XVII Congress of the CPSU (B.) - Speech by Comrade Kaganovich M.

(Session February 5, 1934, morning)

Presiding. The word is Comrade Mikhail Kaganovich.

Kaganovich M. (People's Commissariat of Industry). The reports of the comrades Molotov and Kuibyshev, giving the results of the first five-year plan and the great plan of the second five-year plan, show those exceptional successes that our party has achieved. The general line of our party, which Comrade Stalin outlined at the Fourteenth Congress, is defined by the following words:

"... to transform our country from agrarian to industrial, capable of producing the necessary equipment on its own, is the essence, the foundation of our general line."

On the basis of this general line of our party, under the able leadership of the Central Committee and Comrade Stalin, we have achieved the transformation of our Union from an agrarian country into an industrial country. We, comrades, crushed on our way, like frogs, all the enemies of our party - the right and the "left", which impeded this great construction, and we came to the XVII Congress as never before as a united, monolithic, Leninist-Stalinist party. Our party has solved the basic historical task of exceptional importance for all proletarian revolutions, transforming agriculture from one-man to collective. Comrade Stalin at the Fourteenth Congress said:

"We must put the matter so that the thoughts and aspirations of business executives are directed towards the transformation of our country from a country importing equipment into a country producing this equipment."

That we, comrades, have also achieved.

Allow me, comrades, to confirm this with the facts, with the achievements in our mechanical engineering, in the production of our equipment, which we have today.

Mechanical engineering, not only in our country, but in all countries, determines the technical person and content of the entire national economy. The country's ability to produce means and implements of production is the best guarantee of the country's defense ability and an indicator of its industrialization.

From the report of Comrade Stalin, who exceptionally vividly and at the same time exhaustively determined the significance, role and place of mechanical engineering in our socialist economy, you know what successes we have achieved in mechanical engineering and what are the greatest challenges facing it. If Comrade Stalin said that mechanical engineering is the key to the reconstruction of all sectors of the national economy, then anyone who works in mechanical engineering should know and feel that the party has the greatest honor to him, and he must be able to skillfully own his successful work in the field. the production of equipment to eliminate all those narrow sections that are still in our national economy.

Comrades, from the sixteenth to the seventeenth congresses of the party, machine building increased its fixed assets by 2.3 times, production equipment increased by 2 times, and gross output also increased by 2 times. In 1930, we supplied 20% of new products, and in 1933, already 73%, and such equipment that we have never produced in the Union before. New plants accounted for 14% of production in 1930, and already 33% in 1933.

Comrades, the question is not only in the quantity of equipment. We now have such equipment, which - you can say without boasting - is not found in any other advanced country, with the exception of America. Even in Germany there is, for example, a press of only 12 thousand tons, and we have 15 thousand tons. To give an idea of ​​our equipment at the moment, it is enough to say that we can cut gears of any diameter; we have machines on which we can rip shafts and forgings up to 80 tons. We have presses on which we can give forgings of 200 t, etc.

Comrades, how did our mechanical engineering grow? In 1930 - 3.87 billion rubles, in 1931 - 5.5 billion, in 1932. - 7.028 billion in 1933 - 8.02 billion, in 1934 - 9.5 billion rubles, i.e. an increase of 2 1/2 times during the period from the 16th to the 17th Congress.

In the automotive industry in 1934 — an increase of 1,341% compared with 1930; in the electrical industry an increase of 293%; in transport engineering - by 201%.

Machine tool industry. This is what was the bottleneck for us at the 16th Congress. We had few machines, but at the moment I must say that we have machines, although machines still continue to be a bottleneck in our country. For the period from the 16th to the 17th party congress, we increased the production of machine tools at a cost of 640%, and in quantity - by 300%. Thanks to this, we reduced the import of machine tools from 100 million rubles. in 1931 up to 30 million rubles. in 1933

The proportion and growth of new and old factories. In 1930, old factories accounted for 80% of machine-building products, and in 1933, 23%. The reconstructed plants accounted for 5.8% in 1930, and 37.2% in 1933. New plants accounted for 14.5% of production in 1930, and already 19.8% in 1933. And gradually, as I said, we went along the line of mastering new industries in our mechanical engineering. All engineering gave new production in 1930 19%, in 1931 - 43%, in 1932 - 57% and in 1933 - 72.8% of all engineering products. As you can see, comrades, product development reflects a high degree of our mastering of technology, the use of our equipment and its effectiveness.

