| Seay in the bank’ |

. . 24th CONGRESS OF CPSU

REALISTIC TARGETS
FOR 5-YEAR PLAN

MOSCOW—One of the main tasks of the 24th Congress of the
CPSU is to increase the effectiveness of socialist production in the
1971-75 period. The new Five-Year Plan will embrace both intensive
and extensive development—with the former the main trend. This
means more automation, the fullest use of modern technique, con-
céntration of industry, closer co-operation with research institutes,

better management.

_At the 22nd Congress in 1961, perhaps unduly influenced by the
ebullient Nikita Khrushchov, the growth figures approved for a
sweeping 20-year development of Soviet industry were out of line
with reality. For example, at the 1970 half-way mark, steel pro-
ductior was to reach 145 million tons, oil 390 million tons, gas
310 milion cubic metres, coal 686 million tons, mineral fertilizers
77 million tons, cement 122 million tons, and so on.

None of these figures were attained. Acting more soberly, the
23rd Congress in 1966 revised the figures downward in approving
the economic report delivered by Alexei Kosygin. And in the main
the targets were fulfilled ox almost fulfilled, while a few were over-

fulfilled.

The 24th Congress will have many successes—tremendous suc-
cesses—to report as it looks back, not only over the past five years,
but over the period since the first Five-Year Plan. These figures on
a few key heavy industry items give a picture of the road travelled:

1928
Electric power
(1,000 min kwh) 5.0
Steel (mln tons) 43
Oil (mln tons) 11.6
Gas (1,000 min c.m.) 0.3
Coal (mln tons) 395.5
Cement (min tons) 1.8
Motor vehicles (thou) 0.8
Tractors (thou) 13

1940 1945
483 43.3
183 123
31.1 19.4
3.4 3.4
166 149
5.7 18
145 75
31.6 7.

It is truly a remarkable record! -

1958

72.4
616
355

‘1970

740
116.
353

The duty of Congress delegates is not to dwell on past successes,
however, but to plan the road ahead in order to be able to record
further achievements in the years to come.

New areas in the USSR are being opened, new cities and town-
sites are springing up in Siberia, the Far North, the Far East. The
chief role in raising socialist production, however, still falls on

“intensive” development in already developed industrial areas. The
next five years will witness a concentration of industry, the organi-
zation of big industrial complexes (such as is happening in the

automobile industry). The role of research—which employs about
one million experts—will assume greater significance than in the
past. Material incentives (wage hikes, bonuses, etc.) plus new

techniques and equipment and heightened ideological work will
inspire workers to increase labor productivity.

@.W.)

Rising incomes in USSR

By YEVGENI DVORNIKOV

MOSCOW (APN) — A report
of the USSR Central Statistical
Board reveals that at the end
of 1970 the number of deposits
in savings banks had reached 80
million (the population runs in-
to something like 244 million).
This is due to the significant
increase -in income of the Soviet

people during the past few —

years.

Important measures to im-
prove the standards of living in-
clude a rise in the minimum
wages (and a simultaneous de-
crease in taxes on them), en-
hancement of the rates of wages
of medium-paid workers, an in-
troduction of new rates in con-
struction, machine-building and
metallurgy. The state has also
granted financial advantages to

machine operators in agriculture
and to loggers. :

Over 1,500,000 people work-
ing in the North have got a 20%,
pay increase.

To this we must add higher
payments and benefits in the
pension sphere and the lowering
of the pension age for collective
farmers and textile workers.

The USSR has thus been pur-
suing a clear line towards rais-
ing the real income of the popu-
lation. In money wage increases
alone, the annual income per
worker during the past five
years has risen by an average
of 300 roubles.

Simultaneously there has been
a substantial. growth of pay-

ments and benefits every Soviet

family receives from. public
funds. Today every citizen re-
ceives on the average benefits

Health of the people
is the nation’s care

MOSCOW (APN)—The Soviet
public health system made big
headway in the last five-year

period. State appropriations for
public health service in 1970
alone amounted to more than
9,000 million roubles. This is
600 million more than in 1969.
The centralized capital invest-
ments in the construction of
medical institutions, including
multi-profile hospitals with the
accommodations ranging from
600 to 1,000 and more beds,
have risen by 25%. All forms
of medical aid are free in the
Soviet Union.

The number of physicians of
all profiles has gone up by 120,-
000. By the beginning of 1970
they numbered about 640,000.
This shows that 25% of the
world’s physicians work in the
Soviet Union, more than in the
United States, Britain and France
together.

Medical personnel are trained
at 82 colleges and 9 departments
of universities. In 1965 there
were 23.9 doctors per 10 thou-
sand of the population, where
as in 1970.it was about 28.

Altogether, about five million
medical workers, including those
working in the city and rural
out-patients’ clinics, poly-clinics,
hospitals and in many other
medical establishments, are en-
gaged in the protection of the
people’s health.

More than 110,000 pediatrists
and obstetricians take care of
the health of children and moth-
ers. This is vivid proof of the

constant care of the state for

maternity and child protection.

