Evening star., 1947-11-07
II. S. Aid for Poland Is Vital
TO Recovery, MikoIojczyk Says

wearing. This cost me $4,000 zlotys
My socks were 1,500 zlotys; my tie
1900, my shirt, 5000"
Black market?" asked.
"Of course" he answered. That's
the only place you can get clothes in
Poland"
He said that it is ridiculous to
quote prices in terms of the official
rate of 100 zlotys to ST.. The black
market rate is 600 to ST..
Wage Scale Cited.
What these prices mean in work.
er's wages can be understood when
it is realized how little most of
them are paid.
Here are some figures he gave me
on wages:
Coal miners-25.0 900 zlotys a
month-highest paid.
Teachers in villages-3,000 a
month-lowest paid.
Office clerks-7,000 to 5000 a
month-in between.
Sugar, bread and cooking fat are
sold on ration at cheap prices.
A kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of rationed
sugar costs only 20 zlotys, while un-
rationed costs 180 zlotys. A kilogram
of bread on ration costs from 100 tc
100 zlotys. A kilogram of butter or
ration costs from 300 to $50 zlotys
But, for other things, the worker has
to pay unrationed prices. For eX-
ample, a kilogram of apples costs
1000 zlotys.
In Poland" said Mr. Mikola jczyk
most people believe just the reverse
of what they read in the Communist
press. Even when the Communist.
sometimes tell the truth, nobody be.
lieves them"
I asked if he thought the worker.
were inclined to stage revolution.
Revolution Impossible.
He shook his head. Impossible.
He added slowly: And of course
that may be just what the Commun.
lists would like-to have grea'
bloodshed."
The ration-card system is usee
as a political weapon, he said. "Wher
the worker protests he has othe1
political beliefs he is thrown out OF
a job, and he who doesn't work get.
no ration card"
1t takes CUTS to strike in POLAND
today. According to official figures o1
the Ministry of Social Welfare, there
were 101 strikes in Poland in 1916
In 1947, Mr.. Mikolajczyk estimates
there have been 20 or 80 strikes.
Coal Shortage Cited.
Mr.. Mikolajczyk declared that the
average household in Poland hasn't
enough coal to keep warm in winter
I asked how this could be If the
stories we heard about increased
coal production were correct.
He said: That is what the peo-
pie of Poland are asking too. If
production is so much higher, why
are the figures for export so low?"
He added, however, that he had
a feeling that coal production was
increasing "even though the coal
board brings out new set of figures
every other day"
He pointed out that coal miners
are the best treated, best supplied
group in Poland. But, I feel the
increase in production is based on
the Robbery procedure . that is,
that they are using emergency mea-
sures and overworking old machines
in need of repair. In the long run
this will mean disaster and drop
in production" 4
Political Changes Discussed.
Turning to the political sphere
Mr.. Mikolajczyk said the announce
ment of the new nine-nation
Cominform Had very strange ef-
feet in Poland"
"The people were very much
struck by fact that the Communist
Party. which used to call itself the
peoples workers party, now is con-
fronted with an embarrassing set
back in propaganda.
THE leaders are forced to say we
are not a Communist Party, we are
only party in which there are some
Communists
"The other boomerang is that the
people-taking Communist printed
charges in reverse as usual-thought
the Soviet Union was about to start
a war, instead of America. which has
been accused of warmongering. The
Poles got a good scare out of the
announcement and believe war is
just beyond the window.
Personally, I don't think there
will be a war" Mr.. Mikolajczk said
In the last election, the peasant
Party polled between 65 and 80 per
cent of the vote. The Communists
burned our ballots and arbitrarily
gave us 10 per cent and gave the
Communist bloc 80 per cent" said
he.
If there were free elections In
Poland today, he said, "the Com
munists would not win more than
five per cent of the vote"