Puppet parade American interventionist policies in Asia, directed against People’s China, have transformed Siam into a U.S. puppet state. Here U.S.-made tanks and armored vehicles rumble — through Bangkok in an Army Day parade. MILLION NEW HOMES Soviet real By RALPH PARKER MOSCOW Real wages went up by 10 per- cent in the Soviet Union during 1951, an official report just pub- lished shows. At the same time well over 1,000,000 families moved into new homes. Investment in house building increased by 20 percent. Here are some of the effects of the rising standard of living shown in the ordinary house- wife’s weekly shopping list: For every 3lb of meat bought MAURICE THOREZ Thorez recovers PARIS Maurice Thorez, general secretary of the French Com- munist party, has made a re- markable recovery from the ef- fects ef the stroke he suffered 14 months ago and is once again taking an active part in the work of the party. This news was brought back .from Moscow recently by Auguste Lecoeur, organizing secretary of the French Com- munist party. Thorez has been undergoing medical treatment in the Soviet Union and will remam there fer a while to ‘complete his cure, Lecoeur said that members of the leadership of the French Communist party would visit Moscow regularly to keep the general secretary informed and to obtain his advice. by 10 percent in 1951 wages rose in 1950, she bought 4b in 1951; for every four eggs, five and 10 percent more butter, one- third more of other dairy pro- ducts, nearly one-third more tea and sugar. Her purchases of furniture went up to half as much again. Advances in the social services included ‘the provision of 50,000 extra beds in ‘hospitals and ma- ternity homes and an addition of 5,000 schools providing edu- cation beyond the age of 11. Theatre and cinema attendance rose by 12 percent. ' First cause ‘of this new wealth in the hands of 'the Soviet work- ers was a systematic lowering ‘of prices, increase of wages and extension of social services. This was mainly due to the rise in productivity by 10 per- cent during the year. And the causes of increased productivity ‘were further me- chanisation of labor processes, outstanding success of cam- paigns to save raw materials, and application of many of the 700,000 suggestions for im- provements in technique made by the workers. ‘Lower costs of production en- abled the government to bring down wholesale prices for metals, machinery, fuel, building mater- } ials, paper, electricity and road haulage on January 1, 1952. The plan for the gross output for the whole of industry was fulfilled by 103 percent. ‘ Big increases in steel, coal and oil output were accompanied by an extension of sown areas, greater output of consumer goods and a rise in the number of young specialists leaving in- Stitutes and technical schools for industry. « : Throughout the year capital constructions ‘on a gigantic scale went on throughout a vast area of the Soviet Union. The Constructions for Com- munism, which aim at achieving the age of abundance in ‘the near future, involved a larger sector than ever of the national econ- omy. NATO ‘European Army. will never get support of French working stoplel « The most important conclusion to be drawn from the debate in the French Chamber of Deputies | s this: the Truman-Eisenhower policy, premised on stabilizing France, iS — Even if the Faure government scrapes through the crisi§ | created by the “European Army.” the debate has shown that such an army will never have support : ey on the “European Army simply a hoax on the Rien people. among the French people. This week the Chamber is de- bating the French budget for 1952. This reveals that France is a bankrupt country, whose rul- ing circles ‘blindly insist on bleed- ing both the French people and the Vietnamese ten thousand miles away, while’ thrashing away in vain repressions against Tunisia. * This is not just another crisis there, as Andre Marty emphasized \in his report to the recent Com- |munist central committee meet- ing. It is a reflection of the de- composition of the ruling circles. You can choose either of two images for France today. The j}men who rule this country are in a, swamp which they them- selves created by having forfeit- ed their independence to ‘the United States. Americans ought to ask themselves: what good are air-bases built on a swamp? And how can pouring more billions of dollars sucked from U.S. tax- ‘payers, provide any firm founda- tion in such swamp? Or else, France is a volcano, as ‘the one-day strike on Feb- ruary 12 showed. In the last ‘weeks, there have been regional peace congresses in conservative Bordeaux in the commercial region of Marseilles (where American warships dock) and in By JOSEPH STAROBIN PARIS Strategic Nancy, of Alsace-Lor- raine. Every one of these show- ed a much wider unity for a peace policy and a new foreign policy than epee heretofore seen. Faced with new ‘taxes with a raging inflation (higher than elsewhere in Europe) and an ar- rogant West Germany, the French mood is volcanic. The debate itself was an ex- ceptional mirror of the realities. The pro-government speakers in the Radical and Catholic parties argued that the European Army must be accepted: the alternative was a fully re-armed West Ger- many or a withdrawal of the United States to outlying bases. ‘Weep and bear it, was the gov- ernment line. But other Radical leaders and Catholic leaders: refuted this line: some accepted a European Army only on condition that West Ger- many give up its aim of recon- quering the German Democratic ‘Republic and western Poland; others raised the question of Whether the USSR would not |move to squelch West German aggression in the ‘bud. The Socialists adopted their typical and cowardly “yes-but” attitude. They want to delay everything until. the UN Dis- ‘Germany participation insead of the armament Commission has had a chance to reduce East-West ’ tension and they want a returmm | to the “comba't-team”’ in the European Army, idea for 450,000 men in full divisions and the ,500 planes that Chancellor Aidenaner envisages. Other speakers: implored Brit | ain to help ceunter-balance. Ger many by coming in. Gaullists demagogically demand ed a full-fledged political confed eration before an army could bé ; established. And the Commu ~ ists and their progressive allies | pointed out that their warnings had ‘been confirmed. They d@ — manded the end of ‘the Atlantic — Ger § Americal | Pact, a united democratic many, based on an Soviet agreement. It is significant that on the ‘day of the vote, the conserva tive Le Monde’s editor called for reviving the Franco-Soviet — treaty, and letting the Atlanti¢ Pact, become a dead-leiter. Thus, ‘the debate was really 4 | critique of American policy more | ‘than even an outcry against the | . Therefore: is deceiving | . the American people when he re | German danger. President Truman $300 billion for war ‘ Here are representatives of six of the 12 NATO den equivalent to $750 on every man, woman and chil pare for war in the name of peace. Left to right: eign Minister J. Bech, Belgian Foreign Minister v Italian Premier de Gasperi, French Foreign Mi ’ ports that all is going well. countries who helped to impose a tax bul d of 400 million people—$300 billion to pre German Prof. W. Hallstein, Luxembourg For- on Zeeland, German Chancellor K. Adenauer; nister Robert Schuman. — British gov't ready to bury . but not to shelter - people LONDON The British government is so far advanced with its war plans | that it is already preparing to bury the dead and dispose of bodies affected by atomic radia- tion. This macabre fact was reveal- ed at a press conference on Civil: Defense by Ernest Mar- ples, parliamentary secretary to the ministry of housing and - local government. But while the government’s plans for burying the dead are well advanced, preparations for sheltering the living are still in the blueprint stage. Plans for shelters against atom bombs were said to be “absolutely ready” but they were not yet being built because the materi. zis and labor were needed for other purposes. - Flanked by a dozen experts, and using the deceptive slogan “Peace through Strength,” Home Secretary Sir David Ma well Fyfe admiited the difft culty of geiting people to join the civil_defence services. This reluctance was stronges! — in the industrial areas — th® very areas that would be most heavily involved. There, apparently, the indust " rial workers had not accep the government's propagand® PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 29, 1952 — PAGE } gen The de f tale cod sp ari nc wtibagle Be ae ah”