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REPORT FROM EASTERN EUROPE: I

Hungary:

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Hungarian coal miners go to the polls clad in their traditional costumes.

the truth |

BUDAPEST

[SHER standards of living,
rs lower prices, and more houses
ai € people—these are the
“ms of the Hungarian govern-
Ment as outlined to parliament
last week by the new prime
Minister, Imre Nagy. The
Present Hungarian parlia-
™®ment, chosen in the gen-
eral election of May 17%,
met on July 3 and received
the resignation of the gov-
ernment headed by Matyas
Rakosi. The new govern-
Ment, under the premier-
Ship of Imre Nagy, one of
the foremost members’ of
the Hungarian Working
People’s party, was elected
on July 5.

pres out the domestic poli-

It woul.
Signed
Standar

d “work out measures de-
to improve the living
and ds of the working class
sati fa, provide for a maximum
i Staction of the social, cul-

Tal and material needs of the

Workers »»
“The onl :
F y just, acceptable and
: ‘Practicable road to socialism lies_

st anger ovement of the living

dards of the people and, in

ay first place, of the industrial
orkers,” he added.

Se ti listed four points the gov-

on ion, intended to carry out

.s © near future.

In the fall, after the harvest,

Bounce is expected to be

tiful
Would be ‘ is gathered, there

Prices » a major reduction of

2 Tn 1954 the number of flats
Bistanee with government  as-
‘that ae would be almost twice
ber of 1953. In 1953 the num-
“ ats built, he said, would
40,0900 In 1954 it would be

‘ ope of the emphasis pre-

Is government, Nagy said,

iously devoted. to: develop-:

ment of the country’s heavy in-
dustry would now be switched
to development of light industry.
This would increase production
of consumer goods and output. of
the food industry in order to im-
prove living standards still fur-
ther.
4 The position of the peasant
farmers would be altered.
An increase in the production of
private farmers was under con-

_ sideration.

Agricultural cooperatives could
also be dissolved if the major-
ity opinion in them was that they’
should be wound up, but _the
government would, by adminis-
trative measures, check any de-
velopment toward kulak farming.

*

Here are some of the high-
lights of Premier Nagy’s speech:
@ When the working people
took power into their own hands
after the liberation of our coun-
try, the role of parliament in-
creased considerably.

Hungarian; working Pp eople
themselves became the basis for
legislation, legislative work be-
gan and the people’s creative
initiative began to flourish. :

The results achieved are a tri-
bute first of all of the conscious
stand of our wonderful working
class. The Hungarian working
class has proved worthy of its
historic task, has taken a firm
stand and is the invincible foun-
dation of our homeland building
socialism. :

This parliament, which was
elected on May 17, reflects more
fundamentally than the previous
parliament the ‘democratic prin-
ciples of true people’s represen-
tation. The unbreakable link
with the working people to

whom the power belongs, is est-

ablished on a firmer basis.
We can say. with confidence

that this Session’ of parliament
opens a new ‘phase in our. de-
velopment, a phase in which the
policy of the people has to be

expressed to a greater degree in

the larger part parliament must
play in the legislative guidance
of the life of the state and in
deciding the basic principles of
responsible government.

In carrying out its task the
government wants to rely on par-
liament. At the same time it
wants to ensure that the coun-
cil of ministers, supported by
legislation, will be a body with
full rights to take care of state
affairs which are within the
broader jurisdiction of the min-
istries and extending of the re-

sponsibility of the ministers.
This is a considerable step for-
ward in the democratization of
our state.
@ We have to recognize and
state frankly to the whole coun-
try that the goals of our extend-
ed’ Five Year Plan in many ways
exceed our forces.
Achievement of these goals
would absorb much of our re-
sources and would. hinder de-

* velopment of the material bene-

fits of our prosperity.

Obviously an essential modifi-
cation is necessary in this re-
spect. : —.

One of the most important
tasks of the government’s~ econ-
omic policy is the general and
considerable reduction in the

-tempo of development and _ in-

vestment of our people’s econo-
my to conform with the ability
of the country to carry it.

There is no reason for the ac-
celerating of industrialization
and the striving for industrial
self-sufficiency.

This puts too much strain on
the country’s capacity and it
means foregoing the favorable
possibilities which arise from
taking part to a greater degree
in international trade with capi-
talist countries, and above all
and mainly from cooperation
with the Soviet Union, the Peo-
ple’s Democratic countries and
People’s China.

The direction of our economic
policy has to change so as to
slow down considerably the tem-
po of heavy industry producing
the means of production.

