1955 RUBLE-DOLLAR PRICE RATIOS FOR INTERMEDIATE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN THE USSR AND THE US

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
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• Document Page Count: 78
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 15, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 1, 1960
• Content Type: REPORT

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ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
1955 RUBLE-DOLLAR PRICE RATIOS
FOR INTERMEDIATE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
IN THE USSR AND THE US
CIA/RR ER 60-16
June 1960
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND REPORTS
1 1 ?
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NOTICE
This report has been loaned to the recipient by
the Central Intelligence Agency. When it has
served its pumose it should be destroyed or
returned to the:
CIA Librarian
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington 25, D. C.
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ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
1955 RUBLE-DOLLAR PRICE RATIOS
FOR INTERMEDIATE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
IN THE USSR AND THE US
CIA/RR ER 60-16
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND REPORTS
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FOREWORD
This report presents 1955 ruble-dollar price ratios for selected
intermediate products and services produced in both the USSR and the
US and is part of a larger project that has the followirlg purposes:
(1) to construct the appropriate ruble-dollar ratios for making di-
rect comparisons in common currencies of the major end-use sectors
of Soviet gross national product (GNP) and US GNP, (2) to assess
the value of the ruble in comparison with the dollar for various
commodities and for various commodity groups, and (3) to furnish a
catalog of 1955 ruble-dollar ratios.
The ruble-dollar price ratios presented in this report provide
a basis for assessing the value of the ruble in comparison with the
dollar for various commodities and for various commodity groups.
The ratios also may be useful for comparing the purchasing power of
the ruble for selected commodity groups with the trade rate for
Soviet merchandise or with the rate for tourist expenditure. The
ratios may be useful in costing studies in which economic programs
are initially estimated in either dollars or rubles and then Con-
verted to the other currency for purposes of international compar-
isons. These ratios have only limited application in GNP compar-
isons, for intermediate products and services form only a small part
of GNP. GNP is concerned primarily with final products and services,
whereas intermediate products and services enter only in the compara-
tively minor entry for additions to inventories and, to a lesser ex-
tent, consumption.
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Summary
CONTENTS
Page
1
I. Characteristics of Data 3
A. Comparability of Prices and Products 3
B. Coverage and Representativeness of Intermediate
Products and Services 6
C. Characteristics of Ruble-Dollar Ratios 8
II. Comparison of 1950 and 1955 Ruble-Dollar Ratios 11
Appendix A. Methodology
Appendixes
1. Individual Ruble-Dollar Ratios
15
15
a. Solid Fuels 15
b. Petroleum Products 15
c. Paper and Paperboard 17
d. Chemicals 18
e. Construction Materials 18
f. Iron and Steel Products 19
g. Nonferrous Metals 20
h. Rail Transport 20
i. Communications Services 22
j. Electric Power 23
2. Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Ratios 25
a. Formulas for Weighting Ratios 25
b. Derivations of Aggregate Ratios 26
Appendix B. Statistical Tables 31
Appendix C. Source References 69
Tables
1. USSR and US: Aggregate 1955 Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios
for Selected Categories of Intermediate Products and
Services
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2. USSR and US: Median, Unweighted, and Weighted 1955
Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios and Frequency Distribution
of Ruble-Dollar Ratios for Intermediate Products and
Services, by Category of Product or Service
3. USSR and US: Comparison of 1950 and 1955 Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratios for a Selected Sample of Intermediate
Products
4. USSR and US: Prices and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for
Solid Fuels, 1955
5. USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratios for Petroleum Products, 1955
6. USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratios for Paper and Paperboard, 1955
7. USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratios for Chemicals, 1955
8. USSR. and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratios for Construction Materials, 1955
9. USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratios for Iron and Steel Products, 1955
10. USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratios for Nonferrous Metals, 1955
11. USSR and US: Calculation of Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios
for Rail Freight Transport, 1955
12. USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratio for Rail Passenger Service, 1955
13. USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratios for Communications Services, 1955
14. USSR and US: Prices and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for
Electric Power, 1955
15. USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar
Solid Fuels, 1955
16. USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar
Petroleum Products, 1955
17. USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar
Price Ratios for
Price Ratios for
Price Ratios for
Paper and Paperboard, 1955
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Page
12
32
33
37
38
40
142
47
48
50
51
52
53
54
57
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Page
lb USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for
Chemicals, 1955 58
19. USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for
Construction Materials 1955 60
20. USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for
Iron and Steel Products, 1955 61
21. USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for
Nonferrous Metals, 1955 62
22. USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratio for
Rail Freight Transport, 1955 63
23. USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for
Communications Services, 1955 66
24. USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for
Electric Power, 1955 67
Map
USSR: Price Zones for Petroleum Products, 1955 inside back
cover
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1955 RUBLE-DOLLAR PRICE RATIOS FOR INTERMEDIAM PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
IN THE USSR AND THE US
Summary
The 1955 ruble-dollar price ratios presented in this report are
based on a comparison of 1955 wholesale ruble and dollar prices for
intermediate products and services* common to the Soviet and US
economies. These price comparisons reveal substantial variations in
relative prices between the two countries. As indicated by a geometric
mean of the Soviet-weighted and US-weighted ratios, 1 ruble is worth
about 10 cents for intermediate products as a whole. In regard to the
ratios for the various categories, 1 ruble is worth about 6 cents for
solid fuels; 7 to 10 cents for chemicals, paper and paperboard, non-
ferrous metals, and electric power; and about 15 to 20 cents for iron
and steel products and construction materials. On the basis of in-
dividual products, 1 ruble is worth approximately 55 cents for tool-
steel bars, 25 cents for natural gas, 10 cents for motor fuel, and
about 2 cents for cadmium. Because the necessary value weights for
obtaining a mean ratio for all services were not available, an ag-
gregate ruble-dollar ratio is limited to the product sample alone.
The geometric mean of 9.6 for the aggregate ratio for total in-
termediate products is, however, more than twice as high as the ag-
gregate ratio of 3.6 for rail transport but more than a third less .
than the aggregate ratio of 14.6 for electric power.
The 1955 ruble-dollar ratios for intermediate products are in
general much lower than those for 1950. The decreases in the ratios
range from 5 percent for anthracite to 72 percent for mercury and
calcium chloride (flake). The decline in the ratios from 1950 to 1955
resulted from decreases in prices for most intermediate products in
the USSR during this period and from increases in the corresponding
prices in the US.
* Unless otherwise indicated, the term intermediate products and
services as used in this report refers to commodities and services
purchased for use in production.
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I. Characteristics of Data
In the derivation of 1955 ruble-dollar ratios for the USSR and
the US, ruble and dollar wholesale prices have been compared for 171
intermediate products and services. For services, however, prices
also have been compared for selected services consumed by the final
consumer. Although those final services consumed by households also
have been counted in the consumption end-use sector of gross national
product (GNP), it is convenient and of interest to consider household
and enterprise rates together in this section.
The following categories of intermediate products and services
are represented: (1) solid fuels, (2) petroleum products, (3) paper
and paperboard, (4) chemicals, (5) construction materials, (6) iron
and steel products, (7) nonferrous metals, (8) rail transport,
(9) communications services, and (10) electric power. Aggregate
ruble-dollar ratios, usually based on both Soviet and US value
weights, have been constructed for these categories of intermediate
products and services and are shown in Table 1.* In general, data
on value of output have been used as weights for combining the in-
dividual ratios into aggregate ratios. The methodology underlying
the calculations of individual and aggregate ruble-dollar ratios is
given in Appendix A. The calculation of individual and aggregate
ratios is given in Tables 4 through 24-.**
A. Comparability of Prices and Products
The ruble prices used in this comparison are those established
on 1 July 1955, with the exception of those for communications services,
which are average 1955 prices. Two reasons led to the choice of prices
in effect on 1 July 1955. Pirst, 1 July 1955 represents the most re-
cent date for which extensive information on wholesale prices by spe-
cific commodity exists. Second, the prices introduced on this date
were established for the period of the Sixth Five Year Plan (1956-60).
Although the Sixth Five Year Plan was abandoned and although some price
changes took place in 1956 and 1957 and early in 1958, it appears
that 1955 prices are still in effect for most of the commodities for
the Seven Year Plan (1959-65). The dollar prices are those of 1 July
1955 or are average 1955 prices. There were substantial price changes
for a number of commodity groups in the US during 1955, but the difference
between average 1955 dollar prices and 1 July 1955 dollar prices is not
generally significant.
Although the ruble prices used in this report came from a
number of sources, most of such prices were drawn from the following:
(1) a handbook of prices of materials and equipment used in or by con-
struction organizations, Spravochnik tsen na stroiteltnyye materialy
i oborudavaniye (Handbook of Prices for Construction Materials and
Equipment), Moscow, 1956, and (2) a handbook of prices of commodities
Table 1 follows on p. 4.
** Appendix B, pp. 32 through 67, below.
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used in the coal industry, Materialy i oborudovaniye primenyayemyye v
ugol'noy promyshlennosti: spravochnik (Handbook (A.' Prices for Mate-
terials and Equipment Used in the Coal Industry), Moscow, 1955. Par-
ticular references to these sources and all additional sources are
noted along with the ruble prices in Appendix A.
Once rale prices were assembled, it was necessary to fix
standards of comparison for Soviet and US items. Generally, items
were accepted into the sample on the basis of the following two
criteria: (1) comparability of physical characteristics and (2) com-
parability of the price basis.
In general, Soviet specifications for products were avail-
able in sufficient detail to permit the ready designation of US
counterparts. The degree of comparability achieved in the report
as a whole is believed to be good, even though the degree of compara-
bility varies by product group and ranges from virtual identity to
rough approximation.
