Evening star., 1953-10-26
Better Livinq for the Russians?

In its new decree calling for vast increase
in the output and distribution of consumer
goods and services, the Kremlin has acted in
keeping with the domestic policy set forth by
Premier Malenkov in his speech to the Supreme
Soviet last August 8. The policy is aimed at
raising the living standards of RuSSia'S masses,
and there is more than little reason to believe
that 1t is being put into effect as something
imperatively needed to cope with widespread
and growing discomfort inside the U. S. S. R.
At any rate, in his August speech-which
also disclosed Russian work on the hydrogen
bomb-Malenkov repeatedly used the word
urgent" in declaring that there would have
to be "a drastic change" to improve "the ma
terial wel-being of workers, collective farmers
and intelligentSia" And he went on to say
that "the Soviet people are right to demand
from us" that the change be carried out at
rapid pace to make available to them a much
greater supply of foodStuffs and civilian COM
moditieS It seems doubtful that he would have
employed such language if the masses were
not in seriously restive, grumbling and sullen
mood as result of long years of deprivation.
The deprivation has been very real and
very bitter. It has been caused by the harsh
and ruthless Kremlin policy under which the
building up of heavy industry-primarily for
armaments-has taken precedence over every
have had imposed upon them niserably low
living standards denying to them all but the
bareSt necessities of existence. Some measure
of their lot can be OWNED from these words
of Malenkov: During the last % years the
output of means of production has grown on
the whole in our country about SIS times while
the production of consumer goods during the
same period has increased by only about IL
times" The inadequacy of this latter increase
can be better appreciated when it is related
to the fact that in 1925 civilian commodities
were extremely scarce in the U. S. S. r. and
that the Soviet population is much larger today
than it was then.
Such a situation obviously is conducive to
mass discomfort, the more so because it involves
a shortage not only of goods like ordinary
household items but also of varied foOdStuffS
(for example, Russia has astonishingly fewer
cattle today than in 1939). Accordingly, it is
not surprising that the Kremlin, in addition
to reorganiZing its agricultural program for
far greater output of things like meat and
butter has ordered Cd a tremendous increase
in the production Of consumer commodities,
including clothing, furniture sewing machines,
refrigeratorS, radios and television sets, and
(2) sweeping improvement in services to the
proletariat through such measures as the
establishment of 10000 new stores and 1000
new restaurants between now and 1856.
All this, judging from the new decree, Is to
be done as fast as possible and on an urgent
basis-a fact strongly suggesting that the
Moscow dictatorship feels some measure of
worry regarding the temper and spirit of the
masses under its control. Apparently the Rus
sian people have made their grievances felt in
high places, and the Kremln has responded
with a promise of better times. However,
whether the promise is fulfilled or not, the
outside world can be reasonably sure that the
projected increase in civilian output will not
materially decrease the capacity of Soviet
heavy industry to produce arms. Malenkov'S
August words on that score can be taken pretty
much at face value.