In the early years, when factories produced old cars, they gave a 13% reduction in cost; in subsequent years, during the development of new industries, - 4.5%; in 1933, when we had already achieved considerable success in mastering technology, we gave a 14% reduction in the cost of engineering. If at the XVI Party Congress we still could not dream and think about the fact that we can build our metallurgical plants with our own equipment, such as rolling mills, large hoisting transport mechanisms, equipment for blast furnaces, processing, sintering equipment - all this imported, then in 1931-1933. we gave 3 blooms; in 1933 - 3 rolling mills, and in 1934, comrades, we give a production program for rolling equipment in 40 different rolling mills. With orders for the import of rolling mills we finish.

In 1934, we will have to produce 33 finished mills with an annual output of 4 million tons of metal.

On the basis of the experience that we have gained, we are now proceeding to the very bold business necessary for Zaporozhye - to set up a continuous rolling mill, which is available only in America. This mill weighs 25 thousand tons and costs 25 million rubles in gold. And we, comrades, dare now begin to design this mill with us by our designers, our engineers and in our factories. And we will have to release this camp in 1936. (Applause.)

Comrades, in 1934 we give the iron and steel industry only technological equipment of 60 thousand tons instead of the 28 thousand tons that we gave in 1933. This, comrades, reflects the growth of our technical armament, our strength and strength, and shows how we have grown over these three years. We did what was completely unthinkable before. Indeed, before the XVI Party Congress, our business executives traveled to America and Europe, talked very carefully about buying blooming, and now we are doing it at home. I think that if we succeed and we make a continuous thin-sheet rolling mill, we will overtake Germany, for Germany undertakes to build this mill only if it is given American drawings. Germany proposed to us: you, together with the Americans, make the drawings, and then we will undertake to build you.

We are faced with the task of developing chemical equipment; here we are faced with solid forged columns of 75 tons, there are huge compressors, that is, what we could not even dream about in 1930 during the 16th Party Congress; we have started to master this equipment. Unfortunately, we discharged pumps and compressors from abroad until last year. Now the installation and instructions of Comrade Ordzhonikidze: do not write out pumps and compressors from abroad, - if you please, do it yourself. We have already mastered it. And in the future we are confident that we will build the chemical industry on our equipment

Comrades, the mastery of technology, the growth of manufactured equipment was based on the introduction of new methods, new production processes, on the basis of specialization, concentration, mechanization of foundry, the use of hydraulic and other latest casting cleaning methods, the use of cold stamping, the use of instrumentation, the use of solid alloys, etc.

Comrades, in view of the fact that there is not much time, I want to draw your attention to the question of machines. Each of us feels a lack of machine tools, everyone on the sidelines approaches and everyone asks for machines. By machines today we satisfy the need only 48-50%. What is revealed in Comrade Molotov’s report, the number of MTS that will be built in the second five-year plan, the mechanization and the degree of its implementation that we have in our country, make great demands on machines. We need to expand this bottleneck at all costs. The elimination of this bottleneck in machine tools and tools requires expenditures in the amount of one quarter of a percent of investments in all expenses in the national economy and half a percent (0.47%) of investments in industry, therefore, we can raise this task in the sense of investment. Technically, we are already mastering it at such a level that what we thought was a unique machine tool, a machine of American invention, we are now producing at our place. I think that many of you will visit an exhibition at the Polytechnical Museum during the congress and see how many new machines of the latest models and types we have already mastered.

How do we satisfy the need for machines? In 1934, we give only 19 thousand machines; in 1935 - 46 thousand, in 1936 - 55 thousand, in 1937 - 60 thousand. In accordance with the decree of the XVI Congress of the Party, we pulled machine tool building in first place. We increased machine-tool construction funds 3.5 times versus 2.3-fold growth in funds for all mechanical engineering.

We have increased production by machine tools, as I said, 6.4 times the cost of production. We have increased the number of sizes. If in 1930 we had only 29 types of machines, the oldest and most backward, we already have 132 types of machines, that is, in fact, we have introduced 100 sizes of completely new machines that have never been produced in our country.

