Live longer, feel better.

New health law in USSR

The December session of the
U.S.S.R. Supreme Soviet adopted
a law on the basic legislation of
the U.S.S.R. and the Union Re-
publics on public health. The
draft legislation was previously
discussed by the public and sub-
mitted to parliament, with
amendments and additions.

The basic legislation was pre-
pared by a number of permanent
commissions of the U.S.S.R. Su-
preme Soviet, central medical
and other departments, trade un-
ions, scientific institutions, pub-
lic organizations and leading
specialists.

With the adoption of this
legislation the country gets a
single legislative act containing
fundamental. provisions defining
the basis of organization of
health protection and public re-
lations in this field.

The law records the norms of
public health service applied in
practise and at the same time
adds a number of new provisions
stemming from big economic and
social changes that have taken
place in the life of the Soviet
people. The new law from now
on excludes differences in the
interpretation of norms and pro-
visions in the field of public
health organization.

Effects of technology

‘The present-day ideologists of
capitalism often claim that civili-
zation and technical progress are
responsible for the growth of
many diseases. The technical
revolution, speeds and rhythms
of _ contemporary production,
they say, lead to a number of
diseases. Yet the half-century ex-
perience of public health protec-
tion in the U.S.S.R. and in other
countries of socialism proves the
opposite: Public health depends
on socio-economic factors—the
greater the care shown about it
by society, the stronger it is.

The main principles underlying
the socialist system of public
health services have long been
defined and put. into life: state
character, free of charge, avail-
ability of medical aid, wide pre-
ventive activities, the planned
development of health services
and participation of the popula-
tion in them.

Longer life span ~~

As many as 618,000 doctors
tend the Soviet population —
more than in the U.S.A., Britain
and France put together. The
average life expectancy in Russia
before the Revolution was 32
years, while in the U.S.S.R. it
went up to 70. In the past half-
century the mortality rate in the
country has dropped to one-
fourth and among the children
to one-tenth of what it was.

All this could only be a conse-
quence of the rising living stan-
dards and an improvement in
the health of the popvlation.

It would be another extreme
to consider that under socialism
social prerequisites of diseases
have disappeared. In our age of
mechanization, automation,
chemistry, the atom and elec-
tron, a number of problems
arise which await their solution
in the U.S.S.R. also. But our so-
cial system ensures the neces-
sary conditions and means for
their successful resolution.

Funds increased

The past-few years have seen
the adoption of decisions on the
level of the CPSU Central Com-
mittee, government and _parlia-
ment on further improving the
public health services. The reali-
zation of the planned measures
is annually backed by large ap-

propriations. In the 1970 budget
expenditures on public health
and physical culture have been
raised to 9,200 million roubles as
against 8,500 million in 1969.

State expenditures on social
security and insurance are also
essential for the health of peo-
ple. In 1970 they will amount to
21,100 million roubles compared
to 19,600 million roubles in 1969.
Finally, of no small importance
for the strengthening of health
is not only the training of medi-
cal personnel, but also the de-
velopment of education, science
and culture. In general, expendi-
tures for these purposes will
work out to 24,500 million rou-
bles—1,300 million roubles more
than in 1969.

Public duties

The law emphasizes that pub- .

lic health protection is a duty of
all state organs, enterprises, es-
tablishments, trade unions and
public organizations. But if
health under socialism is the pro-
perty of society, then not only
the state but the citizens them-
selves must take care of their
health and that of other mem-
bers of society, and strictly ob-
serve the legislation on public
health.

The basic legislation proceeds
from the programmatic docu-
ments of the CPSU in the field
of improving public health ser-
vices. The very first section for-
mulates the basic principles and
tasks of Soviet public healti ser-
vices: They must insure the har-
monious development of physi-

cal and spiritual forces, health,
a high level of working capacity
and long active life of citizens.
They must prevent and decrease
diseases, in order to reduce dis-
ability and mortality, and re-
duce factors harmful to the
health of citizens.

Much attention is given to the
principles of organization of
sanitary-epidemiological service
and state sanitary inspection.
Greater responsibility is borne
by establishments, enterprises,
collective farms and other or-
ganizations for failing to ob-
serve the laws on the protection
of environment and improving
the conditions of work and
every-day life of the population.