More weight than ever before
has to be placed on light in-
dustry, producitfg consumer
goods, and on the food industry,
in order to meet to a greater
extent the growing demand of
the population.

The government considers as
one of its most important tasks
that simultaneously with - reduc-
tion of industrial investment, in-
vestment in agriculture will be
substantially increased in order
to ensure faster and greater food
production. -

The radical changes in the plan
to be carried out by our people’s
economy make clear the aims of
our government’s economic poli-
cy, the consequent improvement
of the living standards of the
working people, first of all of
the working. class.

-® Our agricultural production

rests predominantly on indivi-

dual farming, the output of

which the country not only can-
not do without, but, on the con-
trary, regards it as a national
interest to develop.

The goverhment considers it
the major task to’ support indi-
vidual farm producers and help
them by providing them with the
means of production. Therefore

the government considers as its
‘most important and urgent task

Hungary’s new premier, 57-
year-old Imre Nagy, is the son
of a former landless peasant
who, as minister of agriculture
after the liberation of Hun-
gary, was responsible for the
land reform program which
split up the great estates and
gave land to the landless.

During the First World War
he ‘served with the Hungarian
Army, was taken prisoner on
the Russian front, freed dur-
ing the 1917 revolution and
served with the Red Army.

During the Second World
War he worked in Moscow as
editor and chief announcer of
Soviet-sponsored broadcasts to
Hungary.

In 1945 he became Hun-
gary’s minister of the inter-
ior and in 1947 speaker of the

- national assembly.

pict ie largely selfiedu-
cated, Nagy is a_ brilliant
scholar. He was a professor
at Budapest University and is

Hungary’s new premier

IMRE NAGY

a member of the Hungarian
Academy of Sciences.

the assurance of agricultural pro-
duction.

In order to ensure for the
working peasantry every possi-

_bility of calm work and to dispel

its concern regarding pressure to
join cooperative farms, the gov-
ernment deems it correct to slow
down the cooperative farm move-
ment. \

On the basis of voluntary mem-
bership, members of cooperative
farms who wish to return to in-
dividual farming because they
like it better may leave the co-
operative farm at the end of the
year.

Where the majority of the
members so desire, cooperative
farms may be dissolved. At the

. Same time the government will

continue to give adequate sup-
port to the cooperative farms by
combining credits and invest-
ments in order to continue their
development because it considers
this the best road for-the ad-
vancement of the peasantry.

The government will permit a
free leasing and renting of land.
The planned measures of the gov-
ernment are best suited to suc-
cessful realization of agricultural
development.

Although the small business
cooperatives show a considerable
development they cannot, how-
ever, offset the shortcomings ap-
parent in small industry.

The government will there-
fore in accordance with existing

- laws, grant industrial permits to

private producers upon request.

The necessary conditions for
carrying on their businesses will
be assured to them. The basic
principle of our new economic
policy is constant improvement
of the living standards of our
people.

This must become the central
question of the planning and de-
velopment of our entire people’s
economy. é
@ As we know, the prices on a
number of industrial articles
were cut by 15 to 30 percent on
July 1. We have seen to it that
there should be an abundance
and large selection of these ar-
ticles available to our people.

We will also increase the pro-
duction .of industrial consumer
goods and foods. Toward the

‘latter part of the year we shall

increase by 60 million forints
the sum allocated for canteen
meals, as well as for measures
serving the protection of health.

These tasks will be carried out
precisely and immediately. We
shall fulfil our policies as the
Hungarian people have seen us
do so many times during the past
years.

-This clear conscience gives our
government the right to expect
and even to demand of the peas-
ants, both those working as in-
dividuals and those in coopera-
tive farms, that they should meet
their delivery. quotas and taxes
precisely and fully... .

We will not allow the smallest
nor the tiniest breathing spell
for the enemy who is conspiring
against our achievements, our in-
dependence and our freedom.

There are some, however, who
ean be misled, who have been
convicted for smaller or greater
wrongs. There are some who may
have suffered injury.

In consideration. of all this,
and to repair any injury, a bill
will be placed before parliament
for release of all those who com-
mitted crimes of a not too seri-
ous and nature and whose release
will not endanger the security
of the state or public.

Institutes and camps of intern-
ment will also be abolished, thus
enabling those who will be given
amnesty to return to their homes
and families and to work and to
become members of society.

- The main questions dealt with
clearly show the new tasks of our
economic policy on which the

“government desires to advance
‘ona broader basis,. together with
_the -entire' people — perhaps a

little slower ‘in the beginning,
but toward the same end, to so-
cialism.

, PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JULY 17, 1953 — PAGE 9

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