Oldal 2 [2]
a
ami
- page two =
lmown Professor Vinogradov of the Etonomic Faculty of Leningrad.
In the economic field, the most important fuct hus been
the rising "self criticism” in the Trade Uaions since Julye In each
issue of the Trade Union Press, these orgenizations have beeh vo=
cal in accusing themselves of lexity end of condoning to absenteeism
and. lazyness on the part of the workers. This seems to be the ace
compemying music to the shake up in the higher Trade Union Coun
cils now carried out by its new Chairmen, Augustin Kliment. Mi~
ment was till the beginning of last month - August - Minister of
Heavy Industry and resimmed that post ia order to become Chairman
of the Zyede Union Council. Kliment is one of the highest members
of the party and considered closest to Moscow. He is a personal
friend = something very rare indeed - of Soviet Marshal Koniev,
and hence considered a man acceptable to bith the Party and the
Red Arny# Under his leadership, which was very mithless end hard
on the workers, the Heavy Industry made fine progresse Now he wisi
have to 4eai with workers in general. Kliment is replaced by an
obscure party hack, Julius Maurer in the position of Minister of
Heavy Ia@ugtry. This appointment would have nothing in partheular
to talk about, would it not be for tie fact that Maurer is a Jewg
sonethiag quite extraordinary in the context of present anti—jewish
policies of the Soviets
In the field of heavy industry, whith is the field in
which both the regime and the Soviets show the biggest interest,
the progress is spectacu ar indeed, especially spectacular if con=
pared with the legging in practically every other branche But
wether this progress can be kept up is very doubtful inéeed, since
a very grave bottleneck is developing : the lack of scrap-irone
Imports are not very productive, since it is hard to szet scrap=
iron anywhere at present. The domestic sources are drying up very
rapidly, especially since in the last three years the country has
been entirely combed oute To meet the targets of ‘the pian, the
available scrap must be increased by one fou hn this year, whieh
to our observers seems unfeaseable, unless the Soviet Union is
ready to send scrap to Czecho-Slovakia. And this/is most unlikely.
On the othe hand constructions progress rapidly/: in the Molotoxr=
Works in Trinec near Tesin the sixth blast ie has just been
started. This blast fumace is the largest one/of Central Buropes
The new establishment near Mgravska Ostrava has now started its
first blast furmace and also its first Siemens-Martin furnaces
In a few weeks a second blast furnace and two/ more Siemens=
Martin furnaces will enter operations. A new igsheet and tube work
will also start operating before the end of the emma, thus consi¬
derably increasing the country's potential optpate By how much
could as yet not be learned, especially since this is top secret.
y
f
Pia? ae f |
/
33