THE PLENUM of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union held in Moscow in January adopted a decision to convene the Twenty-second Congress of the CPSU on October 17, 1961. The Party Congress is a historical event in the life of our country. Each Communist Party Congress marks a new milestone on the road to communism, each Congress presents a concrete program of Party activity. The decisions of Party Congresses have great political authority and mobilizing power in our society because the Communist Party has the trust and support of all the Soviet people.

The Twenty-second Congress will sum up the results of the Party's activity since 1959 and discuss the most important problems fac-ing the Communist Party and the Soviet people today.

A major point on the agenda of the Twenty-second Congress will be the adoption of a new Party program on the construction of communism in the country. The decision to work out a new program, as is known, was adopted in March 1939, at the Eighteenth Party Congress, but the Second World War and other events postponed discussion on this decision.

"Now we are able to see ahead with broader vision," said Nikita S. Khrushchev. "The Party has amassed a great deal of experience, and, on the basis of this experience, on the basis of our success in developing our country, it is now possible to work out a more detailed program. . . ."

Great changes have taken place in the life of the country and of all mankind since the Party's present program was adopted in March 1919 at the Eighth Congress. As a result of the fulfillment of this program, the Soviet Union, in a brief historical period, has become a powerful socialist power with a prosperous economy, advanced science and culture, and undefeatable defensive might. This accomplished, the Communist Party is now leading the Soviet people in completing the construction of a communist society.

The Plenum also discussed new measures on the development of agriculture, summed up the results of work already accomplished and outlined a program for the further growth of collective farm and state farm production.

TALKING ABOUT the size of the national budget for 1961 adopted at the December session of the Supreme Soviet, the people say, "A big ship needs deep water." The budget calls for revenues of 78.9 billion rubles and expenditures of 77.5 billion—this is in terms of the new ruble. It was approved after lively debate, with deputies from every part of the country presenting their reactions and the special needs of their constituents.

Deputy V. Klimenko from the Donbas proposed the construction of a new canal in his region. A deputy from Estonia, V. Klauson, asked for expansion of the republic's local industry. Deputy Batiyev wanted new oil refineries built in the fast growing Tatar Autonomous Republic he represents. Scores of such similar proposals and amendments were made and thoughtfully debated.

Previous to the presentation of the 1961 draft budget, the deputies, assembled in the Grand Kremlin Palace, heard reports on the progress of the seven-year plan now entering on its third year. They indicated that during the first two years of the plan, 1959 and 1960, the plan was not only fulfilled, but overfulfilled. In these two years capital investment totaled nearly 490 billion rubles, a sum greater than was spent in all the 22 prewar years combined. More than 2,000 large new plants went into operation.

In 1960 steel production increased by 5 million tons, cement by 6.5 million tons and oil by approximately 18 million tons. Electric power production was boosted by some 30 billion kilowatt-hours. The absolute increase in industrial production in 1960 tops the very highest previous results. Figures for the consumer industries showed that 202 million yards of textiles, millions of pairs of shoes and many other consumer goods were produced over and above the plan.

The 1961 plan adopted by the Supreme Soviet foresees an increase of almost 9 per cent in volume of industrial production over 1960. During the year another three million factory and office workers will be added to the country's payroll. Wages will rise again. Additional millions of rubles' worth of consumer goods will be stocking the country's retail stores. Ten million people will move to new apartments. College enrollment will increase by five million. Additional appropriations of many millions of rubles will go to the further expansion of consumer goods production.

A notable feature of the 1961 budget is the cut in military expenditures of some nine billion rubles following on the law passed last year that reduced the country's armed forces by 1,200,000 men. The defense item for 1961 is 11.9 per cent of the budget as against 12.9 per cent for 1960 and 19.9 per cent for 1955.

While expenditures for defense keep decreasing, those for social and cultural services keep increasing. The sums allocated to education, science, culture, health, social insurance and other welfare items will add up to more than a third of the entire national budget.

THE STALINGRAD Hydroelectric Station's twenty-first and final turbogenerator began producing commercial current on December 9, 1960. The station, the world's largest, will have a twenty-second turbogenerator, but it will be a purely experimental installation, a research laboratory for future stations.

The aggregate capacity of all the Stalingrad turbines, 2,475,000 kilowatts, exceeds that of the Lenin Hydroelectric Station near Kuibyshev, until now the world's largest, by 150,000 kilowatts. These two giant projects and the Ivankovo, Uglich, Rybinsk, Gorky and Kama Hydroelectric Stations are units in the series on the Volga and the Kama, its tributary.

The Stalingrad's rated capacity is 2,563,000 kilowatts, and its annual average output will range from 11 to 14 billion kilowatt-hours, depending upon the water level of the Volga. Besides feeding additional power to Moscow, the Volga and Central Black-Soil regions of the Russian Federation, the Donets Coal Basin and other industrial areas, the project will irrigate 18.5 million acres in the fertile but arid sections of the Lower Volga and the Caspian lowland, and will speed shipping in the Volga's lower reaches.

The Stalingrad project was completed a year ahead of schedule as a result of new engineering approaches. Construction was done on a continuous-flow basis to cut building time and costs. A new powerhouse design made it possible to reduce the length of the spillway dam by a third. These and other radical solutions are being incorporated in other projects under construction on the Volga and elsewhere to supply the country with cheap electricity.

The seven-year plan forecasts an output of power of 500 to 525 billion kilowatt-hours a year by 1965, more than double the 1958 level.