Montana labor news., 1936-12-17

GIANT

celeDrdleS us l5tl Dll III
day, we note that the recently issued
World Economic Review of the U. S.
Department of Commerce contains
an 1l-page summary of economic
developments in that country. 1t
reviews the achievements of the year
1885, "the third year of the second
Five-Year Plan of construction and
expansion of industry, agriculture,
and transport which began in 1888"
Referring to heavy industry, this
sober official report of a United
States government agency declares
Results for 1885 indicate a contin-
ued advance in most of the indus
tries concerned, a considerable in
crease in labor productivity, and
some reductions in manufacturing
costs"
Referring to agriculture, the same
survey declares: During 1885, agri-
culture is reported to have made
great strides, both in increased pro-
duction and in other respects. The
collective farm movement, continued
to spread and to strengthen its or
g~anization and position; on July l,
1885, it included 1928 per cent of all
farmsteads in the Union, against IA
per cent a year earlier" The words
good record and improvement
appear frequently in the section of
this report on agriculture, as well as
in sections dealing with other phases
of the Soviet economy.
William Silk Wasserman, presi-
dent of the Investment Corporation
Of Philadelphia, described as a
world traveller and economist re-
Gently returned from Europe" re-
ported on the Soviet Union in an
article in Barron's (~10-12-36):
'The production of manufactured
goods is constantly reaching new
highs. The food supply is now not
only ample but, in spite of a drought,
a record crop is expected, due to a
better internal organization of the
collectives. Reports from competent
observers indicate a steadily rising
standard of living. Russia is
steadily gaining from both an eco
nomic and military standpoint, and
will be a formidable enemy"
This does not mean that the Soviet
Union plans war against any coun-
try, as her ornaments are for de-
tense. No less an authority than
Walter Duranty recently wrote:
"The people of the U. S. S. r.,
which has no thought of aggression
against any foreigner, is now able
to resist the attempt of any enemy
to take one inch of Soviet soil"
Some important facts about the
Soviet Union worth repeating in con-
nection with this 10Th anniversary
are the following:
l. By 1887, the Soviet Union viii
be the first country in Europe in the
volume of its industrial output, tax
ing second place in the world only
to the U. S.
2. The tempo of growth of Soviet
industry increases with every year.
Under the second Five-Year Plan,
in 1888 industrial production in
creased by 81 per cent as compared
with the previous year; 1884 showed
an increase of 1877 per cent. 1895,
20.7 per cent; first eight months of
1886 1872 per cent. The planned in
crease for the whole of the present
year was only % per cent.
3. 1t now appears certain that the
ambitious second Five-Year Plan
will be carried out in full and in
some branches of production it will
be achieved in four years, thus re-
peating, on a much higher scale of
| course, the victories of the first Five
| Year Plan.
a. The U. S. S. r. nov holds sec
ond place in world production of
gold and soon will be the leading
producer of gold in the world, and
! of steel in Europe.
5, Thanks to the superior organ
ization of Soviet agriculture, the in
creasing degree of INFLAMMATION,
| the greater use of fertilizers and Sc
lected seed, and the conscientious
and devoted labors of the collective
farmers" writes James B. Turner
in the November issue of Soviet
Russia Today, "it has been possible
to overcome a drouth lasting liz
months which under the old indi-
vidualistic system Of farming would
have had disastrous results. Instead
the grain crop will be fully up to
| the record breaker of last year"
6. Standard of living of the masses
continues to rise steadily. Average
monthly earnings of workers in large
scale industry, in the first sever
months of this year, were q per
cent higher than in the same period
last year. At the same time prices
have been coming down. During 1885
alone prices of goods in state retail
stores fell on an average IA per cent.
7. This increase in wages was re-
Elected in the increased consumption
of the people. For the first nine
months of this year there was an
increase of 33 per cent in retail turn
over. The output of light industry