LL | ca A A LL ALAA ak | pad price reductions over the past tw -a daily feature of life in Soviet PRODUCTION RISING Shelves well-stocked with goods — there have been four o years—and busy shoppers are cities. MOSCOW About 600 large stores have been opened in the Soviet Union during the first three quarters of this year, Soviet Trade Minister V. Zhavoron- kov announced recently. As compared with 1950, Soviet citizens consumed this year 20 percent more meat and meat products and 24 percent more sugar; they bought 24 percent more textiles, 35 per- cent more lock-knit goods, 12 percent more footwear and Scores of new stores opening in USSR 44 percent more furniture. The total turn-over of goods increased this year by 15 per- cent. e To meet this increased con- sumption, a further 900 shops will be opened in. the first half of 1952. These include 200 for textile goods, 300 for footwear and 400 for cloth- ing. Special attention is being paid ‘*o wholesale trade, Zhavoronkov said. Its turn- over will be increased by 25 percent in the coming year. Exposure of plot | in Czechoslovakia blow to Truman PARIS The French Communist daily. L’Humanite, has made its first €ditorial comment on the case of Rudolh Slansky in Czechoslovakia. It is a brief piece by Etienne Fajon, member of the French party’s polotical bureau. Session of the Information Bureau Fajon notes the intensity of the struggle to undermine and Overthrow the people’s democra- cies which ‘the imperialist powers, in particular the rulers of the United States, would like to con- vert into ‘bases for anti-Soviet attack, ' The “tragic example” of Yugo- Slavia, he says, illuminates what imperialism is up to “even for ’ the blind,” as does the U.S. Con- gressional appropriation of $100,- 000,000 for armed bands in the ‘People’s ‘Democracies. “The bringing to light of all the strands of the conspiracy in Prague is a defeat for Mr. Tru- man and his whole clan,” says ‘Fajon, and hence “represents a Victory for peace.” The French Communist lead- er scoffs at the insinuations of a grave economic crisis in Czechoslovakia; on the con- trary he notes the 14.5 percent rise in national production this year, and says it is just these Successes of socialist construc- tion which impels the agents of imperialism to hurry their Work, and leads to their ex- _ posure, ae The revelations that unprinci- pled ambition and _ perilous treachery had lodged in such \ He was one of its first delegates to the first of the Communist Parties in 1947. high places, in a nation so im- portant for the socialist alliance as Czechoslovakia, is naturally a disagreeable surprise. On the other hand, well-inform- ed people who have visited or liv- ed in Czechoslovakia, ‘have al- ways ‘noted tthe particularly heavy stamp . of bureaucratic practises. They shave always felt that the mushroom growth /of the Communists to a party of over two million—or one out of every four adults—concealed all kinds of bandwagon riders, car- eerists and elements who neces- | sarily speculated on ‘turning this fulcrum of Europe away from the rails of socialism. The question which always arises when such characters as Slansky are brought to light is how all these things can go on }for so long. The answer, it is agreed here, goes back to simple fundamen- tals. “The guarantees against treason are vigilance against all those who have ‘no confidence in the common people, who: foster undemocratic practises and fear genuine discussion, and who use vower for their own ambitions, instead of for the principles of ‘the socialist_cause. Protection and defense of the Suez Canal shou!d be entrusted to United Nations forces, whose number is to be détermined “ac- cording to existing needs.” In case of war or complications in the Near and Middle East, Egypt would ‘be required to put her sports, airfields and communi- cations at the disposal of UN forces. McGhee. gave Rahim to under- stand that in the event Egypt re- jected these proposals the U.S. would not consider itself bound by any obligations it has assum- ed towards Egypt. It is believed in Cairo political circles that the American pro- posals are motivated by a desire to make uSe of the Anglo-Egyp- tian conflict for U.S. interests and, under the UN label, to oc- cupy the Suez Canal Zone jointly with Britain. The opinion pre- vails in these circles that adop- tion of the U.S.