Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-25


collectivize all agriculture at
that time. and a big heavy
tractor could have been very
good on large collective farms"
Polish farms, Of course, were
never collectivized to any great
extent. Despite cruel pressures
put on the peasants to toss
their farms into the collective
pot, only about 10 per cent of
the land was forced into the
Communist pattern for agricul-
ture.
Then last fall, after the Co.
mulka reform government took
over in the wake Of widespread
uprisings in Poland, the party
decided to face the facts. 1t
postponed indefinitely the COL
lectiviZation program.
The peasants left the collec-
tives in droveS.
But anyhow, after years of
bureaucratic attempts to force
the facts to ut Marxist theory.
planners could start operating
on the assumption that Polish
farms would stay small and
private.
Mr.. Krainski, who continued
to get regular promotions, was
high in the tractor section Of
the Ministry when the change
came. Now he Is in charge.
After the political changes.
We started to design a new
light tractor and also to work
out plans for other models,
from little two-wheeled garden
tractors UP to heavy track-lay-
ing models. They will be COM
pletely modern and adapted to
Polish needs"
1860 Is Tractor Goal
OF course. Mr.. Krainski ad-
mitted the new tractors would
not be available for some time.
I'VE hope to have q light trac-
tor by 1860. OF course. If we
could get q license to produce
a foreign design we could be in
production by 1859. Meanwhile.
we will keep the Ursus plant
running by turning out the old
model in small numbers. or we
will retool for a small garden
tractor"
In other words. Polish agri-
culture is going to remain back
ward. inefficient and unmechan-
lied for some time to come.
Why all the delay? Well. Mr..
KrainSki has problems.
First Of all, engineers mex
perienced in tractor design will
have to put the first prototype
together. Poland has few skill
ed technicians of any kind, so
Mr.. KrainSki is probably safe
in his assumption that the pilot
model will be full Of bugs.
There will probably have to
be changes and more delay
when the first design is tested"
he said.
Then. when a good design is
ready, better machinery must
be found. The Ursus factory
machinery is worn out--a COM
mon problem in Poland-and
Mr.. Krainski doubted If 1t could
be put into good enough shape
to turn out the tractors Poland
needs.
He would like to buy foreign
machinery, but Poland does
not have the foreign exchange
necessary. He would try to buy
1t on credit. he said, but he was
not optimistic about success in
this.
Seeks Foreign Tractor License
Trying to copper his bets. Mr..
Krainski is negotiating now for
a foreign tractor license. He
has talked to British. West
German and Italian firms and
he hopes one Of them will meet
Poland's need for a good de-
sign on credit.
He is not looking in any Of
the Soviet bloc countries, in
cidentally. Asked why he didn't
get a Czechoslovakian design.
Mr. Krainski replied: They
aren't so good. We want the
very best"
II he gets the tools and the
design. Mr.. Krainski will still
need qualified machinists for
the Ursus factory. Almost all
Of the present workers are
peasant types who know little
about good workmanship and.
to judge from the work being
done. care even less.
Mr.. Krainski wants to find
more skilled workers. But Po-