Table 1
USSR and US: Aggregate 1955 Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios
for Selected Categories of Intermediate Products and Services 2.1
Rubles per Dollar
Category
Weighted Ratio
Soviet US
WeiEhts Weights
Solid fuels
Petroleum products
Paper and paperboard
Chemicals
Construction materials
Iron and steel products
Nonferrous metals
Rail freight transport
Rail passenger service 2/
Communications services 11
Electric power 2/
17.0
10.5
9.6
11.0 12/
4.9
5.4
12.0
6.3
5.2
14.2
18.2
11.8
10.1
13.0 .
5.5
5.9
13.6
3.6
6.3
5.7
15.0
a. For data and methodology, see Appendixes A and B.
b. Estimated.
c. The ratios are identical for both the USSR and the US be-
cause they represent one item only.
d. Including intermediate and final services.
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Usually the ruble prices for products are quoted free on board
(f.o.b.) depot of seller -- that is, the prices represent those at the
manufacturing site or at the freight depot in the city of manufacture
and thus exclude all, or virtually all, outbound transport charges.
The important exceptions to this practice were found in iron and steel
and petroleum products, the prices of which are quoted f.o.b. depot of
destination or depot of sales. Soviet prices for solid fuels, petro-
leum products, and some construction materials as well as rates for
electric power are differentiated by sales region. For prices dif-
ferentiated by region, an attempt was made to derive a national aver-
age price.
Because US and Soviet prices are not always comparable, it
has sometimes been necessary to adjust one of the prices. For
example, US prices do not include transport charges for petroleum
products or iron and steel products. Soviet prices have therefore
been adjusted to exclude these chatges. US prices for paper and
paperboard, however, include transport charges, and the Soviet prices
have been adjusted to include these charges. The ruble and dollar
prices for commodities are therefore of two types: most are f.o.b.
depot of seller and exclude transport charges, and some are delivered
prices and include transport charges. It is believed that in general
the degree of price comparability achieved is good.
Petroleum products as a group presented the greatest diffi-
culty in the establishment of comparability of products and prices.
Whereas, in general, comparability of petroleum products is good,
compromises were made in the basic criteria for establishing com-
parability. As to prices of petroleum products, all Soviet prices
include transport charges and the cost of operating sales bases, and
the turnover tax and an administrative surcharge are included in the
prices for some unspecified products. An adjustment was made in the
ruble prices to exclude transport charges. Because tax rates, sales
base operating costs, and administrative surcharges are not available
for specific products, however, these components could not be deducted
from the ruble prices. It is estimated that the turnover tax alone
may average as much as 50 percent of the ruble price for a given prod-
uct* and that the turnover tax and sales costs combined may average
as much as 60 percent of the price. The administrative surcharge,
which represents operating costs of various organizations of the Minis-
try of the Petroleum Industry, is believed to be a very small share
of the price -- probably less than 1 percent.
The preceding discussion of prices and comparability has been
confined primarily to prices of products. A few remarks are neces-
s4ry with respect to services. For electric power, ruble and dollar
rates paid by comparable classes of users have been compared. For
communications services, rates for services with the same general
characteristics have been compared. Soviet basic freight rates for
the US average lengths of haul have been compared with US rates de-
rived from data on revenue' for the US average lengths of haul. Soviet
* This percentage applies to the ruble price inclusive of tranSport
charges.
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basic passenger fares for an average distance of a Soviet passenger
trip have been compared with US passenger fares for the same distance.
The problems encountered in achieving comparability and the
solutions adopted are discussed in greater detail, by product and ser-
vice group, in Appendix A. The particular products and services and
the corresponding prices selected for comparison are given in Tables 4
through 14.*
B. Coverage and Representativeness of Intermediate Products
and Services
Because neither Soviet nor US data are available for the ag-
gregate values of production for intermediate products and services,
it is impossible to give an arithmetic evaluation of the extent to
which the products and services priced in this report cover the cor-
responding sectors of these two economies. Perhaps the best measure
of coverage is reflected by an enumeration of the categories that
have been omitted. The most important categories of intermediate
products and services for which no ruble-dollar ratios have been con-
structed are lumber and wood; rubber; leather products; and motor
vehicle, water, and air transport. These categories were omitted
because the necessary information on Soviet prices was not available.
The relative importance of the various products and services
for which ratios have been constructed differ in the two countries.
Therefore, in order to obtain aggregate ruble-dollar ratios that take
these differences into account, the individual ruble-dollar ratios for
products and services have been weighted by their relative impertance
in each country, except in those cases in which data were not avail-
able for deriving weights. The aggregate ratios and the Soviet and
US data used for combining the individual ratios into aggregate ratios
are presented in Tables 15 through 24.**
The list of products and services included in this report is
less representative of either the Soviet or the US economy than one
would desire, because the sample is of necessity restricted to those
products and services that are comparable in the two countries. Never-
theless, it is believed that the samples of items selected to repre-
sent the various categories considered in this report are, in general,
fairly representative of both the Soviet and the US economies. Uni-
form representativeness, however, was not obtained for each category,
and a few comments are necessary regarding certain categories.
The sample of items in the category of solid fuels is more
representative of the US than of the Soviet economy because both coke
and peat, which have been omitted, are produced as a fuel in the
USSR, whereas only coke is produced as a fuel in the US. It is be-
lieved, however, that the over-all ratio for solid fuels as computed
in this report is fairly reliable because peat prices are believed to
Appendix B, pp. 32 through 52, below.
** Appendix B, pp. 53 through 67, below.
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approximate the average of the coal prices considered. It is also be-
lieved that the ruble-dollar ratio for coke would closely approximate
the aggregate ratio for solid fuels.
The commodity coverage of petroleum products probably is more
representative of the Soviet than of the US product mix. For the
USSR the coverage is judged to be good; and for the US, fair. The
refined products represented by ruble-dollar ratios account for about
60 percent of the total tonnage* of refined products produced in the
USSR in 1955. From the US point of view, a number of petroleum prod-
ucts have been omitted because of the lack of Soviet counterparts.
The most important omissions are US regular (85-to-90 octane) and
premium (93-to-98) motor gasolines. These gasolines together accounted
for about 80 percent of the total tonnage of motor gasoline produced in
the US in 1955, or about 30 percent of the total output of refined petro-
leum products. US aviation gasoline having an octane rating of 115
to 145 and all grades of jet fuel also have been omitted. High-octane
(100 and above) aviation gasolines (of which the above-mentioned grade
115 to 145 is a part) accounted for about 78 percent of the total ton-
nage of aviation gasoline produced in the US in 1955. It is believed
that the sample includes items representing the major portion of high-
octane aviation gasolines, because grade 115 to 145 probably accounted
for only a minor portion of total tonnage produced in this category
in 1955. Even though US jet fuel has been omitted, the US price for
jet fuel is very similar to the price of 41-to-43 gravity water-white
kerosine, which has been compared with the Soviet jet fuels.
Of the six groups of chemicals considered, coverage is be-
lieved to be good only for three groups -- alkalies and chlorine,
cyclic (coal-tar) crudes, and industrial inorganic chemicals. Cover-
age for the remaining groups (industrial organic chemicals, plastic
materials and synthetic resins, and fertilizers) is, at best, spotty.
It is believed that the sample represents Soviet and US production of
chemicals to about the same degree. It is interesting to note, how-
ever, that even though the over-all sample appears to be deficient
in terms of coverage, the US-weighted ruble-dollar ratio derived from
it is almost identical with the ratio derived by applying the appro-
priate Soviet and US price indexes for 1950-55 to the 1950 US-weighted
ratio, which was based on a sample of ratios much superior to the 1955
sample in terms of coverage.
Products of the iron and steel industry are represented only
by those products considered to be rolled steel. It is believed,
however, that ruble-dollar ratios for forgings and castings would be
very close to the aggregate ratios obtained for rolled steel. The
sample of products compared is representative of both Soviet and US
output of rolled steel. Rolled, drawn, and alloyed nonferrous prod-
ucts have not been included in the sample of nonferrous metals, but
their ratios probably would closely resemble the over-all ratios for
primary nonferrous metals.
* Tonnages are given in metric tons throughout this report.
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The commodities included in the comparison of rail freight
rates in Table 11* are those with the greatest loadings in the US
in 1955. It is believed, however, that the sample is fairly repre-
sentative of the bulk of rail freight traffic in both the USSR and
the US. Because Soviet and US rates have been compared for US
lengths of haul only, the ratios are more representative of US than
Soviet rail freight transport.
C. Characteristics of Ruble-Dollar Ratios
Because the necessary value weights for obtaining a mean
ruble-dollar ratio for all services were not available, an aggregate
ruble-dollar ratio is limited to the product sample alone. About the
only general observation relevant to the total sample is the wide
dispersion of ratios extending from a low value of 1.8 for tool steel
bars to a high of 67.3 for borax. The distribution of the ruble-
dollar ratios within groups of products and services and for the
sample as a whole is summarized in Table 2.**
Although there is a marked bunching at the low end of the
scale, there is considerable dispersion in the sample of ruble-
dollar ratios for intermediate products. The greatest dispersion
in the ratios is found within the categories of chemicals, nonfer-
rous metals, and petroleum products.***
Because of the wide dispersion in the ruble-dollar ratios and
the disparity in the number of observations among the component groups
of intermediate products, the median and unweighted mean ratios were
of questionable significance -- especially in determining a ratio for
total intermediate products. For this reason, an attempt was made to
obtain weighted average ratios for total intermediate products. In the
absence of information on the value of output, value-added data were
used as weights for combining the weighted mean ratios of the component
groupst into aggregate ratios for intermediate products. The aggregate
ratios obtained in this manner, the median ratio, and the unweighted
mean ratio for total intermediate products all fall within a very nar-
row range.
* Appendix B, p. 48, below.
** Table 2 follows on p. 9.
*** Inquiry into the kinds of items with ruble-dollar ratios of an
unusually high magnitude -- for example, ratios of 25.0 and greater --
shows them to be various materials within the categories of chemicals
and nonferrous metals. Among the chemicals are the following (with
their ruble-dollar ratios): acetone (25.3), calcium chloride (30.1),
and borax (67.3). Among the nonferrous metals are the following:
cadmium (64.o), tin (48.1), and antimony (27.1).
t The derivation of weighted ruble-dollar ratios for the component
groups is explained in Appendix A.
