malthus de-
clared that there should be the
strictest control over the work-
ing people — to make them prac-
tice birth control, to rigidly con-
trol when, and how they cculd
marry. He declared that fam-
ines and pestilences were ‘a
blessing of nature” in that they
rid the world of millions. Mal-
thus, needless to say, wrote this
rubbish to divert the attention
of the British workers away from
the real cause of their miseries
and starvation — capitalism.

@ ;
Capitalism, then as now, op-

erated on the law that calls for

the amassing of maximum pro-
fits by the bosses, not on any law
that operates to satisfy the needs
of human beings for food, cloth-
ing, shelter and culture, This
- cannot’ be denied by anyone who

source of the .

cares to examine, for instance,
the operations of International
Nickel or say E. P. Taylor.

Hitler refurbished the Malthus
theories to ‘‘justify’’ the Nazi
murder offensive against the
peoples of Hurope. They were
classed as inferior, superfluous,
fit only to be slaves to the super-
ior elite. And this is, the brew
served up today by the Yankee
Pendell. ;

Consider a couple of facts.
Russia and China used to be -
lands of famine. What happen-
ed to change all this? Simply .
that the home and foreign ex-
ploiters were kicked off the
backs of the people. Then there
was enough to eat and to spare.

e ‘ :

It is expected that Canada
and the U.S. together will har-
vest about 1,564 million bushels
of wheat this year. The govern-
ments are howling about the ter-
rible’ difficulties of marketing it.
Why? Because they would rather
let millions in Indian and Pakis- |
tan perish of starvation before’

they would send wheat there.

No, there are not too many
people in the world, but there are
too many, such as Pendell, E. P.
Taylor and their ilk,’ who are
responsible for the hunger, mis-
ery and war that afflicts man
kind. The problem is how to
change it, how to make the
world a place where more peo-
ple could live in happiness and
brotherhood . . . with lots to eat?

The new LPP program, Can-
adian Independence and People’s
Democracy gives the answers. I

advise al] Canadians to read and
study it.

“Kimberley,

cause they are not up to their
jobs is quite foreign to our en-
tire conception of society,’’ we
were told. ‘In other words no-
body becomes redundant because
of old age. Whether he (or she)
retires is entirely his own busi-
ness.”’

The speaker then described
how for ageing workers as for
those partially incapacitated .by
ill-health but desiring to con-
tinue to work at their place of
employment, a law operated that
obliged the managements to
transfer them to lighter or part-
time work. During the re-train-
ing period the trade union made
up the difference in earnings out
of the social insurance fund,

“But I want you to under-
stand,” the official said, ‘that
once he has reached pensionable
age, whether it be fifty or sixty,
or, in some cases such ag teach-
ers, veterinary workers or doc-
tors some years younger depend-
ing on length of service, the

worker is entirely free to retire .

on his pension. Nobody can be
forced to quit just because he is
getting a pension.”

Thanks for donations

0.A., Kaslo, 50c; W.B., Hays-
port, $2.50; W.R., Vancouver,
50c; C.P., Victoria, 50c; L.H.H.,
Cal., $10; B.C.T., New Westmin-
ster, $1; B.H., Nestow, $1.50;
M.J.E., Prince Rupert, $5; J.C.,
Vancouver, 50c; H.W.H., Alder-
grove, 50c; E.M.M., Vavenby,
50c; H.B., Hornby, 50c;’ A.C.,
New Westminster, 50;

P, & K.C., Pitt Meadows, 50c;
H.R.Y., Vancouver, $1; G.K.,
Britannia Beach, $3.50; J.G.,
95c; E.D., Vancou-
ver, $10; West End Press Club,
$3; Port Alberni Press Club,
50c; Nanaimo Press Club, $10;
F.K., Natal, 50c; N.S.C., Fort
Steele, $1.

Lady with a lamp

M.W., Vancouver, B.C.: In my

opinion the movie, The Lady.

With a Lamp, a story about
Florence Nightingale, is worth
seeing, because besides being in-
teresting it gives considerable
food for thought.

Miss Nightingale in her fight

for the acceptance of women as

nurses made two important steps _

forward for mankind. Firstly,
the recognition of the need for
better bedside care for sick peo-
ple opened the way, for many
improvements, leading to higher
health standards. Secondly, the
difficulties which she met and
overcame were one phase in the
struggle for the emancipation of

womanhood.

The events in the story take
place about 100 years ago. In
that 100 years women have come
a long, long way. The nursing
profession is now a highly org+
anized and very efficient service
for the sick and wounded, Wo-
men, on every hand, find equal
opportunities. There are still
some barriers, but these are-dis-
appearing.

In reflecting on the story told

“ freighter),

in the movie, it is to be seen
that although we have advanced
with time in two particular ways,
in two other ways we have stay-
ed exactly where we were 100
yeats ago. I refer to the mode
of government and to war be-

- tween governments as described

in the picture.
Since 1856, besides numerous
small wars we have had two
world wars. Nursing care in
each of these wars made great
advances. In the same-way this

is true of the prosecution of’

war, but we cannot call an im-
provement in the conduct of war
an advance for humanity. Can
we? ea

It is necessary now, that
nurses who would follow in the
footsteps of Florence Night-
ingale consider carefully the fu-
ture. Are we going to bring our
judicial machinery up-to-date,
and absolutely outlaw interna-
tional wars, or are we to con-
tinue ministering to ‘the war
wounded. be*it napalm bombing
or bacteriological warfare?

Longshoreman’s beef

COAST READER, Vancouver
B.C.: The Elk Falls Co. paper
mill, near Campbell River, is a
newsprint plant claimed to have
cost 20 million dollars to con-
struct.

Recently put into production,
it would appear that the com-
pany aims to recover its $20,-
000,000 plus, in the. first year if
labor practices are any judge of
its greed. ‘ ‘

Twice per month it loads the
S.S.  Lovland’ (a :
with newsprint for
delivery to Yankeeland. Nor-
wegian seamen’s wages are less
than half Canadian, so our sea-
men must stay on the beach.

But how about longshoring
work, one may ask, Here too
the company loads-the ship on
the cheap. ; : weds

- While hired as longsb0?

Norwegian -

” it
A crew of local people ret
ed.for about three day> alt
monthly, These are mostly ats
businessmen and shopkee? og
who look on this work 48 © not
pickings, and are perhar® ing
very much interested i2 Booey
the proper rates of pay: gte
The conditions of yor is
rough indeed, while the pe {he
only $1.68 per hour. star
crew is hired for an 8 2-1" for
and the ship is not ready {0
working, the men are se al
work on odd jobs till the P°

. Clea
rives, at only $1.45 P rent!

ship is a dittle late.
shift is worked from 8 rat
p.m., with one hour? wp
lunch and also one houf fo e a
per, with no travelling ae to
lowed although, the me? ces
travel considerable dista? see
In order to break im ® any
longshore crew, the Be
pronght in.a number of ¥
from its other plant #
Falls. i “02
Apparently this casual
shore gang is not prot

any union. ,

Abolish Jim Crow
x B.C.

J.L.H., Vancouver, ‘i
1 arti iy

ther to Janet Curtis
racial discrimination 1? | yes
ver, I enclose a cOPY of :
tive covenants put one y
Dollarton Real’ Hstate 3
which I think should at

- out into the daylight. 77),

ment was given to me

company some years age:

is one of the conditions: —
“No lot shall be S0l0 | pet

or occupied by other than "pit?

gon or persons Of thee

races.”’ : : ee
All power to the pad oro"

une in its fight to end : je

in Vancouver, Yours:

ter world. :

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — AUGUST 29, 1952 — F