We have changes in the power of these machines. If we produced in 1930, machines with an average power of 3 losh. strength, then we now have a capacity of 9 horses. forces.

We need, comrades, to build in this five-year period and finish the construction of all those plants that we began to build. We need to bring to full capacity the 2 factories that we have in Moscow - the revolving machine tool factory and the "Red Proletarian" plant; you need to install equipment on them and master them at full capacity. It is necessary to finish the factory of milling machines in Gorky. We need to finish the factory of drilling and grinding machines in Kharkov. It will be necessary to help to complete the construction as soon as possible. We still need to build 6 factories: two grinding machine factories, one gear cutting machine, one automatic machine tool plant, a heavy machine tool plant and a precision machine tool plant. For this purpose, we only need 350 million rubles. instead of what we were assigned, 240 million rubles. We will find this money in our people's commissariat. Comrade Ordzhonikidze pays exceptional attention to the issue of machine tool industry, he presses and will achieve with his own will and perseverance that we in 1937 do not know the shortage of machine tools.

Comrades, in 1937 we will have to increase the output of machine tools by 3.5 times compared to 1932, but at the cost of producing machines, the increase will occur by 6.5 times, because we must build a completely new machine - a new type, a higher productivity. In 1937, we will have to give 500 million rubles. machine tools. I hope that our ruble will be equal to the American dollar by 1937, and then this means that we will overtake America in the production of machine tools. We will have to give 250 standard sizes of machines instead of the 40 types that we had in 1930. At a cost of five years we must give machines 1.5 billion rubles, and we must give tools 550 million rubles.

We need to change the structure of machine tool production in order to change the technological processes and production techniques at our machine-building plants. What have we had so far, comrades? On lathes in 1932, we accounted for 42.7%. America gave in 1929 36%. We set ourselves the task in 1937 of turning lathes to also give 36%. In 1932, boring and boring machines, we gave 30%. America gave 18%. We set ourselves the task of giving them 15%. We gave 3% of milling machines. America gave 12%. We set ourselves the task in 1937 to give milling machines 13%.

We have 2% of grinding machines, and we give only very simple grinding machines, and should give 15%; America gives 15%. We will give 5% of planing-mortising; America gives 4%.

Here, comrades, that structure of machine tools that we will give. If we gave in 1932 machine tools with a capacity of only 25 thousand horses. forces, then in 1937 we will give 450 thousand horses. forces only in specialized factories. The average power of one machine should be at least 13 forces so that we can work on these machines with hard alloys, fast feeds and high revs.

We must introduce operational special machines for mass and mass production into production, which will significantly increase productivity, and we must give the design of combined operations machines on one machine - multi-spindle machines. In America, there are combined machines where the part itself is fed from one process to another. We must fully master this. We must, as I said, increase the power of machine tools. We must end the start of the machine from the stick; we must electrify the machines and introduce push-button control, apply hydraulic supply instead of mechanical, apply lubrication automation. And, further, we set ourselves one of the combat missions so that every factory knows where the manufactured machine goes, what part will be processed on this machine. And we should not let out the machine from the factory, not naked, but dressed in fixtures and tools - what decent American firms do. (Voices: "That's right!")

Comrades, we are already giving a good machine with good accuracy, but if this machine falls into bad hands - and this often happens with us - then they begin to break it and do not use it properly. We need to give such machines so that they leave the factory and are tested by the part that will be produced on this machine, and by the tools that should work. Well, comrades, in my opinion, that is a combat, perfectly feasible task that we must fulfill in this five-year period.

Comrades, we — personally I — have some discrepancy with the design of the State Planning Commission. In 1937, the State Planning Committee plans to give 40 thousand machines, and I believe that we should achieve 50-55 thousand machines. We can achieve this. Let those directors who sit here and many comrades from the places who apply for one or another machine do not think that machine tools cannot be built at their plants. We can and have already begun machines and we will do them at any plant where there is production capacity, with technical assistance from the design side in the field of machine-tool construction. And therefore, it is necessary to develop the business of machine tool building so that in 1937 we achieve a situation that is now being introduced into thought, into the brains, as Comrade Stalin said at the Fourteenth Congress, so that there is no thought, that we will always buy equipment in the global market. It is necessary to pose the question in such a way that we can and must afford the luxury of writing out only new samples that go on the world market from abroad. We must set up the mass production of machine tools of all kinds and types and free our country from foreign dependence.