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Table 2
USSR and US: Median, Unweighted, and Weighted 1955 Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios
and Frequency Distribution of Ruble-Dollar Ratios for Intermediate Products and Services
by Category of Product or Service
Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
Category
Number
of Ratios
Median
Unweighted
Mean
Weighted Mean 2/
Number of Ratios in Each Class Interval
of 5 Rubles per Dollar
Soviet
Weights
US
Weights
0.0 to
4.9
5.0 to
9.9
10.0 to
14.9
15.0 to
19.9
20.0 to
24.9
25.0 to
29.9
30.0 and
over
Intermediate products
Solid fuels
3
18.8
17.1
17.0
18.2
1
1
1
Petroleum products
50
10.8
11.5
10.5
11.8
1
19
21
5
4
Paper and paperboard
6
9.3
10.0
9.6
10.1
5
1
Chemicals
33
7.8
11.9
11.0
13.0
3
21
2
2
2
1
2
Construction materials
13
5.0
5.6
4.9
5.5
6
6
1
Iron and steel products
20
5.5
5.5
5.4
5.9
2
18
Nonferrous metals
9
13.0
23.8
12.0
13.6
2
3
1
1
2
Subtotal
134
8.6
11.0
8.7 12/
10.5 1/
12
71
29
88
2
4
Services
_
Rail freight transport
29
3.4
3.5
3.6
25
4
Rail passenger service
1
6.3
6.3
6.3
6.3
1
Communications services 2/
5
4.5
7.7
5.2
5.7
3
2
Electric power
2
14.6
14.6
14.2
15.0
1
I
Subtotal
/1
28
5
2
1
_
Total
171
40
..
76
32
9
8
.
2
.
4
=
Cumulative percentages
23.4
67.8
86.5
91.8
96.5
97.7
100.0
a. Aggregates for component categories from Table 1, p. 4, above.
b. Aggregates for component categories combined on the basis of estimated value-added weights.
c. Excluding home or private telephone subscriptions.
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It is shown in Table 2 that the weighted mean ruble-dollar
ratios based on Soviet weights differ from those based on US weights.
The explanation lies basically in a negative correlation between rela-
tive prices and relative quantities -- that is, goods and services
that have lower relative prices tend to be produced in greater rela-
tive quantities. Thus, when the price structure of one country is
applied to the output structure of the other country, relatively high
prices are applied to relatively large quantities and relatively low
prices are applied to relatively small quantities. 1/* The gap be-
tween the Soviet-weighted and the US-weighted ratios for total inter-
mediate products is larger than the gap for any of the component
groups except chemicals. The gaps between the two sets of ratios for
both the total and the component groups probably would become larger
as the sample number of ratios increases. This increase in size of
gaps would be due to the tendency for the relative price structures
and the product mixes to become increasingly dissimilar as the output
of each country was considered in greater detail.
Some other interesting observations can be made from the
weighted mean ratios in Table 2: (1) the lowest weighted ruble-
dollar ratios are those for construction materials and iron and steel
products, whereas the highest are those for solid fuels; (2) the
weighted ratios for construction materials are about one-half as high
as the aggregate ratios for intermediate products; (3) the Soviet-
weighted and the US-weighted ratios for solid fuels are almost twice
as high as the respective Soviet and US aggregate ratios for total
intermediate products; and (4) the weighted ratios for nonferrous
metals are more than twice as high as those for iron and steel products.
Thus it is clear that there are substantial variations in
relative prices for intermediate products between the two countries.
As indicated by a geometric mean of the Soviet-weighted and the US-
weighted ratios for the various groups, a ruble is worth about 6 cents
for solid fuels; 8 to 10 cents for petroleum products, paper and
paperboard, chemicals, and nonferrous metals; and about 15 to 20 cents
for construction materials and iron and steel products. For inter-
mediate products in the aggregate, a ruble is worth about 10 cents.
On an individual product basis a ruble is worth about 2 cents for
cadmium, 10 cents for motor fuel, about 25 cents for natural gas, and
about 55 cents for tool steel bars.
Although the weighted ratios for intermediate services range
from 3.6 to 15.0, the dispersion within ruble-dollar ratios for ser-
vices is not as high as in the comparable groups of intermediate
products. The weighted ratios for electric power are more than 2.5
times as high as those for communications services and 4 times as high
as those for rail freight transport. As was the case with intermediate
products, relative prices for intermediate services vary substantially
between the USSR and the US. For example, a 1955 ruble is worth about
30 cents for rail freight transport, about 15 cents for rail passenger
service, 20 cents for communications services, and 7 cents for electric
power.
* For serially numbered source references, see Appendix C.
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II. Comparison of 1950 and 1955 Ruble-Dollar Ratios
A large sample of 1950 ruble-dollar ratios has been compiled by
the RAND Corporation, 2/ and other 1950 ratios have been compiled on
the basis of other information as a need for these ratios has arisen.
For purposes of comparison with the 1955 ratios constructed in this
report, a sample of 1950 ratios has been selected. These 1950 ratios
were selected for comparison with 1955 ratios when the commodity
specifications and the price basis for an item were considered com-
parable. The results are striking. In the short span of 5 years,
about 30 percent of the items in the sample show decreases in the
ratios of 40 to 60 percent; decreases of 60 percent or more are noted
for another 8 percent of the sample; and the direction of the change
is downward for all commodities except two. The decreases in the
ratios range from 5 percent for anthracite to 72 percent for mercury
and calcium chloride (flake). In Table 3* the ruble-dollar ratios
for 1950 and 1955 are compared in terms of individual commodities.
Although weights are not available for calculating the aggregate
change in the ratios, the data in Table 3 demonstrate a substantial
change in price relatives in the two countries between 1950 and 1955.
The computed decreases in the ruble-dollar ratios between 1950
and 1955 are confirmed independently by other data. For example, a
recent RAND report of Soviet prices of basic industrial goods shows
a decline of about 11 percent between 1950 and 1955. 1/ Prices of
basic industrial goods in the US rose about 15 percent between the
same years.** These data imply that the ratio of Soviet prices to
US prices for industrial goods fell by about one-fourth during this
period.
As noted in Table 3, ratios for two items, lead and cadmium, in-
creased between 1950 and 1955. Soviet prices for lead in 1955 were
almost 100 percent higher than in 1950, whereas US prices for lead
increased only about 25 percent between 1950 and 1955. Between 1950
and 1955, Soviet and US prices for cadmium decreased. The Soviet
price, however, decreased only about 10 percent, whereas the US price
decreased about 22 percent.
* Table 3 follows on p. 12.
** This statement is based on wholesale price indexes produced by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics for coal, coke, gas, electric power,
petroleum products, chemicals and allied products, rubber products,
lumber and wood, pulp and paper products, iron and steel, nonferrous
metals, and nonmetallic minerals from source)2/ combined on the basis
of 1954 weielts from source J.
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Table 3
USSR and US: Comparison of 1950 and 1955 Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios
for a Selected Sample of Intermediate Products
Category and Item
Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
Decrease 12/
(Percent)
1950
1955 2/*
Solid fuels .2/
Anthracite
12.2
11.6
5
Bituminous coal
21.6
18.8
13
Lignite
23.5
21.0
11
Petroleum products 2/
Aviation gasoline
17.6 2/
12.3 2/
30
Automotive gasoline
20.3 2/
16.6 2/
18
Illuminating kerosine
17.3
10.6
39
Diesel fuel, light
12.1 2/
8.8 2/
27
Diesel fuel, heavy
10.4
9.0 2/
13
Fleet mazut
20.0
13.3
34
Chemicals 1/
Alkalies and chlorine
Chlorine
6.4
4.3
33
Sodium bicarbonate
13.1
7.7
41
Soda ash
15.7
8.9
43
Caustic soda, liquid
28.0
15.5
45
Caustic soda, cake
29.1
15.3
47
Cyclic (coal-tar) crudes
Naphthalene
12.4
7.7
38
Benzene
21.7
11.9
45
Industrial organic chemicals,
n.e.c. si
Methanol
25.0
20.9
16
Acetone
36.3
25.3
30
Ethylene dichloride
2.4
2.1
12
Industrial inorganic chemicals,
n.e.c.
Nitric acid, weak
5.0
4.o
20
Nitric acid, concentrated
6.8
5.1
25
Ammonium sulfate
8.6
5.4
37
Footnotes for Table 3 follow on p. 14.
