TOWARD THE T W E N T Y - F O U R T H CONGRESS OF THE

C O M M U N I S T PARTY OF THE S O V I E T UNION

With enormous patriotic enthusiasm our people are preparing themselves for a significant event - the Twenty- Fourth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Party congresses have always played an enormous role not only in the life of the party, but in the Soviet nation as a whole. A most important landmark along the path of building communism in our country will undoubtedly be the upcoming Twenty-Fourth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). It will sum up the enormous creative work accomplished by the party and by the people during the years of the eighth five-year plan, and will note the greater problems which we set up for solution in the upcoming ninth five-year plan.

Approaching the party congress, Soviet people are rightfully speaking of the results of their labor. With es- pecial satisfaction they have received the report of the Central Statistical Directorate (TsSU) of the USSR on the nationaI economic results of 1970, the last year of the eighth five-year plan. The goals of the government plan were exceeded in all basic indicators in 1970.

Industry increased output production by 8.3% instead of the planned 6.3. The scale of production growth is eloquently attested to by the fact that the plan was exceeded by articles worth more than seven billion rubies. Pro- duction quality steadily increased. In the past year about 3000 models of new machines, equipment, and apparatus, and about 1000 new instruments were designed. Approximately 1500 new types of articles having improved techni- cal economic and use features were committed to mass production.

Big successes were also attained in agriculture. The volume of agricultural production increased by 8.V%. In 1970, we had the largest grain and cotton harvest in the entire history of our country. The state plan for grain purchases was exceeded. Seventy-three million tons of grain went into state granaries.

The growth of industrial and agricultural production provided a significant increase in national income. The national income used for use and accumulation increased by 8.5 percent per annum. Of great significance is the fact that more than 85 percent of the overall increase of national income was obtained by increase in labor produc- tivity.

An increase in the social riches of the country made it possible in 1970 to achieve significant results in the im~ provement of the material well-being of our peopIe. The most general indicator of the people's well-being is the actual income per capita. Overall, the per capita actual income of the workers of our country increased by 5.2 per- cent last year.

In a draft resolution "Directives for the Twenty-Fourth Congress of the CPSU with respect to the five-year plan for the growth of the national economy of the USSR in 1971-1975," published February 14, of this year, it was stated: "The directives for the Twenty-Third Congress of the CPSU with respect to the five-year plan for the growth of the national economy in 1966-1970 were successfully fulfilled with respect to the most important economic and social indicators.

"The national economy of the USSR increased at high tempo in this period and more effectively than in pre- vious five-year plans. The rate of growth of the population's standard of living accelerated substantially."

Together with all workers, the workers of the enterprises and organizations of the State Committee on Stan- dards of the Council of Ministers of the USSR have made their contributions to the successful fulfillment of the five- year plan.

Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 3, pp. 3-4, March, 1971.

�9 1971 Consultants Bureau, a division of Plenum Publishing Corporation, 227 g/est 17th Street, New

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The role of governmental standardization, and along with it, tbe role of the State Committee on Standards, has significantly increased at the present time in the growth of the economy. At the present stage in the growth of the national economy the main source of economic growth is the increase of the effectiveness of consumer produc- tion, an improvement of alt the quality indicators of industriaI work, including production quality.

In the draft resolution "Directives for he Twenty-Fourth Congress of the CPSU with respect to the five-year plan for the growth of the national economy of the USSR in 1971-1975" this requirement was stated: "Increase the scientific-technical level of standards and their role in the improvement of production quality. Update existing standards and technical conditions, providing replacement of antiquated indicators and timely recognition of the re- quirements of the national economy, guaranteeing a high technical level and quality in production."

In this connection, a standard should be the most important means for increasing the technical level of arti- cles, a true guardian of their high quality. For this, it is necessary to effect a number of measures.

First of all, it is necessary, in a radical manner, to improve the development of the standards themselves, to increase their scientific-technical level. It is necessary, even at the end of 1972, to go over and renovate all tech- nical conditions effective in the national economy, and in 1971-1972 to go over all standards confirmed up to 1966.

The Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR set great value on the problems of planning the improvement of production quality. The planning of quality is inseparably linked with the develop- ment of standardization plans. Therefore, it is proposed that, beginning in 1971-1972, standardization plans should include specific directives for increasing the technical level and the quality of the most important forms of produc- tion. In this connection it is very important to provide advance work in the standardization of raw material, materi- als, and sets of articles the quality of which has a definite effect on the technical-economic characteristics, relia- bility, and endurance of machines, apparatus, and instruments, and also goods for people's needs.

One of the most substantial shortcomings lowering the effectiveness of all work in standardization has been the imperfect introduction of developed standards.

It is deemed desirable to develop and introduce a system for state accounting and reporting on the introduc- tion of standards and governmental certification of industrial production quality.

The State Committee on Standards, in cooperation with suitable ministries, should work out and affirm, in 1971-1972, a set of state standards determining the order of development and production commitment of new types of articles and the conduct of monitoring tests during mass production.

The State Committee on Standards is a new and important interbranch organ; its role, value, and place in the system for controlling the national economy change; its authority and responsibility are being broadened in the prob- lems of monitoring the technical level of articles.

Recognizing the increasing value of their work, scientists, engineering-technical workers, and employees of enterprises and organizations of the State Committee on Standards have taken to the Twenty-Fourth Congress of the CPSU increased socialistic obligations. These obligations will certainly be met.

Directives provided by the State Plan' for the Growth of the National Economy of the USSR in 1969-1970 were fulfilled ahead of time:

With respect to governmental standardization-by December 1, 1970;

With respect to scientific investigations-by December 15, 1970.

Governmental surveillance organs have fulfilled the five-year plan ahead of time:

With respect to state surveillance over the introduction and the observance of standards and technical condi- t ions-by August 1, 1970;

With respect to governmental checking of measures and measuring instruments-by August 20, 1970.

Under the conditions of rapid growth of the national economy and the ever-increasing tempo of scientific- technical progress there has been an especial increase in the requirements imposed on measurement technology, and its value has increased. This pertains not only to working measuring instruments, but also to standard instruments.

A quarter century ago the accuracy of existing metrological standards may have been completely satisfactory, but now, with the appearance and fast growth of new branches of science and technology, the requirements imposed

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on measurement accuracy have increased so much that they are already comparable to the accuracy of existing measurement unit standards and in the near future may exceed them.

This is graphically evident, by example, in our attainments in the exploration of the cosmos. All of us are delighted with the design and successful operation of "Lunokhoda-l," surpassing the boldest dreams of mankind. It is true, however, that for these attainments it was necessary to create a number of new and especially accurate mea- suring instruments.

The providing of continuous improvement and outpacing growth of measurement technology is the most im- portant problem solved by the metrological servicing organizations comprising the system of the State Committee on Standards. They also can report significant successes attained in their work.

The metrological institutes of the Oosstandart of the USSR, during the previously mentioned periods, have com- pleted investigations and certifications, and on September 10, 1970, confirmed the following units as state standards: electrical resistance, inductance, and emf. In the final year of the just-completed five-year plan enterprises have completed the manufacture of 30 designated standard monitoring-measuring instruments in accordance with develop- ments of scientific-research institutes of the Gosstandart of the USSR.

In the time remaining until the opening of the Twenty-fourth Congress of the CPSU metrological service work- ers of the USSR were concerning themselves with the early completion of the study, certification, and confirmation- by March 1, 1971-of six more new state standards. These standards were confirmed February 25, 1971.

All this is only a small part of the socialistic responsibilities taken upon themselves by the workers of the sys- tem of the Gosstandart of the USSIL

"Wide possibilities are opening up to Soviet science in the new five-year plan. The draft resolution of the Directive of the Twenty-Fourth Congress of the CPSU caIls for every effort to be made to carry out scientific inves- tigations and more rapidly to transmit their results into the national economy. A new step forward is being made in the scientific founding of branch subordination. Measures are being provided for improvement of the material equip- ment of the labor of scientists, perfection of the organization of investigations, and more rapid practical realization of the attainments of science and technology." ["Pravda," February 22, 1971].

New and brilliant prospects are opening before the scientists of our country, including the metrologists.

Enthusiasm for work, creativity, investigative search, a striving worthily to welcome the Twenty-Fourth Con- gress of our party such are the thoughts and deeds of all the scientists, engineering-technical workers, and employ- ees of the organizations and enterprises of the State Committee on Standards of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

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