Mother and child

The law also includes a sec-
tion on mother and child care,
sanatorium and resort treatment
and organization of recreation,
tourism and physical culture, on
medicines, atrificial limbs, etc.

A considerable part of the
basic legislation is devoted to
principles governing the enlarge-
ment of a network of public
health establishments and their
location. The construction of
populated localities, housing es-
tates and enterprises is incon-
ceivable without the simultan-
eous building of a complex of
medical, school and sports pro-
jects. It is forbidden to site on
the territory of residential areas
industrial enterprises which may
do harm to the health of the
population.

China's great purge

The Chinese press has been
writing profusely of late about
“improving Party organizations”
at individual enterprises and in-
stitutions. It gave specifically
an extensive coverage to the ex-
perience gained in “Party devel-
opment” at the Hsinhua print-
shop and the Chinghua political
institute. In both cases ~the
“work to improve and develop
the Party” was carried out un-
der the direction of special “‘lead-
ing groups” which relied for
support on propaganda teams
from the Peking military unit.

The newspapers reported that
a Party committee had been set
up at the Hsinhua printshop in
May. This was followed by a
“resolute purge” during which
so-called “class enemies’’ sup-
porting Liu Shao-chi’s line were
expelled from the Party.

The problem of relationships
between the Party organization
and the “revolutionary commit-
tee” there was reportedly solved
without great difficulties since
“the majority of revolutionary
committee members are mem-
bers of the Party committee.”

Individual examples

It is quite clear from news-
paper accounts of these activities
that the task set by the so-called
9th Congress of the Communist
Party of China “to improve” the
Party has so far been carried
out only at individual enter-
prises. :

It is also apparent that “im-
provement of the Party” means
in fact the establishment of Par-
ty organizations anew, since all
former Party members are put
through a purge campaign and
are either restored to Party
membership or dropped out.

Some observers say. that 50
percent to three-fourths of for-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 30, 1970—Page 8

mer Party members are “thus
dropped out. Another condition
for re-establishing the Party or-

ganization is the “injection of,

fresh blood,” i.e., a mass admis-
sion to the Party of activists who
unquestionably obeyed all the in-
structions of ‘“Mao’s headquar-
ters” during the ‘cultural revolu-
tion.’ It took the Hsinhua
printshop seven months to re-
establish the Party organization.
, Torn by Squabbles

As is known, the task of re-
establishing Party organizations
at all levels was entrusted to
“revolutionary committees.” But
it was these “revolutionary com-
mittees,”” which exercised all the
fullness of power after the Party
organizations and elected admin-
istrative bodies had been smash-
ed, that hampered the efforts to
re-build the Party apparatus.
Particularly strong opposition to
“Party development” came from
tsaofans and _ hungweipings,
members of “revolutionary com-
mittees,” who were used at the
initial stage of the “cultural
revolution” to smash the Party
and suppress undesirable Party
cadres.

To judge by reports in provin-
cial newspapers and radio, the
current reorganization and
“shake-up of revolutionary com-
mittees” has chiefly the effect of
turning these organs of power
into a coalition of military and
former Party cadres who have
survived all the purges. ‘The
military - command - and - cadres
obey” principle is preserved. In
practice, however, the armymen,
who head “revolutionary com-
mittees’” direct efforts ‘“‘to im-
prove and develop the Party”
and become as a rule the leaders
of the newly established Party
committees.

UTUETEU ETRE UERD EDT EE UEE ETERS

By ALF DEWHURST

Mr. Denis Harvey, editor of
Canadian Magazine, has. reject-
ed the request of the Central Ex-
ecutive of the Communist Party
for “adequate space” in the
magazine to reply to articles
slandering the Communist Party
by ex-RCMP Commnnissioner
Kelly published in the Nov. ae)
and Dec. 6 issues of that maga-
zine.

The Party's letter to. Canadian
Magazine made the request “in
the interests of truth, in order
that your readers may judge
whether the course followed and
advocated by the Communist
Party is, or is not, in the vital
interests of Canada and Cana-
dians.”