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Table 3
USSR and US: Comparison of 1950 and 1955 Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios
for a Selected Sample of Intermediate Products
(Continued)
Category and Item
Chemicals (Continued)
Industrial inorganic chemicals,
n.e.c. B/
Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
Decrease
1950 1955 2/ (Percent)
Ammonium nitrate
8.7
5.7
34
Sodium sulfate (salt cake)
10.5
7.6
28
Calcium carbide
11.0
6.9
37
Hydrochloric acid
11.3
5.1
55
Sulfuric acid, tower
12.4
6.7
46
Sulfuric acid, contact
14.3
7.7
46
Magnesium oxide
12.5
7.3
42
Synthetic ammonia, anhydrous
14.1
9.4
33
Aqueous ammonia
15.8
9.5
4o
Ammonium chloride
19.2
7.8
59
Copper sulfate
15.1
8.3
45
Trisodium phosphate
18.0
6.4
64
Barium chloride
22.3
12.7
43
Hydrogen peroxide
24.9
8.8
65
Calcium chloride, solid
54.4
24.6
55
Calcium chloride, flake
108.3
30.1
72
Construction materials LI/
Roofing felt 1/
5.5
4.2
24
Flat glass
8.4
5.1
39
Cement, hydraulic
10.6
6.9
35
Brick
6.2
4.4
29
Iron and steel products
Rails
7.6
5.8
24
Rail accessories
6.7
5.1
2 /I-
Buttweld standard pipe
8.8
5.4
39
Seamless line pipe
9.5
6.3
34
Seamless casing
9.6
6.2
35
Angles
8.3
5.8
30
Hot-rolled carbon bars
9.5
5.4 Li
43
Cold-finished carbon bars
10.0
5.3
47
Wire rod
8.1
5.2
36
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Table 3
USSR and US: Comparison of 1950 and 1955 Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios
for a Selected Sample of Intermediate Products
(Continued)
Ratio
.(Rubles per Dollar)
Category and Item
1955
Decrease -))/1950
2/ (Percent
Iron and steel products 1/
(Continued)
Hot-rolled carbon sheet
Cold-rolled carbon sheet
Electrical sheet
Hot-rolled carbon strip
Cold-rolled carbon strip
Forging billets
9.3
9.7
8.7
7.8
11.2
7.6
5.6
7.7
5.5
6.4
5.6
5.3
4o
21
37
18
50
30
Nonferrous metals 1/
Copper cathodes
16.2
8.3
49
Lead ingots
14.o
21.9
+56 2/
Zinc ingots
12.6 1/
lo.8
14
Aluminum unalloyed ingots
17.7
9.3
47
Cadmium
56.2
64.o
+14 E/
Tin
67.9
48.1
29
Mercury
47.2
13.0
72
Antimony
32.6
27.1
17
Magnesium
34.0 p/
11.5
66
a. For data and methodology, see Appendix A.
b. Unless otherwise indicated, the difference between the ratio for
1955 and the ratio for 1950 expressed as a percentage of the ratio for
1950.
c. 1950 ruble prices from source g and 1950 dollar prices from
source J.
d. 1950 ruble prices from source fi and 1950 dollar prices from
source J.
e. Arithmetic mean for a number of grades.
f. 1950 ruble prices from source 12/ and 1950 dollar prices from
source 11/.
g. Not elsewhere counted.
h. Except for roofing felt, 1950 ruble prices are averages from
source 12/, and all 1950 dollar prices from source
i. 1950 ruble price from source 1.Y.
j. Arithmetic mean of 1950 ruble-dollar ratios from source 12/.
k. Arithmetic mean.
1. 1950 ruble-dollar ratios from source lg.
m. Percentage increase.
n. 1950 ruble price from source 11/ and 1950 dollar price from
source 1.?./.
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APPENDIX A
METHODOLOGY
1. Individual Ruble-Dollar Ratios
This section contains a discussion of the methodology used in con-
structing the ruble-dollar ratios for individual commodities and serv-
ices, which are shown in Tables 4 through 14.* The four-digit industrial
classifications used in the tables are the numbers appearing in the 1957
edition of the Standard Industrial Classification Manual.**
a. Solid Fuels
1955 ruble-dollar ratios for anthracite, bituminous coal, and
lignite have been computed by comparing Soviet weighted-average prices
per unit of energy with the corresponding US unit prices, as shown in
Table 4.*** It is believed that the price per unit of energy is a more
reasonable basis for comparing prices of coal in the USSR and the US
than the matching of prices of similar coals, mines, or producing areas
in the two countries. Comparisons on the latter basis would fail to
take into account significant differences in heat content between coals
of the two countries.
For the USSR the average price per unit of energy (kilocalorie)
for anthracite, bituminous coal, and lignite has been derived by weight-
ing the 1 July 1955 prices LV and heating values 22/ by the estimated
physical production in all coal producing areas in order to arrive at a
weighted average price and a weighted average heating value. The
weighted average price was then divided by the weighted average heating
value to obtain an average price per unit of energy. For the US, aver-
age 1955 prices and average heating values developed by the Bureau of
Mines 21/ were utilized in computing average prices per unit of energy.
Soviet and US prices are f.o.b. mine or dispatching point.
b. Petroleum Products
1955 ruble-dollar ratios have been constructed for 50 petroleum
products by comparing 1 July 1955 ruble prices with average 1955 dollar
prices. The petroleum products considered in this report include
natural gas and those products refined from crude petroleum and coal
tars.
The US price for natural gas is the wellhead price from source 22/.
Except in those cases in which Gulf Coast cargo prices have been used,
* Appendix B, pp. 32 through 52, below.
** Washington, 1957, published by the Bureau of the Budget, Office of
Statistical Standards, Technical Committee on Industrial Classification.
*** Appendix B, p. 32, below.
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the prices for refined petroleum products are sales prices, quotations,
general offers, or posted prices of operators of product pipeline ter-
minals and tanker terminals. The prices are f.o.b. refineries, pipeline
terminals, or tanker terminals in the particular refining district where
the product is made. Gulf Coast cargo prices are those of refiners sell-
ing or quoting to other refiners, to export agents, or to operators of
large tanker terminals. The US prices do not include taxes or inspection
fees. El/
In the absence of Soviet data on wellhead prices for natural
gas, it has been assumed that the price is approximately the same as
the estimated cost of producing natural gas. The estimated cost of
producing natural gas was calculated by applying a Soviet ratio Ely of
cost of producing a standard fuel unit of coal and natural gas to the
average cost of producing a standard fuel unit of coal. Available
Soviet prices for refined petroleum products are wholesale-release
prices f.o.b. the oil base of the Main Administration of Sales, the
station of destination within the Ministry of Transportation (Railroads),
or the port of destination. 22/ All of the ruble prices for refined
petroleum products include awms that cover the cost of production, the
cost of transportation, and the cost of operating sales bases. Prices
for some unspecified products include the turnover tax as well as an ad-
ministrative surcharge. E..& The administrative surcharge, which repre-
sents operating costs of the various organizations of the Ministry of
the Petroleum Industry, is considered to be of minor importance. In
1955, for all petroleum products marketed in the USSR, tax payments*
were equal to about 50 percent of the receipts from sales; expenses of
transportation and expenses of operating sales bases were equal to about
20 percent; and the f.o.b. refinery prices combined for all products
marketed were equal to only about 30 percent of those receipts. 27/ It
follows that, to achieve comparability between the Soviet and US prices,
the ruble prices should be adjusted to exclude transport charges, the
turnover tax, and costs of operating sales bases. Because rates of the
turnover taxes and expenses of operating sales bases are not available for
specific products, these components could not be deducted from the ruble
prices. Soviet freight rates for rail transport of petroleum products
in 1955 are available. Rail transport charges for specific products
could therefore be calculated and the ruble prices adjusted accordingly.
For marketing of virtually all of the major petroleum products,
the USSR is divided into five price zones** in which prices vary be-
cause of differences in production costs, the turnover tax, and trans-
port charges. The lowest price is charged in Zone I, and a progres-
sively higher price is charged in the remaining four zones as the
average distance from Zone I increases. Prices in Zone I, adjusted to
* Interpreted to include the turnover tax and the administrative sur-
charge. The latter isJisually minor (less than 1 percent of wholesale
prices), so that most of this percentage is assumed to be represented
by the turnover tax.
** The price zones for petroleum products referred to in this report
are those defined and numbered on the map, USSR: Price Zones for
Petroleum Products, 1955, inside back cover.
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exclude estimated average transport charges, have been used in construct-
ing the ruble-dollar ratios because the principal refining centers of
Baku and the Ural-Volga Region are located in Zone I. The average
length of haul of petroleum products within Zone I was judged to be
1,000 kilometers (km). On the basis of Soviet freight rates for rail
transport of the appropriate petroleum products, ELV the transport
charge for a haul of 1,000 km was calculated and deducted from the ruble
price of each product. A transport charge of 57 rubles per ton was
deducted from the prices for gasoline, diesel fuel, and lubricants;
46 rubles for kerosine; and 39 rubles for motor fuel and furnace oil.
These deductions may be overstated somewhat, for only rail, and not
water, transport was considered. Charges for rail transport are higher
than charges for water transport, which also is used to ship petroleum
products. The effect of the omission of any adjustment for water trans-
port is not considered to be significant, however, because it is esti-
mated that more than 75 percent of the volume of freight in petroleum
products moves by rail.
Soviet specifications for most petroleum products are available
in enough detail to facilitate the selection of comparable US items.
In the instance of aviation gasoline, however, in 1955 the US did not
produce a product comparable to Soviet grades 95 to 130 or 91 to 115.
Synthesized blends of varying proportions of US aviation gasoline grades
100 to 130 and 91 to 96 were assumed and compared with these Soviet prod-
ucts. The comparability thus achieved is considered to be only roughly
approximate. Also, a jet fuel comparable to the Soviet jet fuels T-1
and TS-1 was not produced in the US in 1955. Certain US high-grade
kerosines are similar in quality to and have been compared with Soviet
jet fuels. In the US, data for lubricating oils are given for stocks
used in blending final products, whereas in the USSR data are given for
finished products. Nevertheless, comparisons of Soviet and US products
have been made even though only rough approximations to comparability
may have been achieved. US prices for residual fuel oils vary inversely
with viscosity, whereas Soviet fuel oils of a given viscosity are mar-
keted in the USSR at different prices depending on the sulfur content.
The ruble prices thus vary inversely with sulfur content. Comparable
specifications for sulfur content at different viscosities are not
available for US fuel oils. Nevertheless, by considering all of the
specifications of a given product and assuming various mixtures of US
fuel oils, several comparisons have been made between Soviet and US
fuel oils. The petroleum products compared and their specifications,
ruble and dollar prices, and ruble-dollar ratios are shown in Table 5.*
c. Paper and Paperboard
1955 ruble-dollar ratios for paper and paperboard are based on
four major classes of paper (newsprint, book paper, fine paper, and
coarse paper) and two major classes of paperboard (corrugated paper-
board and fiberboard).
* Appendix B, p. 33, below.
