Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-09-01
Communism in Action

Va PioAiI dS oil lIlCcIlJlVe 10 IN
: creased production is one of tn
; most striking facts to emerge from
the report on Communism in Ac
ton" released yesterday by thu
Legislative Reference Service of tn,
Library of Congress.
The report, as written by impair
tial experts and former Soviet in
dustrial leaders, outlines the failur,
OF the economic system to function
until rewards for increased skill ant
efficiency began to produce NOR
results than were thought possible
IN the early stages of the revolution
Significant phases of economi,
and social life in the Soviet Unior
are treated in detail in the stud,
prepared at request of Representa-
tive Dirksen, Republican, of Illinois
a member of the District Committee
who wished to develop all possible
facts as the basis of comparison
with the American way of life.
Chapters prepared by authorities
with special knowledge in various
fields like management, labor, forced
labor. living standards. religion
leisure time and education, were
summarized as follows:
SOVIET PRODUCTION SYSTEM
! In the chapter which is devoted
to The Operation of the Soviet
Production System" this conclusion
based upon the most current pro.
duction figures seems impressive
Detailed comparisons with prog
ress made during this period 1928.
1912 in the United States coulo
prove almost anything writer sets
out to prove even without getting
into the rabid controversy as to the
reliability of Soviet statistics ano
the constant playing down of Rus
sian industrial accomplishments ir
lpre-Soviet days. With its own po-
Itentialities for progress in the three
decades in which private enterprise
was destroyed. we must arrive al
the admitted fact that the Russian
people are still very poor not only
by American, but also by preWa1
Western European standards as well
INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT. :
In commenting on industrial man.
agement, to which brief chapter
| is devoted, the report states that
In Soviet Russia there has been a
steady drift to treat and reward
managers after the capitalistic pat
| tern. After establishing his status
viSa-Vis the workers, the party cell
and the trade union, they began
to reward the managers with much
higher salaries. Bonuses were paid
to practically all managerial per-
sonnet from foremen up, for re-
ducing costs, saving materials and
fuel, and for exceeding quotas OF
production, so that total bonuses
sometimes were higher than regular
salaries. In addition generous COM
pensation in kind was made in the
form of luxurious apartments and
dachas, special food, private auto
mobile and free transportation. Ser
wants in the homes of some impor-
tant executives sometimes reach the
number of half-dozen or more and
this was possible even in war time
when the country was organized fol-
a desperate defense of its terri
tory"
| LABOR.
| At time when strikes, produc
ton and housing are receiving &
much attention in the Unitet
States, certain comments in tn,
report on these items will be O
special interest.
| In the chapter devoted to Labor
the report indicates that "Sovie
unions are not organized to CON
duct strikes. While there does no
appear to be any specific legisla
ton prohibiting strikes, strikes
never occur m state industries, a
least not since the strike of tn,
Kronstadt sailors way back in 1921
One writer puts it graphically tina
strikes, according to the unWritter
and unpublished Soviet law, ar,
| forbidden
With respect to living Standard
and their relation TO production
the report comments that Will,
no attempt is made to compar,
workers income in the USSR ant
the United States of America. l
is not disputed anywhere that tn
average level of wages and earn
ings and the standard of living i
much higher in the United States
This is so principally and finall,
because production and output pc
worker is higher in the Unite,
States"
In commenting upon housing tn
report sets forth that "A room TO
a whole family is standard in tn
western regions, barracks or crudel
covered dugouts in the Siberian
and eastern regions. This is not
war phenomenon but has been
characteristic of Soviet economi
planning from the very beginning
FORCED LABOR.
If there Is any doubt concernin
forced labor in the Soviet Uniol
the report dispels that doubt fror
documented sources and sets fort
LIidt lIlCIc Gall pC JlO INdSOIldUl
doubt that in the Soviet Uniol
several million workers are EN-
ployed under police discipline an
receive only miserable keep 70
their labor The government make
every effort to conceal the exist
ence of these camps No foreigne
or correspondent Is ever permitte
TO see them. Correspondents &C
credited to the country do not dar
to tangle with the censors and tn
NKVD regarding this matter. On
Canadian newspaper woman VIII
succeeded by vile in gaining en-
trance to a concentration camp wa
quickly expelled from the Sovie
Union. Our information comes fror
those who have escaped, from Rus
sian writers now living abroad
from Americans who have worket
lived or travelled in Soviet Russi
and from American correspondent
who were able to write about tn
institution of forced labor ate
they left the Soviet Union"
, Living Standards.
One might suppose from the az
, gressive efforts in behalf of Commu
1 lnism which stem from certain quar-