4 USSR GAS STATION... : : the Price is up but consumers get Price reductions elsewhere. USSR total price index still stable ' The total consumer price index in the Soviet Union has not changed M recent weeks despite increases in the price of coffee, jewellery, _ &asoline and some other goods. _ . Muchhad been made of the hikes In Soviet coffee and gas prices in -the Western press but none of the Stories mentioned the stability of the overall price index. In fact, increases were more than offset by reductions in the _ price of many kinds of clothing and fabrics, footwear, refrigerators and other durable goods and some household items: ; im About 99 percent of food and Some 90 percent of non-food items _ are sold at the same price as in - 1970. '- In the Soviet Union, the state has held down prices of many hecessities such as meat, milk, / Children’s goods, rents and public transport. There have been no Increases in the price of either / Meat or milk since 1962, while rents — less than five percent of _ income — have not been raised Since 1998, | Commodities and _ services, In other less socially coe the Prices do fluctuate slightly. Reductions in the prices of television sets and refrigerators, among others, were made possible by lower production costs which _ Were reflected at the retail level. ; In the case of gasoline, however, Ncreased production costs — in- _ Cluding exploration costs incurred by drilling in difficult permafrost areas — necessitated a higher Price schedule. Until the beginning of March, ee in the- USSR was relatively fap — less than 53 cents per 8allon or 0.1 rubles per litre for the Most expensive grade. But even at ane new price — expected to be Te 83 cents per gallon — gas will He be considerably cheaper than it other European countries where Sells for well over $1 per gallon. dtr prices were affected by tid 4 le forces since the USSR has pave ular gee and must i e World price. coffee and pay Uses most other countries, the es did not raise coffee prices aa the last rapid increase in ment price. Because of the eee of the world market, Meee it was ultimately com- ed to, a because of what the Soviet juste Calls controlled price ad- Ment, the increases were 1 ee aa tae oth eed by reductions in prices on er items. PCF urges ‘unity fo Continued from pg. 1 division in order to thwart an election outcome which could have profoundly liberating sequences on the economy and politics of Europe. The PCF’s proposal to extend the common program’s demand for the nationalization by a left government of nine giant French corporations, to include thier 1,450 subsidiaries, is the PS’s excuse for rejecting a renewal of the common front with the communists. Talks between the communists and the socialists broke down over this issue last September, and the PS has refused to commit itself to agreement on the inclusion of communist ministers in, the government if a left majority wins the elections. In two recent byelections socialist candidates who were defeated on the first run-off, directed their voters to back right wing candidates rather then support the communists. The communists, who on principal fight for left unity against big business. criticized this action and reminded the voters of its policy to direct voters to the socialist candidates if the communists are defeated on the first ballot. France’s electoral system requires parties to win at least one- eighth of the registered vote in the primaries (March 12), to run in the decisive elections the following Sunday (March 19). The PCF is beaming its vigorous and dynamic campaign primarily at industrial workers with the slogan: ‘‘Unity for a real change”, stressing the need to secure the largest possible vote for the party’s candidates on March 12. Mean- while the communists reiterate ’ their call for unity with the PS and for conclusion of an agreement on the program a left government would implement: in the workers’ interests. The aim is to mobilize massive public opinion behind the demand for left unity to form a government to bring about real policy changes in the interests of the democratic forces and the working class. In doing this, the PCF believes the PS leadership can be pressured to return to the path of working class and democratic unity and to reject the siren call of big business. One out of every two workers who votes in France votes com- munist, the party says. Petitions are being circulated in the large enterprises by workers com- mitting themselves to voting communist and urging their work- mates to do likewise. In the Renault works in Boulogne- Billancourt, 500 wo the FRENCH STEEL WORKERS workers votes f con- . rkers, union ~ or the Communist Party. CAMPAIGNING IN TOULOUSE, campaign. delegates, catholics, and others have signed an appeal which outlines how a vote for the com- munists can mean the triumph of many of the demands the workers have been struggling for over the years and a real change in life in the factory. The appeal has been distributed as a leaflet to thousands more workers. More than 2,000 steel workers in another locality have signed petitions endorsing the communists. Workers across France wear badges which read: “For unity and a real change I urge. you to vote communist.”’ The unemployed are called upon to back the communists and take part in a campaign for 500,000 cards demanding the creation of 500,000 jobs addressed to prime minister Raymond Barre. The cards are to be presented to the legislative representatives in each constituency by delegations of the unemployed. Young voters, who have been the hardest hit by France’s severe unemployment are also expected to figure prominently in the elections since, for the first time, the voting age has been reduced to 18. With inflation and unem- ployment running rampant, economic conditions have the people more than ready for a change in government. CPF general-secretary George Mar- chais recently referred to France’s 17 million poor, in a television _..-one out of every two French —Democratic Journalist photo FRANCE... collecting the francs debate. The top 20 percent of the population receives 47 percent of the national income, while the bottom 20 percent tries to exist on four percent. The common program, which the communists still project, also calls for the nationalization of all the banks and the establishment of workers’ councils in all private and public industries. A left govern- ment with communist ministers would immediately raise the minimum wage to $500 per month by April 1, and immediately im- plement a 25 percent increase in welfare assistance to families with children. Minimum unemployment benefits would increase by 30 percent to $250 per month and old age pensions would increase from $190 to $270 per month. The socialists’ rejection of left unity is seen by the communists as a desire for ‘“‘a blank cheque to bring in an economic policy (if elected,) . . . that will more closely resemble Barre’s_ austerity policies than those befitting a left government.” The right-ward shift by the leaders of the PS has been ac- companied by. closer ties with other European social democratic - parties, and recent contacts bet- ween the leading lights of the PS with U.S. president Carter’s ad- ministration. A meeting Feb. 3 r real change’ that will finance the PCF election between Mitterand and - Willi Brandt, president of the Federal Republic of Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party prompted the magazine Der Stern to see the growing warmth in relations between the two parties as a “‘first step toward a homogeneous policy for social democracy in Europe,” and facilitated “‘when the Mit- terand party entered into conflict with its electoral ally the “communists.” Bearing in mind that five of the nine European Economic Com- munity (Common Market) countries have social democratic governments at the helm, all safe- guarding the interests of big capital, while promoting austerity of the majority of the population, the chance to split the left in France by pressuring the PS to the right is something international capital, particularly U.S. im- perialism can’t afford to overlook. The shift by the PS is a result of international big business rallying its forces to try and block the possjple outcome of the elections which for the first time in France could see political power tran- sferred to the democratic forces represented by a united left government, with communist ministers prepared to implement a program that will open the door to socialism. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING COMING EVENTS BUSINESS PERSONALS MARCH 11 — Kits Film and Social _ Ron Sostad Club presents: “I am an old Writer — Researcher tree’? — a film about com- 9226980 : 926-9602 temporary Cuba. Coffee and Call only during weekdays. refreshments. Film starts 7:30 p.m., Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, 2305 West 7 Avenue, Vancouver. No admission charge. MOVING? CLEANUP? — Wanted articles for resale. All proceeds to P.T. Phone 526-5226. “The Goodie Bin.” MARCH 19 — Gourmet pancake breakfast, with nalesniki and tea from the samovar. Films af- terward. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 3310 Cardinal Dr. (south from Lougheed on Bainbridge, east on Buffalo one block). All welcome. APRIL 8 — Meet the new and reminisce with the past YCL’ers at the Young Communist League Reunion Dance at the Fisher- men’s Hall, 138 E. Cordova St., 8 p.m. Tickets available at Trib. office or phone 879-5058. WANTED YARD CLEAN-UP with truck in Port Moody area. Phone 936-5139 after 6 p.m.- CARPENTER® 874-1814 HALLS FOR RENT WEBSTER’S CORNERS HALL — Available for banquets, meetings, etc. For rates: Ozzie, 325-4171 or 685-5836. RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME — Available for rentals. For reservations phone 254-3430. UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CULTURAL CENTRE — 805 East Pender St., Vancouver. Available for banquets, wed- dings, meetings. Ph. 254-3436. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 10, 1978—Page 11