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US prices are average annual wholesale prices for 1955, f.o.b.
destination as constructed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 29/
Available Soviet prices are wholesale prices as of 1 July 1955, f.o.b.
the shipper's railroad station. 30/ To obtain comparability with the
US prices, the Soviet prices were adjusted to a delivered basis as
follows. The average length of haul of paper and paperboard products
was assumed to lie within the range of 1,000 to 2,000 km per ton. A
transport cost was estimated for the median of this range on the basis
of the basic rail transport tariff of 0.04 ruble per ton-kilometer
(tkm) for paper and paperboard products for lengths of haul between
1,501 and 1,600 km. .11/ Therefore, a sum of 60 rubles per ton was
added to the ruble price of each of the paper and paperboard products.
Although Soviet and US products that were matched were gener-
ally comparable in respect to the available descriptive information
concerning their characteristics, the information is not sufficiently
comprehensive to make a definitive determination of their physical
comparability. In general, it is believed that US paper is of higher
quality than Soviet paper. The paper and paperboard products compared
and their specifications, ruble and dollar prices, and ruble-dollar
ratios are shown in Table 6.*
d. Chemicals
1955 ruble-dollar ratios have been constructed for 33 chemicals
by comparing Soviet prices in effect on 1 July 1955 with US prices in
effect in June 1955. The ruble and dollar prices are f.o.b. depot of
seller. It should be pointed out that the products considered are
essentially representative of industrial chemicals rather than the
broader group commonly referred to in the US as chemicals and allied
products. The major components of the chemicals and allied products
that are excluded are drugs and pharmaceuticals, paints and paint
materials, inedible fats and oils, and miscellaneous chemical products.
The comparability of the chemicals considered in this section
is based primarily on standards published in the USSR that state the
analysis, purity percentage, and the amounts and types of impurity per-
mitted for a given grade of a specific product. Where detailed speci-
fications are not available, comparability is based on methods of
manufacture and comparable industrial use. The chemicals compared and
their specifications, ruble and dollar prices, and ruble-dollar ratios
are shown in Table 7.**
e. Construction Materials
1955 ruble-dollar ratios have been constructed for 13 construc-
tion materials by comparing average Soviet and US prices in effect as
of 1 July 1955. The ruble and dollar prices are f.o.b. depot of seller.
Comparability of most of the products in this category is believed to
be very good.
* Appendix B, p. 37, below.
** Appendix B, p. 38, below.
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Soviet prices of most of the materials considered in this sec-
tion are quoted on the basis of specific sales zones within the USSR.
To obtain a single Soviet price for a given commodity, one of the fol-
lowing criteria was used in deriving Soviet prices comparable to US
average prices. (1) When Soviet prices were given for several zones,
an average Soviet price was obtained. The average prices for brick
and cement are based on zonal prices weighted by physical production.
Average prices for construction gypsum, asbestos cement shingles,
asbestos cement pipe, and lime have been estimated from the zonal
prices. (2) When only Moscow prices were available, although the ma-
terials might actually be zonally priced, it was assumed that the Mos-
cow prices closely approximated the average Soviet prices. This
criterion also was used for petroleum bitumen, roofing felt, flat glass,
ready mixed concrete, and mineral wool. The construction materials
compared and their specifications, ruble and dollar prices, and ruble-
dollar ratios are shown in Table 8.*
f. Iron and Steel Products
Only those items considered to be rolled steel products have
been included in this report. 1955 ruble-dollar ratios have not been
constructed for such items as pig iron, forgings, castings, and electro-
metallurgical products. The ruble-dollar ratios for rblled steel prod-
ucts are based on a comparison of ruble prices of 1 July 1955 and dollar
prices in July 1955.
US prices for rolled steel products are those constructed by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics and are average f.o.b. mill prices
with a selected number of "extras" added. Extras are added for such
things as special shapes, sizes, classification, chemistry, and order
quantity. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in consultation with the
American Iron and Steel Institute, has included extras most typical of
a category in its average prices.
To achieve comparability with the US prices, it has been neces-
sary to make two adjustments in the ruble prices -- one for freight
charges and one for extras. Available Soviet prices are All-Union
delivered prices and as such include a charge for freight. Because
the average Soviet transport charge for ferrous metals is estimated to
be 5 percent of the delivered price, the delivered price for each type
of rolled steel product has been reduced by this amount. Most size
extras are included in the Soviet prices because, unlike the US pric-
ing system for steel, in which one base price is given for broad cate-
gories of products with extras for each size, the Soviet pricing
system is composed of prices for each size of a given product. For
example, in the US, prices for carbon structurals are quoted at so
much per pound with extras added for each size, whereas in the USSR
prices are quoted for each size of I-beam, angle, channel, or the like.
In the USSR, extras such as classification, small lot sizes, and extra
testing are not included in the price. The Soviet practice of extras,
however, is not as refined as that in the US. The only adjustments in
* Appendix B, p. 4o, below.
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the ruble prices believed to be necessary for extras were in the prices
of cold-rolled sheet and plate, the prices of which have been increased
by 5 rubles each to adjust for noncomparability of size extras. The
degree of comparability achieved for extras is believed to be good.
In general, Soviet and US specifications are available in
enough detail to permit the matching of products that are reasonably
comparable in all aspects. The iron and steel products compared and
their specifications, ruble and dollar prices, and ruble-dollar ratios
are shown in Table 9.*
g.
Nonferrous Metals
1955 ruble-dollar ratios presented for nonferrous metals relate
only to nonferrous metals products obtained from primary smelting.
Price comparisons have not been made for nonferrous metals products
obtained from secondary smelting and for rolled, drawn, and alloyed
nonferrous metals.
The ruble-dollar ratios are based on a comparison of ruble
and dollar prices in effect on 1 July 1955. The ruble and dollar
prices are f.o.b. mill prices with the exception of the US prices for
copper cathodes and cadmium, which are delivered prices. The share
of freight charges in the delivered prices for copper cathodes and
cadmium is so small, however, that even if these charges could be re-
moved from the US price in some practicable manner, the effect on the
ratio would be inconsequential. Comparability of the products included
is believed to be very good. The nonferrous metals products compared
and their specifications, ruble and dollar prices, and ruble-dollar
ratios are shown in Table 10.**
h. Rail Transport
1955 ruble-dollar ratios have been constructed for rail freight
and rail passenger transport in the USSR and the US in 1955. Freight
and passenger transport will be discussed in turn.
(1) Freight Transport
In a comparison of freight charges, where freight rates
are used as prices, there is introduced an additional dimension that
is not applicable to price comparisons appearing in the preceding sec-
tions of this report. Because of the variability of unit freight rates
according to length of haul, consideration must be given to the dis-
tance that a commodity is hauled.
It follows that two comparisons of Soviet and US freight
rates should be made, one based on Soviet and US.unit rates for US
lengths of haul and the other based on Soviet and US unit rates for
* Appendix B, p. 42, below.
** Appendix B, p. 47, below.
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Soviet lengths of haul. Problems in data, principally arising from
differences between the structures of rail rates in the Soviet and
US economies, have made it impractical to make both of these compari-
sons.
The structure of Soviet freight rates is complicated by
the existence of basic freight rates, increased rates for transport
over specific routes, additional charges for special handling or serv-
ice, and exceptional or preferential rates. For example, penalty
rates are added to basic rates during the navigation season for rail
routes that parallel a functioning river route, and substantial re-
ductions in basic rates are offered during the navigation season on
shipments by rail and water combined. In the US the structure of
freight rates is complicated by the existence of two basic types of
rates -- a class rate and a commodity rate. The class rate prevails
for those commodities for which a commodity rate has not been estab-
lished. The class rate, which is generally higher than the commodity
rate, is applicable to a "class" of products for the standard pattern
of origins and destinations. Automobile tires may be shipped in
class 45, whereas glass jars may be shipped in class 35. This dif-
ference in rates means that the rate for tires would be 45 percent of
a prescribed basic charge (class 100) between the origin and destina-
tion and that the rate for glass jars would be 35 percent. The com-
modity rate is a specific charge for a specific commodity moving be-
tween a specified origin and destination. For example, because of the
volume and frequency of shipments, a commodity rate may be established
for carload shipments of cement between Richmond, Virginia, and
Washington, D.C.
Because Soviet base rates can be expressed for US average
lenths of haul, whereas there are no basic or uniform US commodity
rates that can be applied to Soviet lengths of haul, only a comparison
of Soviet and US freight rates utilizing a US mix has been made. Soviet
basic unit freight rates per ton-kilometer at US average lengths of
haul have been compared with US average unit revenues per ton-kilometer.
The justification for using data on revenue as representative of US
rates for this comparison is that such data take into account both the
class and the commodity rates applicable in the US. These data also em-
body the effects of extras and exceptions, whereas the Soviet basic
tariff does not.
A sample of commodities with the greatest loadings in the
US product mix has been selected from a 1-percent sample of freight
terminations. This 1-percent sample, prepared by the Interstate
Commerce Commission, 2/ provides an average US length of haul for
each commodity and an average revenue per short ton - mile. The US
average revenue for 1955 for each commodity was compared with the
Soviet basic rate in effect on 1 July 1955 for the same commodity at
the US average length of haul. The calculation of ruble-dollar ratios
for rail freight rates is shown in Table 11.*
* Appendix B, p. 48, below.
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(2) Passenger Service
The ruble-dollar ratio presented for transport of passengers
by rail is intended to represent an intermediate service on the assump-
tion that travel for business reasons is charged as a cost of production.
This ratio differs from the consumer-passenger ratio included in the
consumption end-use sector of GNP as a final service. The primary
difference in the two ratios stems from the type of service and the dis-
tance selected to represent the intermediate and final aspects of the
service. The consumer passenger ratio is based on a comparison of So-
viet and US services and distances that are believed to be most repre-
sentative of household expenditures. The passenger ratio, which is
characterized as an intermediate service, is represented by the services
and distances believed to be most representative of business travel.