- proposals by the |Egyptian government would mean that it would assume ser- tous responsibility for the mili- tary adventures of the Western powers in the Middle East. Egyptian workers are forming a general federation, grouping together all their trade unions. The preparatory committee of the proposed federation already groups together 65,000 workers. “The working-class struggle in Egypt and the Sudan will of the Nile Valley from the imperialist yoke,” Abd el Rah- man, president of the Egyptian Transport Workers Federation, stated recently. In the meantime, Dr: Youssef in Prague, at a press conference held in the ‘Czechoslovak ‘capital, has told newspapermen: “Egypt has no time to get in- terested in any absurd war ad- ventures which would bring only harm.” The only aim of the Egyptian people was to get rid of the British forces of occupa- tion, he emphasized in his outline of the British-Egyptian ‘conflict. Kabyl noted with satisfaction that at various sessions of the United Nations, the Soviet Union and the People’s Democracies had come out in support of the liberation fight of the Egyptian people. definitely end in the liberation ~ Kabyl, Egyptian charge d’affaires. Rahim Bey U.S. plans to convert Egypt into military base for Atlantic bloc The United States government believes it possble to settle the Anglo-Egyptian conflict through establishment of an international control over the Suez Canal. Foreign Ministry by Rahim Bey, Egyptian Ambassador to Wa George C. McGhee, U.S. assistant secretary of State for N In the U.S. State Department’s opinion, adjacent regions should be put under UN control. tian territory are supposed to run some 25 miles b CAIRO This opinion reported to the Egyptian shington was communicated to him by ear Eastern, South Asian and African Affairs. told his ministry, the Suez Canal and the The borders of the area to be detached from Egyp- oth east and west of the Suez Canal. NAHAS PASHA Million march Egypt's Prime Minister Nahas Pasha, followed by cabinet ministers, religious dig- nitaries and university profes- scrs, headed the recent demon- stration march of nearly one million people through Cairo streets. Demonstrators carried banners reading: “Down with the Middle East Command” and “Down with imperialism.” People's judges being elected in Soviet Union MOSCOW On December 16 and 23 all Soviet people will elect new peo- ple’s judges for the coming three years. The elections will be held by secret ballot.and the election campaign is already proceeding in all the 16 Republics of the Soviet Union. The people’s judges are respon- sible to their electors and can be recalled by them at any time in case they do not fulfill the duties of “honest and model citizens of the Soviet Union.” Wild claims about Soviet — arms deflated - LONDON Wildly inflated British esti- mates of the size of the Soviet Army have been blown sky-high —by the most authoritative pub- lication of its kind. in Britain. The 1951 edition of Brassey’s Annual, the Armed Forces Year- Book published last month, esti- mates that the Soviet Army has 2,800,000 men now under arms in about 175 divisions or 12 sol- diers per 1,000 of the population. And they are figures that ¢or- respond almost exactly to the Soviet government’s own State- ment of the size of its army, con- tained in Stalin’s Pravda inter- view of February 17, 1951, and in the Soviet note to the British government of February 24, 1951. These are figures far below all these recent (and progressively increasing!) estimates made by official British spokesmen: On February 12, 1951, Clement Attlee, then prime minister, said in the House of ommons: “Soviet Russia did not demobilize its forces at the end of the war’) (when it had over 12 million men mobilized). On March 18, John Strachey, then war secretary, said the Sov. jet Army had 175 divisions, and its strength was “about. four million.” On April 22, Shinwell said the Soviet Army had 200 divis- ions. On July 15, Woodrow Wyatt,. then under-secretary for war, Said the Soviet Army had. 215 divisions, comprising over four million men. And on July 27, Shinwell topped all, in including his own earlier estimates by claiming that the Soviet armed forces comprised 4,600,000 men, of which 3,200,000 men and women were in the army of 215 divisions. Hungary launches mass campaign to conquer ne BUDAPEST All Hungarian women between the ages of 35 and 50 will be given check-ups in a special can- cer control station, the Hungar- ian Health Ministry decided re- cently. ‘ e Under this scheme, which puts the fight against cancer on a mass basis for the first time in Hungary, 20 percent of women of this age group will undergo special medical cancer screening by the end of this year. Regular Xray cancer control for men above the age of 50 will be in- scourge troduced next year. The Hungarian People’s Demo: cratic government is: also relent-" lessly fighting tuberculosis. In order to increase the control of this disease, 20 new travelling X-ray stations have been sent to all parts of the country so that thorough medical examina- tions can be made in the remotest villages. : \ A new central research insti- tute on. tuberculosis will be opened before the end of the current Hungarian Five-Year Plan. The number of hospital beds, allocated for people suffer- of cancer ing from this disease, will reach about 10,000 in 1954. Another way of caring for the working pecple’s health is the broadly developed holiday scheme for working people, about 80 percent.of which is paid for by the Hungarian Trades Union Federation. The number of these holiday-mak- ers—most of whom never had any holidays under the capital- ist system — was 109,000 in 1949 and it has reached about 150,000 this year. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 14, 1951 — PAGE 3 %