For machines, we need, comrades, to develop the production of tools. We already have tremendous success in this regard. We have already mastered any instrument, but we are not yet mass-producing complex measuring instruments. In the mass production of tools, we are ahead of Europe. If anyone wants to make sure of this, please ask the Fraser factory, the Caliber factory, and you will see how we have developed the production of mass instruments.

We, comrades, need to pay the most serious attention to tools, to develop their production more strongly in specialized factories, because the tool that stands on the last 4 rubles in individual workshops of factories not specialized in the tool costs 14-15 rubles. Here we have huge losses. And when every factory, like a handicraftsman, boasts that he makes his own pattern, then this pattern is not metal, but "gold", that’s why here any costs that we make for the development of tool factories will pay off within the first year .

And we will need to intensively develop abrasive production. We have already mastered it. This is all that we pay for while gold. But now we are already mastering the recently launched new abrasive giant in Chelyabinsk.

Comrades, there is one part of the equipment that we almost did not produce and only in 1934 we began to produce - this is forge-and-press equipment. Forging equipment acquires an exceptional role and significance in our development of mechanical engineering. Take a steam locomotive of the "E" series, it has 22 tons of forgings; in the SU series locomotive there are 25 tons of forgings, in a heavy car - about 7 tons, in a passenger car - about 12 tons, in diesel construction - 20% of forgings, in the car and tractor there is an average of 1.5 tons forgings, etc.

This shows that the development of the automotive industry, transport engineering, etc. requires a large number of hammers and presses, accelerating production processes and facilitating the labor of workers. Until now, we have hardly done them, thinking that we cannot do them; it turned out to be wrong: we can do it, we begin to do it and we will do it. We have in our equipment fleet all types and types of forging machines that are available in Europe and America. We are unifying it now, we are selecting the types that we need, and in 1934 we are already producing up to 7 thousand tons, and in 1937 we will have to produce 52 thousand tons. For the five-year period, we will have to produce forging and pressing equipment up to 115 thousand tons, we will fully master the technique of its production and thus free ourselves from import dependence.

Comrades, there are exceptional innovations in the forging industry on the world market: this is how an electric forging machine is produced, which has an electric heating apparatus. Thus, conventional furnaces disappear, fuel consumption is reduced and productivity is increased 10-12 times. We need to pay the most serious attention to this.

Still, comrades, in one place we are lagging behind. What is called "glasses are not enough", culture is not enough - this is instrumentation and optics. Here we are behind. For example, we satisfy the need for optical pyrometers in a very small percentage. We master instrumentation and optics and conduct a great organizational work; We are convening a special meeting at which foreign experts and scientists come. I believe that we will be able to raise this matter; it doesn’t require a lot of money. This business needs to be developed, because we cannot do without precise instrument-making and optical instruments that automatically fix all technological processes in all industries.

A bottleneck is also diesel engine and engine manufacturing. We need to raise their production to 2 million lot. forces in 1937 against the planned 1,100 thousand losh. forces.

One of the most important issues is that at this stage we need to mechanize labor-intensive processes more widely and more. The huge growth of construction in the second five-year period, the growth of production of industries with labor-intensive processes (ore, coal, ferrous metallurgy, timber, road construction, construction of canals, etc.), the growth of cargo turnover of all types of transport, set the task of maximizing the development of equipment for mechanization, and powerful equipment and high performance.

This will give us a wide opportunity to mechanize hard work requiring large masses of workers, to raise labor productivity to the level required by the scale of our socialist construction.

We managed to master the production of machines for the mechanization of labor-intensive processes - conveyors, Derrick cranes, augers, trenchers, excavators, etc. - but not in the quantities and types that our country requires. We need to develop this business. In the second five-year plan, we need to drastically increase the production of various mechanisms for loading and unloading, powerful winches, construction mechanisms, cranes, conveyors, road machines, etc. We need to intensively expand production and increase the capacity of excavators, bringing them to 1,000 production in 1937 -1 100 pieces instead of 10 pieces in 1933

There are exceptional innovations abroad in this matter. In America there is an excavator - with a 16-cubic meter bucket - weighing 1,500 tons, with a motor of 1 thousand kW, with a capacity of 1 thousand cubic meters per hour and 500 thousand cubic meters per month. Such an excavator, with our construction volume and capital expenditures in the second five-year period of 133 billion rubles, is extremely necessary for us.