In the USSR, rail passenger rates consist of a basic fare
for a type of service plus additional charges for such items as speed,
baggage, reclining space, and sleeping cars. These surcharges, as
well as the basic fare, vary with distances and types of service. The
rate per kilometer decreases as the distance traveled increases. In
the US, rates consist of a basic fare for a type of service plus ad-
ditional charges for such item as reserved seats, pillows, parlor car
seats, and pullman car space. Extra charges are not levied in the US
for normal baggage and only rarely for speed. US rates are fairly
uniform in regard to distance, but the rates vary by geographical
region and type of service.
Because of the very nature of rail passenger rates, a com-
parison of them should take into account the variations in rates arising
from both distance traveled and type of service. Ideally a comparison
of unit passenger rates in the USSR and the US for each of the types
of service should be made, one based on Soviet and US rates for US
average distances and the other based on Soviet and US rates for Soviet
average distances. Differences between the two economies, arising
principally in types of service rendered and in traveling habits, make
it difficult to define and measure comparability of passenger services.
Therefore, to avoid the risk of introducing a wide range of error by
comparing various types of service, rates have been compared for the
service that is believed to be most representative of the business
travel in each country, and the average distance of Soviet passenger
trips has been used. The Soviet rate for the basic fare for "soft
class" has been compared with the US fare for first class plus pull-
man car seats, for a trip distance of 438 km. The distance represents
the Soviet average length of haul for all passengers other than com-
muters. la/ The services compared and their specifications, ruble
and dollar prices, and ruble-dollar ratios are shown in Table 12.*
i. Communications Services
1955 ruble-dollar ratios have been constructed for domestic
communications services in the USSR and the US -- that is, the telephone,
* Appendix B, p. 50, below.
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telegraph, and postal services. Such special, functionalized communi-
cations systems as those maintained by the military, police, and civil
air fleet have not been considered. The ratios are based on a com-
parison of charges for the various services that are used to approxi-
mate average charges for the two countries in 1955.
It should be pointed out that in dealing with a service, in
comparison with a commodity, it is difficult, if not impossible, to
measure differences in quality. Therefore, comparability of the com-
munications services selected for comparison has been assumed on the
basis that differences in quality cannot be measured and adjusted for.
In both the USSR and the US, charges for long-distance tele-
phone calls are based on distance spanned and time consumed in con-
versation. Ideally, rates for identical calls should be compared for
the two countries and the resulting ratios weighted together according
to the relative importance of the different calls compared. Soviet
data are not available for making such a comparison. Therefore, a
comparison has been made of the rates in the two countries for a 3-
minute call for eielt comparable distance units. An arithmetic mean
of the ratios was taken as a representative ratio for long-distance
telephone calls.
In the US, subscription rates for home and business telephones
vary by locality, numbers of telephones in the exchange, and type of
service rendered. The variations in the structure of US rates and the
lack of Soviet data have prevented a comparison of the various types
of telephone services rendered in the two countries. Instead, the
range of rates in effect in the US were examined, and average rates
were selected by inspection for comparison with the Soviet rates for
subscriptions for home and business telephones.
In both the US and the USSR, there are three types of tele-
grams. In the US the types are night letters, day letters, and full
rate. In the USSR the types are common, urgent, and lightning. Be-
cause Soviet data relating to telegraph service are so fragmentary,
it has not been possible to relate Soviet classifications of tele-
grams with those of the US. Instead, common telegrams, which are
the most typical sent in the USSR, and full rate, the most typical
in the US, have been selected to represent telegraph service in the
two countries. The communications services compared and their speci-
fications, ruble and dollar prices, and ruble-dollar ratios are
shown in Table 13.*
j. Electric Power
1955 ruble-dollar ratios have been constructed for two classes
of consumers of electric power, as shown in Table 14.** The ratios
are based on a comparison of Soviet and. US electric power rates for
Appendix B, p. 51, below.
** Appendix B, p. 52, below.
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industrial consumers and for residential and commercial consumers. The
industrial class includes industry, railroad consumption, and other
energy revirements, and the residential and commercial class also in-
cludes rural and governmental consumption.
In both the USSR and the US, rate structures for electric
power sold to consumers vary considerably by geographic area and by
type and quantity of power consumed. A comparison of Soviet and US
power rates is further complicated by differences in methods of book-
keeping and in defining categories and by the paucity of information
related to the Soviet rate structure.
Rates for industrial power in both countries are based on
two types of charges: a use charge, based on the kilowatt-hours of
electricity consumed during a billing period, and a demand charge,
based either on the maximum power demanded during a billing period or
on the maximum capacity of installed electrical equipment. Rates for
industrial power differ for the two countries in that in the US the
rate charged.industrial consumers decreases as the quantity consumed
increases, whereas in the USSR the rate usually remains the same re-
gardless of the amount of power consumed. In addition, rates in the
USSR are often reduced to subsidize certain industries.
Power rates for residential and commercial consumers in the
US vary considerably from area to area and are presumed to reflect
actual production and distribution costs. In addition, rates vary
in relation to the amount of energy used. In contrast, rates vary
considerably in the USSR by type of consumer but do not vary from
area to area.
The average 1955 rate for utility sales in the category "Large
Light and Power" as defined by the Edison Electric Institute has been
used to represent the power rate .charged industrial consumers in the
US. llt/
For the USSR an average rate for electric power consumed by
industry has been derived by weighting industrial rates of 1 July
1955 for those areas for which power rates were available 15./ by the
estimated volume of energy sold to the corresponding area. In terms
of kilowatt hours, it is estimated that 70 percent of the total in-
dustrial purchases from powerplants of the Ministry of Electric Power
Stations is represented in this calculation. It is estimated that
the Ministry of Electric Power Stations supplied 75 percent of the
total power consumed and that self-generated power accounted for the
remaining 25 percent.
Each industrial consumer in the USSR is charged a penalty for
permitting a power factor under 0.85 and is given a bonus for having a
higher power factor. The tendency was for consumers to permit poor
power factors and therefore incur greater charges. Also, special
consumers, such as some nonferrous metals plants, get special lower
rates. This fact would tend to depress the total charges on industry.
Because data are not available for making adjustments for these con-
siderations, it has been assumed that they would offset each other.
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Some industrial plants and municipalities in each country
generate their own power. This power has been arbitrarily priced at
the amount that these enterprises would have paid if the power had
been purchased from sources of public supply.
The average 1955 power rate for residential and commercial
consumers in the US has been derived by dividing the total kilowatt-
hours consumed by residential, commercial, rural, and governmental
consumers into the total revenue received from these consumers. 2.61
The average rate for consumption of electric power by resi-
dential and commercial consumers in the USSR has been extimated at
40 kopeks per kilowatt-hour based on prices on 1 July 1955. Accord-
ing to a Soviet source of 1955, Ei the rates for residential and
commercial consumers in the USSR are divided into nine groups. The
first and second groups of rates are basically for residential con-
sumers, who are charged 40 kopeks per kilowatt-hour unless the con-
sumer furnishes his own transformer, in which case he is charged
35 kopeks per kilowatt-hour. The remaining groups include agricul-
tural consumers, who pay 19 kopeks per kilowatt-hour; street railroads,
which pay 10 to 20 kopeks per kilowatt-hour; street and highway
lighting, which pay 30 and 42 kopeks per kilowatt-hour, respectively;
public buildings, stores, and office buildings, which pay 60 kopeks
per kilowatt-hour; beauty parlors, cinemas, and the like, which pay
110 kopeks per kilowatt-hour; and churches, which pay 250 kopeks per
kilowatt-hour. An average rate of 40 kopeks per kilowatt-hour for
residential and commercial consumers is believed to be a valid esti-
mate because the largest proportion of electric power consumed by
this class probably would be accounted for by consumers in the first
and second rate groups. Also, the lower rates charged some groups
of consumers are offset by the higher rates charged other consumers.
2. Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Ratios
a. Formulas for Weighting Ratios
The US-weighted and Soviet-weighted 1955 ruble-dollar ratios
for the various categories and subcategories of intermediate products
and services have been computed by weighting the ratio for each indi-
vidual product or service with the corresponding value of output of
the product or service. When US-value weights are utilized, the cal-
culation is as follows:
E 11(P )
po 0 0
Po Cao
When Soviet-value weights are utilized, the calculation is as follows:
EPIC11
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In these formulas, g, and Qo represent US prices and quantities, and
Pi and Q1 represent Soviet prices and quantities.
It should be pointed out that although value weights were
utilized in all calculations, they are expressed as percentages in
Tables 15 through 24.* Also, whereas ruble-dollar ratios based on
Soviet weights are presented at various levels of aggregation,
dollar-ruble ratios have been used in performing all calculations
when Soviet weights were utilized, as required by the second for-
mula above.
b. Derivations of Aggregate Ratios
Aggregate 1955 ruble-dollar ratios have been derived for
most of the categories of intermediate products and services on the
basis of both a Soviet and a US product mix. The derivations of
the aggregate ruble-dollar ratios for solid fuels, petroleum prod-
ucts, paper and paperboard, chemicals, construction materials, iron
and steel products, nonferrous metals, rail freight transport, com-
munications services, and electric power are shown in Tables 15
through 24. Data on value of production in 1955 have been used in
deriving aggregate ratios based on each of the product mixes for the
following categories: solid fuels, petroleum products, paper and
paperboard, and iron and steel products.
The aggregate ruble-dollar ratios for petroleum products are
overstated because the ruble prices for refined petroleum products
used in constructing the individual ratios include turnover taxes
and sales costs. Because tax rates and sales costs are not available
for specific products, the individual ruble prices could not be ad-
justed to exclude them. The magnitude of taxes is revealed by the
fact that for all petroleum products marketed in the USSR in 1955,
tax payments were equal to about 50 percent of the receipts from
sales. Al/ It is estimated that the turnover tax averaged 60 per-
cent of the ruble price exclusive of transport charges. Soviet data
suggest that the tax probably applied to most petroleum products in
1955. Sales costs are considered to be minor compared with the turn-
over tax.
