Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-19
Stronger and Stronger

The Kremlin's sixth five-year plan
for internal economic development Is an
exceptionally ambitious one calculated to
bring about formidable increase In
Soviet power between now and the end
of 1860. OF course, as in the case of its
predecessors, it may fall considerably
short Of attaining all its detectives within
that period, but still there is little or no
reason to doubt that it will be successful
enough to give Russia large new meas
ure of strength vis-a-vis the United States
and the western world as whole.
To that end, and perhaps to an even
greater degree than had been expected,
the new plan puts about emphasis on
heavy industry. A few figures sufflce to
show the scale of It's ambition. Thus,
over the next five years, the Soviet Union
proposes to boost its annual output Of
pig iron from a present total Of 80 million
tons to SO million; its steel from IS mil
lion to 68.3 million; its coal from 800
million to 500 million; its oil from 10
million to 1875 million; and its electrical
power Qncluding some produced by
atomic energy from ITO billion kilowatt-
hours to 800 billion.
In pursuing this objective, however,
the Kremlin apparently will have to keep
on depriving the Russian people of any
appreciate rise in their relatively very
low standard of living. For the 1956-60
plan, although 1t promises sharp in
crease in such fields as housing construc-
ton and agricultural production (espe-
cially meat), is so predominantly designed
to expand heavy industry that the output
OF sorely needed consumer goods can
hardly be brought up to a satisfactory
level So the Soviet masses, whose num-
bers are multiplying by the millions every
year, definitely seem to be facing pros
pect of continuing shortages of household
and personal necessities, not to mention
'luxuries" like refrigerators or automo-
biles-a situation that tends to breed in
dictionary preSsures and public discomfort.
But the Kremlin, ever since repudiat-
ing former Premier Malenkov's call for
a spectacular expansion Of the consumer
goods industry, has made clear that
everything, including the Russian people,
must be subordinated to the drive for
more and more heavy production, the
stuff of which ornaments are made. AS
a result, If the 1860 goals are met, the
Soviet Union will then be producing
almost as much steel as did free Europe
last year, and its output will be only
about third less than our 1855 American
total of 100 million TONS True, this still
leaves the Western world with a wide
margin of superiority in one of the most
vital of all commodities, and the same
\ holds for such things as oil and electrical
output. Nevertheless the fact remains
that Russia's economic power has grown,
and is continuing to grow, at signifi-
cantly high rate Of speed.
Accordingly, although there is good
reason to believe that they can continue
to maintain and even increase their
present big productive edge over the
Russians. the United States and its allies
can i'll afford to be complacent.. Certainly,
in this era Of what Mr.. Khrushchev calls
competitive coexistence," the Soviet
Unions ever-growing strength is a factor
that must be reckoned with most seri-
ously. The free nations would be fool
hardy in the extreme II they underesti-
mated 1t either politically economically
or militarily.