The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-11-02

Of Socialist labor. based on the
enterprise and rivalry of free
builders of new, Socialist, society,
who work, not for exploiters, but
for themselves. At the same time
rivalry shou Id not be confused with
competition. "The basis of COM
petition is the defeat and death of
one side and the victory and
domination of the other. The basis
of Socialist rivalry is the COM
radely help of the backward by the
advanced workers in order to at
tain a general advance. COMPETE
ton says Smash the backward in
I order to maintain your domination.
Socialist rivalry says Some work
badly, others still better: catch up
with the best and attain general
advance (Stalin). 1t is this very
idea of the general advance in So
cialist construction in spite of all
f. difficulties and obstacles that is the
impetus which caused that growth
of mass productive powers ex-
pressed in Socialist rivalry.
That we have to do with mass
movement, movement which
sprang up on the initiative of the
masses, is proved by the facts. The
appeal of the Sixteenth Party Con-
ference to the working class to or
ganize rivalry was issued on April
20, 1929. But as it has already been
stated, the Tver Contract was con-
Guided twenty-one days before that,
and the letter of the workers of the
Kamensky and Red Elector factories
was published still earlier. Rivalry
began in many factories in March,
while the fighting" brigades had
appeared even before that.
In the Village.
The most characteristic feature
of the rivalry movement is that it
has entered the village as well.
There is whole series of contracts
between factories and peasants, IN
which the workers undertake GER
4 tain Industrial obligations, and the
peasants undertake trial obliga-
tions, and the peasants undertake
to improve the harvests, to use
new methods in field cultivation, to
20 over to collective forms of agir-
culture. Such contracts exist be-
tween collective farms, Soviet
farms. communes, and between viii
lagos. Rivalry is fairly widespread
now in the villages.
The Red Army is not behindhand.
There are innumerable contracts be-
tween various army divisions, where
each division rivals with the other
on military and political studies,
etc.
The fact that even the unem-
ployed have considered it necessary
to take part in rivalry may serve
as an example of this veritably I'M
precedented Socialist enthusiasm.
The unemployed metal and textile
workers of Moscow and .Kharkov
have appealed to all the workers
Of the U.S.S.R. to take part whole
fneartedly in the rivalry movement
Ind to realize within the appointed
period the five-year plan.
It is early as yet to calculate
he practical results of rivalry. 1t
will be possible to do this only at
he end of the economic year. But
here are already number OF facts
which point to the conclusion that
he rivalry m ovement is giving big
results. Here are a few examples
chosen at random. In the Yaroslav
lax factory "The Dawn of Social
SIN" cost prices, as the result OF
.ivalry, have fallen 7.34 per cent,
n spite of the fact that the cost
If raw material has risen 25 per
.ent. In the Prokopiev mine
Kouzbass" the productivity of the
workers has risen IA per cent. The
productivity of labor in railway
transport has risen 81 per cent in
many districts. In the Nicholson"
factory the average expenses for
arriage repair fell by 20 per cent
May as compared with the ex-
lenses of the first quarter of this
rear. In the painting section OF
his factory cost prices fell So per
ent in May. The miners OF
Donougl" obtained Is per cent
more anthracite and coal in June,
hus exceeding the program by 6.5'
,er cent. The amount Of time spent
n idleness has been decreased
snany-fold in many enterprises.
Rrhere are innumerable similar
Examples. They all point to the
act that rivalry is giving abso-
utely real industrial effects, and
hat the obligations undertaken by
he workers are by no means empty
,hrases. Tangible results are
v no means empty phrases. Tang
ole results are already seen in vii
= ages where rivalry exists.
The Trade Unions.
What part do the Trade Unions
LAY in the organization and car
ying out of Socialist rivalry?
Here two stages must be noted.
n the first period, when rivalry
ras only Of local character and
xisted only amongst the young
rorkers, the trade unions went no
arther than encouraging and aid
~ the rivals. But when the
aovement began spreading to all
NJ Ia workars the fradA llnions be-