If it is assumed that the turnover tax averaged 60 percent
of the ruble price, adjusted to exclude transport charges; that the
tax applied to all refined petroleum products in the sample**; and
that the tax rate falls equally and uniformly on all products, the
aggregate ruble-dollar ratios with the tax removed for all petroleum
products for the Soviet and US product mixes would be 40 percent of
* Appendix B, pp. 54 through 67, below. In some instances, data on
output underlying the Soviet weights have been estimated from scattered
data in numerous sources. In those instances, rather than citing the
numerous sources, the data are noted as estimated.
** The ruble price for natural gas is a wellhead price and as such
does not include the turnover tax.
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the ratios inclusive of the turnover tax. These assumptions have
been made, and the aggregate ratios, lijusted to exclude the turn-
over tax, are shown along with the ratios that include them in
Table 16.* The adjusted ratios are not considered precise enough
to be substituted for the unadjusted one. They are presented, how-
ever, as an estimate of the impact of an adjustment for the turnover
tax.
Because data were not available to construct a satisfactory
set of Soviet weights, the individual ruble-dollar ratios for chemi-
cals have not been weighted on the basis of the Soviet product mix.
It is estimated, however, that the Soviet-weighted ratio would be
slightly lower than the US-weighted ratio, or about 11.0 rubles per
dollar. This ratio would be the result of the fact that items with
high ratios (chiefly basic organic chemicals) are, in terms of value,
of less importance in the USSR than in the US. Data on value of
shipments in 1954 have been used as weights for the US product mix
because available data on value of production would not provide a
complete set of weights.
Individual ruble-dollar ratios were prepared for 13 items of
construction materials, as shown in Table 8.** Because Soviet value
weights were not known for all 13 items, however, 7 items basic to
both Soviet and US construction practices were selected as a basis
for the calculation of aggregate ratios. Data on value of produc-
tion for 1955 have been used in constructing the aggregate ratio for
the Soviet product mix. Data on value of shipments in 1954 have
been used as weights for the US product mix because these data pro-
vide a more complete set of weights than available data on value of
production.
Soviet weights for nonferrous metals were known for only
three items in the sample -- copper, lead, and aluminum. The in-
dividual ruble-dollar ratios for these items were combined with data
on value of production in 1955, and the resulting aggregate ratio
was adjusted to take into account the ratios for which weights were
not available. For the US product mix, data on value of production
in 1954 have been used as weights for copper, lead, zinc, and alu-
minum. Data on value of consumption in 1954 have been used for
cadmium, tin, mercury, antimony, and magnesium because in the US
relatively large quantities of these items are imported in order
to satisfy consumption requirements. Therefore, value of consump-
tion better reflects the bill of purchases of US producers and the
relative importance of the items composing it than does value of
production.
An aggregate ruble-dollar ratio for rail freight transport
has been computed for the US product mix only. The individual ratios,
based on a comparisola of Soviet and US rates for US average lengths
* Appendix B, p. 54, below.
** Appendix B, p. 40, below.
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of haul, have been combined with data on US revenue in 1955 to ob-
tain an aggregate ratio. It sRould be pointed out that the aggre-
gate ratio is based on a comparison of Soviet basic freight rates
and US rates derived from revenue data. As noted above,* Soviet
basic rates do not reflect total charges, whereas the US rates do.
Therefore, the aggregate ratio presented for rail freight is under-
stated.
Another reason for the understatement of the ruble-dollar
ratio is the fact that the commodities included in the sample of
comparisons of rail freight rates are those commodities with the
greatest loadings in the US in 1955 and are, by their nature, those
commodities carrying the lowest rates in both countries. For the
commodities having higher rates that have been omitted from the
sample, the ruble rates would be much higher than the rateB for bulk
goods included in the sample. The variation in rates between these
groups, however, is not as great in the US as in the USSR.
It is estimated that if an adjustment could be made for the
factors of understatement, the aggregate ruble-dollar ratio might lie
within the range of 5 to 6 rubles per dollar. It is believed that
an aggregate ratio based on US lengths of haul and weighted by the
Soviet product mix would be slightly lower and may approximate 4.5
to 5.0 rubles per dollar.
Ruble-dollar rdtios for rail freight based on Soviet lengths
of haul for the Soviet and US product mixes might well be higher
than those based on US lengths of haul because Soviet average lengths
of haul are longer than those in the US. In the US the rate per mile
decreases as the length of haul increases, whereas in the USSR the
rate may well increase as the length increases.**
Ideally, an aggregate ruble-dollar ratio for rail passenger
service should be based on a comparison of rates for each of the
types of passenger service. It is difficult to define and measure
comparability of passenger services, and it is believed that a wide
range of error would be introduced by comparing each type of service
rendered in the two countries. Also, Soviet and US data are not
available in enough detail to provide a satisfactory set of weights
for constructing aggregate ratios for the various types of services.
Therefore, a ratio of 6.3 was constructed for a type and distance of
passenger service characterized as an intermediate service, as shown
in Table 12.*** This ratio, however, does not represent total rail
passenger service. For example, a ratio of 8.8 has been constructed
for passenger service characterized as a final service in the con-
sumption end-use sector of GNP. Because the ruble portion of both
* See h, (1), p. 20, above.
** Soviet freigbt rates per ton-kilometer decrease as the distance
increases until some intermediate length of haul is attained; then
the rate increases or remains constant as the mileage block increases.
*** Appendix B, p. 50, below.
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of these ratios represents Soviet basic passenger rates only, the
ratios may well understate the true ratio for the respective types
of transport. This understatement would be due to the fact that
more charges are added to basic rates in the USSR than in the US.
For both the Soviet and US product mixes, aggregate ruble-
dollar ratios for communications services and electric power result
from combining the individual ratios with data on value of revenue
in 1955 and data on value of consumption in 1955, respectively.
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?
APPENDIX B
STATISTICAL TABLES
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Table L.
USSR and US: Prices and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Solid Fuels
1955
Standard Price
Industrial
Classification Rubles per Dollars per Ratio
Number Category and Item a/ Million Kilocalories 12/ Million Kilocalories 2/ (Rubles per Dollar)
1111
Anthracite
14.14
1.22
11.6
1211
Bituminous coal
12.78
0.68
18.8
1212
Lignite
12.80
0.61
21.0
a. Comparability for each item in the USSR with each item in the US was established on the basis of
heating values.
b. The weighted average price per metric ton was derived by weighting prices 12/ by estimated physical
production for all areas producing coal. The average price per metric ton was converted to price per
kilocalorie by using average heating values from source
c. Converted to dollars per kilocalorie by using average prices and average heating values from
source !El.
?
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Table 5
USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Petroleum Products
1955
? Standard
Industrial
Specifications
Prices 2/*
Classification
Rubles per
- Dollars per
Ratio
Number
Category and Item
USSR
US
Thousand Cubic Meters
Thousand Cubic Meters
(Rubles per Dollar)
1311
Crude petroleum and
natural gas
Natural gas
Comparability assumed
Comparability assured
l4/
3.74 2/
3.7
Rubles per
Dollars per
Metric Ton
Metric Ton
2911
Petroleum refining
Aviation gasoline
B-100/130
Grade 100/130, Houston
968
65.30
14.8
B-95/130
Average of grades 100/130 and
91/96, Houston
841
63.43 (1./
13.3
B-93/130
Average of grades 100/130 and
91/96, Houston
818
63.13 ,E1/
13.0
B-91/115
Average of grades 100/130 and
91/96, Houston
658
61.07 1/
10.8
B-70
Grade 80, New York
563
57.97
9.7
Automotive gasoline
Average of A-66 and A-70
70 to 72 octane M, leaded, Gulf
Coast cargoes
522
34.50
15.1
A-74
83 octane, Gulf Coast cargoes
658
35.70
18.4
Minimum octane number of 56
60 octane M and below, Oklahoma
(Group 3)
416
. 36.70
11.3
Ligroine
Tractor ligroine
Motor gasoline, 60 octane M and
below, Oklahoma
329
37.44
8.8
Kerosine
Tractor kerosine
Tractor fuel, Arkansas
246
32.60
7.5
Tractor kerosine, high octane
Kerosine and/or No. I fuel,
Baton Rouge
274
33.58
8.2
Illuminating kerosine
41 to 43 gravity, water white
kerosine, Gulf Coast cargoes
324
30.54
10.6
Illuminating kerosine, heavy
high-ignition-temperature
kerosine for lighthouse lamps
Kerosine and/or No. 1 fuel,
Baton Rouge
402
33.58
12.0
(pironaft)
Jet fuels T-1 and TS-1
41 to 43 gravity, water white
kerosine, Gulf Coast cargoes
324
30.54
10.6
Diesel fuel, light
Average of diesel fuels L and Z
No. 2 fuel, Gulf Coast cargoes
245
27.90
8.8
Diesel fuel DL
43 to 47 diesel index gas oil,
Gulf Coast cargoes
235
27.67
8.5
Diesel fuels DA, DZ, and DS
48 to 52 diesel index gas oil,
Gulf Coast cargoes
255
28.07
9.1
* Footnotes for Table 5 follow on p. 36.
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USSR and US: Specifications,
Table
5
Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Petroleum Products
1955
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number Category and Item
Specifications
Prices 2/
Rubles per
Metric Ton
Dollars per
Metric Ton
Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
USSR
US
2911 Diesel fuel,
(Continued) heavy
Motor fuels DT-1 (M-3), DT-2
(M-4), and 1)1-3 (M-5)
Solar oil
Average of No. 4 fuel, Baltimore,
and No. 5 fuel, Baltimore
No. 2 fuel oil, Houston
222
229
21?79
29.70
10.2
7.7
Lubricants
Pale Neutral Oils Vis. at 1000 F
Autotractor oil AK-15 (avtol 18)
2,000 Vis. No. 4 color, South Texas
683
47.04
14.5
Autotractor oil AK-10 (avtol 10)
Average of 1,200 Vis. No. 3 to 4
color, South Texas, and 2,000 Vis.
