Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-21
Socialism Us. Progress
Is Key Polish Question
no opportunity for ownership
Of q home or business.
Artificial Incentives

no opportunity for ownership
OF a home or business.
Artificial Incentives
The state tries to create arti-
fetal incentives. 1t arbitrarily
designates a profit in a factory
and distributes the money
among the men. 1t offers
bonuses for extra work. It pays
workers on the basis of the
number Of pieces produced. It
gives prizes and medals for
heroic labor for the state.
But none Of these things
work. Though the artificial
profits" system seems to be
coming closest to success, it
presents problems. The work.
ers don't like bonuses or phoney
profits; they want pay increase
they can count on. Piece rates
boost production but stimulate
waste. which Poland cannot
afford. Workers are perfectly
aware of the difference between
a medal and new icebox.
What Poles say they really
need for incentives are a higher
wage scale and more goods for
the people to buy. The country
has no chance Of getting either
for some years.
It is discouraging, inciden-
tally, to note that in the coal
mining industry where the re-
gime is trying out higher pay
scales and a special program
Of import of consumer goods
for the miners. production in
the last months has fallen off.
The party says special atten-
ton must be paid to the prob
lem of work discipline" there.
Another problem for the
planners who plan incentives
is the basic anti-communism
of the Poles. They just do not
feel like working for a Com
munist government-the only
employer-unless the fruits of
their labor are tasty and are
delivered Immediately.
After the problems Of incen-
tive, there is the problem of
planning. 1t is an article of
faith among party officials that
the economy must be planned,
not permitted to follow the
natural course of a free mar
ket. But human beings just
aren't smart enough to plan
everything. Details are too nu-
merous. variable factors too
unpredictable. human nature
too mysterious and bad plans,
once adopted, are too difficult !
to change.
ANJhB OOtupEOulASC
The Poles are trying a COM
promise. They are reducing
central, long-range planning
by spreading the burden among
regional officials and by being |
less rigid about the future. |
They also are trying to plan
less, to supervise closely just |
the major economic forces and
let the chinks fill themselves.
But these Improvements are
not enough. The Polish econ
omy is still rigid, lop-sided,
backward and top heavy.
Even with the best human
engineering" the Poles still |
would lack the vital material |
ingredients of success.
They lack. to begin with,
anything approaching an ade-
quate industrial base. A nation |
cannot build iceboxes until it
builds the factories and tools
with which to make them.
Poland lacks real industry, and
it still must invest money and |
labor in building this industrial
base.
But it not only must build |
a consumer goods industry to-
satisfy the impatient Poles. it
also must build heavy industry |
in order to produce more arms.
more machine tools, more trac-
tors, more locomotives and |
more mining machinery.
To build that base, Poland |
must have skilled workers. |
They exist today in pitifully
small numbers. 1t takes years,
Of course, to train a good lathe
operator. Poland has only
start on a training program.
A final ingredient Of success,
largely lacking here, is capital. |
Poland not only has no private
capital upon which to build
some useful free-enterprise in
dustry, but 1t lacks State cap
ital with which to build State
industry. If there we're more
wealth in Poland the workers
could be paid more and foreign
goods could be purchased. The
capital will have to be accumu- [
lated-slowly.
Finally. there is the shortage .
of vital raw material. Poland
is a rich farming country and |
has extensive coal and sulphur
deposits. But many basic raw
materials must be imported. 4
That costs money, which
Poland doesn't have.
After this gloomy recitation
1t is pleasant TO be able to
point out some bright spots in
the Polish economy.
Most important is that the
government since October has
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