In his letter rejecting the
party’s request, Mr. Harvey
wrote, “The articles by Mr. Kelly
were quite legitimate and were
the opinions of a man who is
considered one of the leading
experts in his field.” He then
added a strange viewpoint: that
many arguments against the
points raised by Kelly “have al-
ready been made beforehand”
and that “it might be considered
that his articles were in reply
to them.” Mr. Kelly is now re-

North Vietnam rebuild
while manning defences

Last year the Democratic Re-
public of Vietnam embarked on
the rehabilitation of its economy
after four years of savage air
bombings. When the first waves
of US. bombers attacked the
towns and villages of North
Vietnam, half of the country’s
national income came from in-
dustry — textiles, engineering,
cement, iron and ste :l and che-
mical. All mills and plants, as
well as power stations and coal
fields were the targets of U.S.
bombs.

The DRV had to shift its in-
dustries to rural areas, which
included an exodus of the popu-
lation from the cities. Valley
dwellers moved to the mount-
ains. Women came to play a
bigger role in leading posts in
the educational system, admin-
istrative bodies and services.

Over 80 percent of North
Vietnari’s cities and provincial
centers were either completely
destroyed or heavily damaged
by bombings.

Last year the North Vietnam
people cleared away all the
debris in Hanoi, Haiphong, Nam
Dinh and Hon Gai. The Hanoi
engineering works, the March 8
factory, the Nam ‘Dinh textile
mills and the Hon Gai coal fields
are exceeding their production
plans, and cargo handling is be-

’ THANKS

Our good friend from Alberta,
E. R. Fay writes that in our
article ‘Bolshevik Spies in
Borshch,” we referred to the late
Hewlett Johnson as the “Arch-
bishop of Canterbury..’ He points
out that he was the “Red” Dean
of Canterbury. Thanks.

: MTT CCC CCL

Get no space to refute

hit-and-run RCMP story

tired, writes Harvey, and
now able to speak publicly
such matters.”

Mr. Harvey also twisted
Communist Party's request 1
“adequate space” to “edt
space.” j

The truth of the matter is t
Canadian Magazine, lending
self to the development and
tivation of the present atten
to hot up the cold war om
again, also engages in the
spiracy to blackout the views™
the Communist Party. This CO”
spiracy encompasses the who!
of the mass media which)
owned and controlled by mot,
poly, or by the state, whit
monopoly controls as well. ©

The main crime of the bla@
out of the views of the Comnl
nist Party is that millions —
Canadians are deprived of @
opportunity of hearing alter™
tive opinions on vital matt”
affecting their lives. Canadidl
are victims of a censorship
all views which do not fit it
a nice safe pattern of allege
“opposition” to the policies |
the ruling establishment. SU!
censorship applies not 0
against the Communist Pat!
but against the labor and Pi
gressive movements as a who?

ii
oo gue «

— = «

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ing accelerated in the ports |
Haiphong, Hon Gai and
Pha.

Haiphong is being rapidly |
built. Factories,  handict®
workshops and public cate,
establishments are again |
operation. Haiphong, empha
ing increasing industrial prod?
tion, is supplying the popula
with food and manufactl®
goods, and speeding up unio!
ing operations in the port. |
1968-69 it had 50 cranes unld
ing ships. a

Distribution of food and
prime necessities is strictly ©
trolled. Rice, meat, sugar, Fy
and beans, fish sauce, tex”
and other goods are ratione®

The DRV was able to incl]
its industrial production in
by 5.5 percent. The North
namese see one of their bisa
achievements of 1969 in thé
multaneous construction of ;
enterprises and rehabilitatiom
many _ industrial installa + |
which had been destroye®)
damaged by bombings. |

The area under rice wa%
creased, and plans for ima
ing agricultural production ©
been worked out and alee
operation. There will be al
pansion of the area undety
dustrial crops by 40 pel
and fruit plantations by 22
cent. :

The countries of socialis™
helping. The Soviet Unl0
donating military and ecoh
aid, and long-term credits. @

In spite of the complex j
difficult problems, the Vg
mese are making steady &
mic progress to build up , 3
country’s strength and ©m
their children a happy ful™y