The number of maternity and
children’s consultation _ clinics
increased by almost 2,000 over
the past five years. At present
nine million children are taken
care of in kindergartens and
nurseries.

The network of _ sanatoria,
overnight dispensaries, — rest
homes and boarding hotels is
expanding and today exceeds
5,000. The construction of board-
ing hotels assumed particularly
large scope, the accommodation
in which almost doubled over
the last five years. More than
eight million working people in
1970 alone used the health re-

’ sorts of the trade unions.

equal to one-third of his P
since he is given free m
aid, and free or easy-term
commodation at _ sanatoriWl
and rest homes, his childre'
maintained at state pre-schi
institutions, and receive sch
ships at higher education es
lishments, etc. These expe
are fully covered through pu?
funds, which keep growing W
every passing year. 4
That is why every Sov
family is able to accumul

. large sums of personal savil

which are earmarked for §
things as cars, country cot
etc. |

While the purchasing Pp0
of the Soviet population is hi
er then ever before, the cou!
is not experiencing insta:
in the sphere of money cit¢
tion because there is a SI
taneous rise in trade turn?
and public services.

According to the Central »
tistical Board, in 1970 ™®
were increased sales of all 5?
of foodstuffs and consul
goods, starting with meat
ending with cars. The
domestic sale of automo)
rose by 39%, clothing, fab!
and freezers by 15%, came
by 13%, knitted wear by 1!
and furniture by 9%.

More TV sets, radios, Wa
es, motorcycles, motor sco
vacuum cleaners, etc., and ™
foodstuffs of all kinds were
than in 1969 with an espe
high rise in the consumptio®
eggs, citrus and other .
vegetables and confectioné

Last year 8,000 new ©
making and tailoring establ
ments, laundries, cafes an
taurants were opened. Them
still a shortage of public $
establishments and the »%%
Union continues to work 0”
proving the service §
Large allocations are
made for this purpose, and |
state provides material
tives for those who wish
work in the commercial ©
catering sphere. , )

The growth of trade and at
expansion of services are 57
lated by the rising level of
population’s purchasing P®,
At the same time, this ee
to the economic soundness ®
state.

in four short lines:

Tribune’s Moscow Correspondent

A witty Frenchman once said that with God you speak in Spanish, with
friends in French, with enemies in German and with women in Italian. And
today, one may add, if you talk of the future you should speak in Russian.
For surely no country in history has made such astounding progress as
has the Soviet Union since the October Revolution of 1917.

“I have seen the future, and it works,” the American writer Lincoln
Steffens said in the early days of Soviet power. And veteran Canadian poet
Joe Wallace expressed his admiration for Soviet man in the pioneer years

“He stripped himself of all spare weight

And suffered from its lack,

Because he bore such precious freight—

The future on his back.”

Socialism, forging ahead with ever-increasing momentum, represents the
future of mankind. There have been setbacks, of course. No one in this
country forgets the distortions of socialist legality that occurred in the
latter period of Stalin’s leadership. But as one Soviet writer said: “Only
the blind cannot see the light of great achievements by a great people be-
hind the shadow of mistakes.”
Living in Moscow, one doesn’t have to depend on statistics to understand
that life is constantly improving. For example, I read that 11 million Soviet
people celebrate housewarming parties every year. Fine. But I have an-
other measuring rod: the number of people whom I know personally who
move into new flats. I’ve been at two housewarming parties within the past

They are building for the future of Man... |

By BERT WHYTE

month. I am also aware that the problem of housing is far from being com-
pletely solved; that there are long waiting lists of people needing neW

progress.

The Soviet people and their leaders are well awaré ‘of problems that

homes. The government has promised a speed-up in housing construction.
The hundreds, perhaps I should say thousands, of building cranes surround:.
ing Moscow guarantee that this promise is being kept. Whole new districts
are springing up. It will take several years to fully satisfy the people’s
housing requirements, but there is no doubt, that the job will be done.
There are still shortages of some consumer goods—‘deficit goods” the
Russians call them—and for a few months last year there was a meat —
shortage. Still, any honest observer must note more goods in the shops:
more schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, and other signs of economic

* * *

hinder the more rapid advance from socialism to communism. Brezhne¥

The

befitting for C

put it this way: “Just as we try to detect our shortcomings and mistake>
we speak of them frankly, to correct them. Criticism and self-criticism at
a law of development of our society. We know, of course, that our enemies
are trying to use our self-criticism in order to slander the socialist syste™
Party remembers Lenin’s instructions to the effect that it is not
ommunists to be afraid of serious and business-like criticis™
and self-criticism on the grounds that the enemy may take advantage of it —
He who is afraid of this is not a revolutionary, said Lenin. And we, com
rades, were and remain revolutionaries.”
As the old saw has it, the dogs bark but the train rolls on. The Soviet
train rolls on toward communism, that higher form of society whose sloga®
is, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”

~ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1971—PAGE 10