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The results of new

reforms in USSR

| economic

By BERT WHYTE
MOSCOW
The Soviet Union’s eighth
five-year plan, which has passed
the halfway mark, has as its
object the further growth of in-
dustry, the advance of agricul-
ture and the rise of the peoples’
Standards of living and culture.
The lever used to ensure the
Success of the plan is the new
€conomic reform. The purpose
of the reform is to raise efficien-
Cy of production, improve cen-
tralized planning while extend- ,
ing the independence and initia-
tive of management and work-

production is not being utilized
in full so far.”

The journal notes that the
stepping up of scientific and
technological progress in the
whole national economy is di-
rectly connected with the im-
plementation of the economic
reform. While the country can
boast of some important achieve-
ments, nevertheless “The mech-
anization and automation level
of auxiliary processes in some
industries is far from being sa-
tisfactory.”

A slap is taken at some un-
named ministries: “We are sor-

During the first two years of the current five year-plan the Dnie-
Propetrovsk tire works went 10 million roubles over the plan. This is
@ finishing section of the plant.

€ts of factories and farms.

How are things going?

Th industry 22,800 plants’ have

SWitched over to the new sys-
tem of planning and economic
Mcentives. These enterprises ac-
Count for more than 60 percent
Of the entire industrial output.
Profits have increased, enabling
4n overall wage boost of eight
Percent last year (including
bonuses) , though this five year
Plan called for an annual wage
Mcrease of only 3.7 percent.
_ Agriculture has been advanc-
Ig steadily, and the gap in liv-
Ng standards between city and
Countryside is narrowing. A flow
Of new tractors, combines and
Other machines from factory to
farm has led to a sharp growth
Of labor productivity on the
farms,

All this is encouraging, but
Many stubborn problems are not
yet fully solved. Several minis-
tries are organizations respon-

' Sible for guiding the transfer of

Enterprises to the new system,
ut are not coping with this
task.

The theoretical journal, Kom-
Munist (No. 11, 1968), notes:

“The success of the economic
Teform depends to a consider-
able extent on the rate of labor
Productivity growth. Stepping
UP technological progress is the
€cisive factor in this field.
OWever, improvement in eco-
homic indicators at many enter-
Prises operating on new lines
Was attained so far at the ex-
Pense of reducing the carry-over
f uncompleted production and
finished goods, at the expense of
Selling surplus material values
and equipment, that is, at the
€Xpense of utilizing the reserves
that will be exhausted within a
Very short time. Meanwhile, such
an important factor for raising
the productivity of labor and the
€fficiency of production as the
Ntroduction of new equipment
and the latest production pro-
Cesses, the all-round mechaniza-
tion and automation and the spe-
Cialization and cooperation of

ry to say that some ministries
show an incorrect attitude to
the fulfilment of plans for the
introduction of the accomplish-
ments of science and technolo-
gy. Ministries concentrate their
attention, as a rule, on the pro-
duction program. It is quite ob-
vious that the operation of a
ministry cannot be appraised as
normal if it deals only with
current production assignments
and does not take due measures
for carrying out the plans for
the introduction of scientific
and technological achievements.”

Some plants which try to keep
in step with technological pro-
gress find themselves worse off
financially than others which
jog along the old way. One ex-
ample:

“The enterprises of the elec-
tro-technical industry which
started putting out cable goods

VA \\

prises,

in corrugated steel shells in-
stead of lead have been saving
extremely scarce raw materials
and have considerably cut the
cost price of goods. However,
due tothe fact that the existing
prices did not take into account
the real cost of production, these
enterprises have been making
smaller profits. The develop-
ment that is profitable to the na-
tional economy on the whole,
proved to be unprofitable to the
enterprises concerned.”

The 23rd CPSU Congress
stressed the need for proper dis-
tribution of plants in the most
suitable areas. Industrial and
agricultural production is ex-
panding greatly to the east of
the Urals, Positive results have
already been registered—‘‘West
Siberian oil and gas, the Kras-
noyarsk and Bratsk Hydropower
plants, Yakut diamonds and Uz-
bek gold add to our country’s
wealth and serve the cause of
communist construction.”

But the theoretical journal
adds that some ministries ap-
proach the question of locating
new plants from a narrow de-
partmental point of view. It
stresses that “the party commit-
tees of ministries must come out
more resolutely against all at-
tempts at exercising petty ward-
ship over enterprises and against
the tendency of some executives
to examine one or another
branch in isolation, without con-
sidering the overall development
of economic areas.”

Some executives find it hard
to rid themselves of “force of
habit and fear of the unknown.”
Consequently, the training and
retraining of personnel becomes
vital. It is not just an economic
necessity:

“The Central Committee of
our party regards the reform
not only as an important eco-
nomic and nationwide process,
but also as an important stride
in the development of our socie-
ty and socialist democracy and
in the education of Soviet peo-
ple.”

The Soviet people, in the re-
maining two and a half years
of the five-year plan, will strive
to. expand the reform, increase
productivity. and continue to
build up the material and tech-
nical foundation of communism.

This cardboard plant is part of the Bratsk timber industry com-
plex, one of the country's newest and largest wood processing enter-

Stes aes

ee eea Tee SOV ee

The thermal section of the new pipe-drawing shop of the
Dniepropetrovsk Lenin pipe-rolling plant is a major part of this
young shop. Their products are shipped to construction sites both in
the Soviet Union and abroad to 20 countries.

Take stand against sse-aaiitia

Public figures in over 40 countries including Canada have
appended their signatures to a statement submitted by the
World Council of Peace on the danger of neo-nazism in West
Germany, The statement is as follows:

“The development of neo-nazism in the German Federal
Republic is being noted with growing concern by world public
opinion. The rapid growth of a movement that has openly and
shamelessly taken its example from Hitlerite fascism is a logi-
cal result of developments over the past twenty years. The de-
militarization, denazification and democratisation required by
the Potsdam Agreement were not carried out in West Ger-
many, where the anti-democratic forces were able to survive
and later to consolidate their position in decisive spheres of
public life. Now neo-nazi influence is constantly becoming
stronger.

“Some West German government representatives disso-
ciate themselves from the aims of the neo-nazi National
Democratic Party of Germany (NPD). Others attempt to play
them down. Nevertheless, the dominating features of the Fede-
ral government’s home and foreign policy virtually encourage
the aims of this party. This is shown in domestic affairs by
the government’s efforts to create a rigidly structuralized
society, by its persecution and banning of democratic organi-
zations. and, in particular, by its attempts to push through
the notorious emergency laws. In foreign policy, the official .
demand for a revision of the status quo in Europe, the govern-
ment’s unwillingness to recognize existing frontiers, particu-
larly that of the Oder-Neisse, its claim to represent all Ger-
mans, its failure to recognize the other German state, the
a and its craving for nuclear weapons, speak for them-
selves.

“The growth.of the neo-nazi movement in Western Ger-
many, the penetration of the NPD into provincial parliaments,
the prospect that its representatives will enter the Bundestag
in 1969, and particularly, the support this movement receives
from reactionary circles with a determining influence in the
economic and political affairs of the Federal Republic present
an increasing danger to peace.

“We urge all people who value peace to take a stand against
these trends which obstruct a lasting detente in international
affairs. The democratic forces opposing neo-nazism in West
Germany deserve our full support. In view of developments
there, all efforts serving the cause of security and peace in
Europe must be actively pursued.”

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 4, 1968—Page 9