We will need to press this business harder and master this business.

Comrades, we are planning a huge development of our ferrous metallurgy and chemistry. Our engineering giants - Uralmashzavod, Krammashzavod, Izhora - are the basis of our heavy engineering for these industries.

These factories, called to build factories, should be quickly completed in the second five-year plan at full design capacity, and we will make every effort and means to master them in production at full capacity.

On transport engineering, Comrade Pyatakov stopped in detail yesterday; I can only add that in the second five-year period our transport engineering needs to turn around so much as to improve its work in order to fully cover the need of our transport for powerful steam locomotives and wagons. In 1937, we need to produce steam locomotives, wagons, electric locomotives, diesel locomotives and other transport equipment worth 1,580 million rubles. against 452 million rubles. in 1932

It is also necessary to provide for the construction in the second five-year period of one roller axle box plant and one automatic coupler plant.

In the second five-year period, the machine builders must pay exceptional attention to the production of equipment for light industry - textiles, leather, glass, printing, paper, timber, woodworking, food, sugar, flour-grinding, soap-making, and other industries that receive huge growth in the second five-year period, in accordance with Comrade Stalin’s instructions on expanding the production of consumer goods 2.5-3 times.

Comrades, we are setting a huge task for the second five-year period — the development of 60 billion rubles. in mechanical engineering. In our country, within the People’s Commissariat of Heavy Industry, this will amount to about 16 billion rubles. in 1937. The main thing is that we will have to develop individual industries to enormous sizes. Three heavy engineering plants will have to produce 700 million rubles in 1937. instead of 119 million rubles. in 1933, GUTAP should give 2.5 billion rubles. in 1937, instead of 700 million rubles. in 1932, Glavtransmash - for 1,580 million rubles. instead of 452 million in 1932; Glavmorprom - for 700 million rubles. instead of 310 million in 1932; Glavrechprom - for 200 million rubles. in 1937, instead of 50 million in 1932; Glavstankoinstrument - for 890 million rubles. in 1937 instead of 188 million in 1932; Glavenergoprom - for 1 850 million rubles. in 1937 against 818 million in 1932; Glavtochmash - by 490 million rubles. in 1937, instead of 240 million in 1932; Glavesprom - for 800 million rubles. in 1937 instead of 284 million in 1932; Glavselmash - for 665 million rubles. instead of 348 million in 1932; Glavmashprom - for 2,260 million rubles. in 1937 instead of 860 million in 1932; republican industry - by 1,300 million rubles. in 1937 against 700 million in 1932

Here, comrades, those enormous tasks that confront us and which we will have to fulfill at all costs.

Comrades, in order to fulfill the tasks assigned by the party to mechanical engineering and, as Comrade Stalin said, to "retain" his mechanical role in the industrial system, we need the following.

The first is the proper organization of production management. Skillful and rational arrangement of people, knowledge and sensitivity to them, timely preparation of production based on technical calculations and standards.

The second is the development of technology. Skillful use of the enormous technical wealth and experience that we have in our mechanical engineering, the development of capacities in their actual limits, the quickest development of new machines; to achieve technical ratios and standards of the best engineering countries of the world, a bold introduction in the design of machines and in the production of the principles of typification, interchangeability, which give the greatest benefits.

Third is high quality products. This is the responsibility for your car and product, not only while they are in your factory, but also for the work of the consumer. We need to ensure that not a single poor-quality machine, not a single low-quality product leaves the factory. We need to ensure that our directors, workers and engineers fight for the brand of their plant. We are obliged to make good quality cars so that they do not lag behind in their quality from the best world brands.

Fourth - a decisive struggle against losses, defects, overuse of materials, non-use of equipment and working time, the struggle for the maximum efficiency and profitability of our work, the productivity of equipment and workers, a systematic struggle for the organization of the workplace, for careful maintenance of the equipment, for the establishment of the correct technical standards development, for the organization of costing, based on the correct technical accounting of production standards.

