PURCHASING POWER OF POLISH WORKER FAR BELOW PREWAR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600340223-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 16, 2011
• Sequence Number: 223
• Publication Date: September 1, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/17: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600340223-6
-1
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ROr
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO tBRONDCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY Poland
SUB..cCT Economic; Sociological - Standard of living
HOW
PUBLISHED Weekly newspaper
WHERE
PUBLISHED 4uakenbruck
DATE
PUBLISHED
LANGUAGE
Thu OOOOSSNT CONTAINS Ir.^,SATIOS ""moo TES NATIONAL DSrISSS
Or THE UNITED STATES SITEIS TO SISISO or ISflOIDSS ACT SO
S. S. C.. II AND SS. AS AMENDED. ITS TASSSDSIOS oS THE SSTSLATION
OOSnSTE IS AIR SAOSSS To AS OMSTOSIISO PINION D fw?
gg
O O LAS. SS/woY CiIOS Or TED MRS IS SSOSISITES.
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
PURCHASING POWER OF POLISH WORKER
FAR BELOW PREWAR
Two years ago it cost 10 The cost letter Poland to a letteroini~
country; ; today y it costs 35 zlotys.
Germany ank-note is
ci30 rculation s is constantly increasing tandssooare prices. Wages eare.
B
increasing, but not in proportion to the prices of commodities. On every oc-
casion, the Polish press emphasizes the fact
mini ved over
one conditions have
--
the period prior to September 1939.
the true value of the prewar zloty, which was hard currency.
Taking ].938 as one, the official price index is 250, and for some arti-
cles like footwear it even reaches 400. This means that the prewar zloty
was worth approximately 250 present zlotys, or that the present zloty is 0.4
of the prewar zloty -- less than half the prewar grosz. In the meantime, tb^.
wage index for laborers is only 100, and for office workers 50. A laborer, ac-
tually receives 22 times leas than before the war and an office worker 5 times
less. A worker earning 10,000 zlotys per month receives in purchasing power
the equivalent of 40 prewar zlotys; acid an office employee 'earning?20,000
zlotys receives 80 prewplEwzlotys vidbd they do not purchabe. any footwear.
An employee earning 20,000 zlotys per month spends almost his entire
monthly earnings or a suit of clothing and almost one half his month's earnings
for a pair of shoes. Since everything has to be purchased on the free market,
an average worker's pay is only sufficient to cover cheap housing and a meager
supply of food.
Fuel is also very expensive. Many people sell some of their clothingtto.
obtain fuel. In localities near Slask, a ton of coke costs over 5,500
It must be admitted, however, that there are exceptions. Workers who are
record brea:-ers earn up to 100,000 zlotys, but their ranks are small. The life
expectancy of these outstanding workers is short and many become invalids because
of excessive strain. Living conditions have also improved for Party dignitaries;
their incomes, however, are closely guarded.
NAVY
AIR
CLASSIFICATION
I NIIRB _
FBI
-END -
- 1 -
CONFIDENTIAL
DISTRIBUTION
I I
DATE OF
INFOR$IATION 1950
DATE DIST. /9&01950
CONFIDENTIAL.
Njff_~Sarjiitiz Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/17: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600340223-6