I’m sure, comrades, that just like in the first five-year period, with exceptional attention to the mechanical engineering of our Central Committee and the leader of the party, Comrade Stalin, under the direct supervision of the oldest and most faithful Leninist, whose iron will and perseverance are combined with great work of 18 hours a day - Comrade Ordzhonikidze (applause), - we will solve these problems of the second five-year plan and win just as we won the first five-year plan.

I would ask for your permission to take a few more minutes to show you how we are transforming from a country producing equipment into a country capable of supplying equipment to other countries. (Voices: “We ask, we ask!”) We have many requests from different countries to supply them with our equipment and to build factories for them.

You received the following requests from various countries for the supply of equipment and the construction of various industrial and utility facilities:

1) city power station for the city of Tehran (Persia),

2) a radio station for Ankara (Turkey) at 150 kW,

3) a project for the heating of the Central District of Lyon (France),

4) design and supply of equipment for the wire and nail factory for the firm Peter Crater (Palestine),

5) project, equipment and technical assistance for the construction of an elevator for 25 thousand tons in the port of Piraeus (Greece),

6) design and supply of equipment for a power plant, city electric grid and a number of utilities for Erzurum (Turkey),

7) a textile factory for Yemen (Arabia),

8) a cement plant for a productivity of 30 cement per day (Meshed, Persia),

9) an electric station for the city of Meshed on 1,5-2 thousand kW (Persia),

10) a sugar factory in the city of Meshed (Persia), in Tauris,

11) a bakery for 3.5 thousand pounds of bread per day for the city of Tehran (Persia),

12) a match factory near the city of Tehran (Persia), etc.,

and only a few dozen different objects, including, in addition to the above: a spinning and weaving mill for 1 million meters near Tehran; spinning and cotton mill at 6 million m per year; equipment supply, design and technical assistance in the construction of a paper mill; aluminum plant, supply of equipment for mines, power plants, equipment for an alumina refinery, designing, etc .; supply of equipment for a plant producing hydrogen peroxide; paper spinning mill; automatic telephone exchange for 5 thousand subscribers; broadcast radio station with an antenna power of 20 kW; equipment and materials for city water supply with a water consumption of 5 thousand cubic meters per hour; project, equipment and technical assistance in the construction of a tannery and shoe factory for military commissariat for 1 thousand pairs of shoes per day; a number of objects: rural power plants, radio stations; creameries, tanneries, etc .; design and supply of rails, turntables, wagons, etc. for narrow gauge roads to sugar factories.

You know that we have withstood the competition in the Turkish market for the project to build a textile mill for 33 thousand spindles there and for equipping this mill with our machines.

Our project was adopted and was not worse, but better than other projects. We are now designing a second textile mill for Turkey.

Comrades, these orders from abroad show that people felt that a new industrial country was born, which began to develop the production of equipment for itself and could supply it to other countries. I don’t know how much we will take out the equipment in connection with our great need, but this poses the challenge for us, the machine builders, to produce such equipment in terms of quality and cost that we can keep up with the advanced capitalist countries in terms of quality and cost of production.

This is where the question "who is who?" on the world stage. And this question should be an exam for every employee in mechanical engineering. The question "who whom?" in the world arena must be resolved as it is solved in our country. This is the greatest challenge for which we need to prepare now. We need to monitor what is happening abroad, what new cars are entering the world market, how we need to produce them, how we need to surpass the capitalist countries.

We see how we are growing more and more every day, every hour, becoming more and more independent, strong, independent.

Just three years ago, as I said, we could not even think that we would build our plants and factories with our full equipment. Now we can safely declare to the XVII Congress of the Party that we are able to build at our plants with our workers, our engineers, our designers, from our materials, from our high-quality steels any machine, any tool, any complicated device for all sectors of our economy, for our Red Army and Navy, for the needs of our defense, against any kind of predator enemy.

Neither we, nor any proletariat have any doubts, but there is full confidence that under the leadership of our party, our greatest genius, Comrade Stalin, we have won, we are victorious and we will not only build our classless socialist society, but we will also win at the front proletarian revolution around the world. (Applause.)