No. 4 color, South Texas
753
46.31
16.3
Autotractor oils AKZ-p-6 and
AKZ-p-10
Average of 750 Vis. No. 3 to 4
color, South Texas, and 1,200 Vis.
No. 3 to 4 color, South Texas
1,003
44.84
22.4
Diesel oils 011; Dp-8, Op-11,
Op-i4 (all three with additive
AZNII T5IATIM-1); and pp-8,
Op-11, and Dp-14 (all three
with additive T5I4TI4-339)
300 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
1,001
42.88
23.3
Oil for low-speed diesel
(motor), M and T
250 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
455
41.4o
11.0
Automobile transmission oil
150 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
275
39.19
7.0
Autotractor transmission oil,
summer
86 to 110 Vis. No. 2 color, Tulsa
243
36.89
6.6
Autotractor transmission oil,
winter
150 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
275
39.19
7.0
Instrument oil (MVP)
60 to 85 Vis. No. 2 color, Tulsa
727
36.16
20.1
Industrial oil
12 (spindle 2)
60 to 85 Vis. No. 2 color, Tulsa
423
36.16
11.7
20 (spindle 3)
86 to 110 Vis. No. 2 color, Tulsa
423
36.89
11.5
30 (machine 1)
150 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
423
39.19
10.8
45 (machine S)
180 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
423
39.93
10.6
50 (machine SU)
250 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
671
41.40
16.2
Leached 20V (spindle 3V)
86 to 110 Vis. No. 2 color, Tulsa
283
36.89
7.7
Leached 45V (machine SV)
200 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
283
4o.66
7.0
Oil for high-speed machines L
(Velosit) or for high-speed
machines T (vaseline)
60 to 85 Vis. No. 2 color, Tulsa
447
36.16
12.4
- 31+ -
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 5
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Specifications
Classification
Number Category and Item USSR
US
Prices 2../
Rubles per Dollars per Ratio
Metric Ton Metric Ton (Rubles per Dollar)
2911 Cylinder oil
(Continued)
11 (cylinder 2)
250 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
455
41.40
11.0
24 (Viskozin)
150 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
320
39.19
8.2
Axle oil
200 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
223
4o.66
5.5
Z and S
250 Vis. No. 3 color, Tulsa
253
41.40
6.1
Neutral Oil Solvent
Oil for rolling mills
300 Vis. at 1000 F, 0 to 10 pour
test 95 V.I., Gulf Coast cargoes
1,031
51.48
20.0
Lubes-Cylinder Stock
Cylinder oil
38 (cylinder 6)
600 Flash, West Pennsylvania
554
42.62
13.0
52 (vapor)
630 Flash, West Pennsylvania
831
45.67
18.2
Residual and Fleet mazut
others
Fuel oils (furnace mazuts), low
sulfur, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100
with a sulfur content up to
0.5 percent (low sulfur boiler
mazut)
Fuel oils (furnace mazuts),
sulfurous, 20, 40, 60, 80,
and 100 with a sulfur content
of from 0.5 to 1.0 percent, and
fuel oils, high sulfur, 20, 40,
6o, 80, and 100 with a sulfur
content of more than 1 percent
(sulfurous boiler mazut)
Petroleum paraffin, technical
highly refined (A,B); medical;
technical purified (G,D)
Average of No. 5 fuel oil, Baton
Rouge, and Bunker C fuel, Baton
Rouge
211
15.85
13.3
Average of No. 2 fuel and No. 4
fuel, Baltimore
206
25.90
8.0
Average of No. 4 fuel and No. 6
fuel, no sulfur guarantee,
Baltithore
142
18.65
7.6
Wax, melting point AMP, 30 higher
than EMF, 133 to 135 fully refined,
New York Domestic
2,443
188.49
13.0
- 35 -
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 5
USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Petroleum Products
1955
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Specifications
Classification
Number Category and Item USSR
US
Prices 21
Rubles per Dollars per Ratio
Metric Ton Metric Ton (Rubles per Dollar)
2911 Gasoline, solvent used in the Rubber solvent, Group 3 532 45.96 11.6
(Continued) rubber industry (Galosha)
Gasoline, solvent used in the V.M. and P. naphtha, Group 3 429 45.96 9-3
paint industry (white spirit)
a. Unless otherwise indicated, ruble prices are from source L42/ and have been adjusted to exclude transport charges. (See Appendix A, 1, b, p. 15, above.) Dollar prices
are from source IQ/.
b. It is assumed that the wellhead price of natural gas is approximately the same as the estimated average cost of producing natural gas, or 14 rubles per 1,000 cubic meters.
c. LI]
d. Average prices vary because the prices for the two types of gasoline have been weighted by different proportions in each case.
- 36 -
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
USSR and US: Specifications,
Table 6
Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Paper and Paperboard
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
2621 Paper V.11s, except
building paper mills
2631
Newsprint
Book paper
Fine paper
Coarse paper
Paperboard mills
Specifications
USSR
Newsprint, roll., 50 grams per
square meter, delivered
Typographic paper No. la, sheet,
glazed, 60 grams per square
meter, delivered
Typewriter paper, machine finish,
sheet, delivered
Sulfate-cellulose (kraft) wrap-
ping paper, roll, 65 grams per
square meter, delivered
US
Newsprint, standard roll, de-
livered contract price
Grade "A," English finish, sheet,
59 grams per square meter, de-
livered
Wood bond No. 4, sheet, delivered
'Standard kraft roll, 65 grams per
square meter, delivered
Corrugated paper- Corrugated paperboard, sheet, 0.009 corrugating medium, sheet,
board delivered delivered
Fiberboard
Book binder and box board, brown Box or chip board, ground wood
sheet, delivered fiber, sheet, delivered
Prices
Rubles per Dollars per Ratio
Metric Ton a/ Metric Ton Y (Rubles per Dollar)
1,246 2/ 139
2,860 315
2,690 325
1,860 189
1,960 139
1,440 151
9.0
9.1
8.3
9.8
9.5
a. Unless otherwise indicated, ruble prices are estimated from source _2/ and adjusted to a delivered basis.
b. Unless otherwise indicated, dollar prices are from source
c. 1950 price IV adjusted to 1955 by estimating a 15-percent reduction in prices between 1950 and 1955.
- 37 -
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 7
USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Chemicals
1955
Standard
Industrial
Specifications 2/*
Prices
Classification
Rubles per,
Dollars per,
Ratio
Number
Category and Item
USSR
US
Metric Ton 11/ Metric Ton S/
(Rubles per Dollar)
2812
Alkalies and chlorine
Chlorine
99.5 percent C12
280
64.61
4.3
Sodium bicarbonate
98 percent NaHCO3
USP, powdered
390
50.72
7.7
Soda ash
Na2CO3
Dense
275
30.87
8.9
Caustic soda
Liquid
Liquid
924
59.54
15.5
Caustic soda
Cake, 95 percent NaOH
Cake, NaOH 98 percent
1,300
84.89
15.3
2814
Cyclic (coal-tar)
crudes
Naphthalene
Crude
Crude
1,195
154.35
7.7
Benzene
1,300
109.19
11.9
2818
Industrial organic
chemicals, n.e.c. 2/
Methanol
Synthetic, Grade I
Synthetic
1,920
92.02
20.9
Acetone
Synthetic, Grade I
3,900
154.35
25.3
Ethylene dichloride
97 Percent C2H4C12
425
198.45
2.1
2819
Industrial inorganic
chemicals, n.e.c. 11/
Nitric acid, weak
Grade B, 60 percent HNO3
58.5 to 68 percent HNO3
192
48.23
4.o
Nitric acid, con-
centrated
Grade II, 96 percent HNO3
94.5 to 95.5 percent HNO3
489
95.09
5.1
Ammonium sulfate
250
46.28
5.4
Ammonium nitrate
Grade C, 99.2 percent NH4NO3
Fertilizer grade
43o
74.94
5.7
Sodium sulfate
(salt cake)
Grade I
235 f./
30.86
7.6
Calcium carbide
Grade I
Standard generator size
1,018 I/
148.11
6.9
Hydrochloric acid
Synthetic, technical, 31 percent
32 percent
170
33.06
5.1
Sulfuric acid,
tower
75 percent
78 percent
137
20.50
6.7
Sulfuric acid,
contact
92.5 percent
93 percent
190
24.63
7.7
* Footnotes for Table 7 follow on p.
39.
- 38 -
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
4
Table 7
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Specifications 21
Prices
Classification
Rubles per Dollars per.,
Ratio
Number
Category and Item
USSR
US
Metric Ton 12/ Metric Ton 2/
(Rubles per Dollar)
2819
Magnesium oxide
Grade I, 89 percent MgO
Synthetic rubber grade
4,700 644.96
7.3
(Continued)
Synthetic ammonia,
anhydrous
Grade B, 99 percent NH3
Fertilizer grade
900 95.32
9.4
Aqueous ammonia
Technical, synthetic, 25 percent
25 percent
251 26.45 Ei
9.5
Ammonium chloride
Grade A
White granulated
900 115.76
7.8
Copper sulfate
98.2 percent cus04.51120
Crystals, 99 percent
2,250 270.11
8.3
Trisodium phosphate
95 percent, Na3PO4.12H20
Crystals
620 97.02
6.4
Barium chloride
Grade A, 95 percent BaC12.2H20
Technical
1,680 132.30
12.7
Hydrogen peroxide
27.5 to 31 percent H202
35 percent
3,500 396.90
8.8
Calcium chloride,
solid
67 percent, fused
73 to 75 percent, solid
690 28.10
24.6
Calcium chloride,
flake
83 percent, dehydrated
77 to 80 percent, flake
895 29.75
30.1
Borax (sodium
borate)
50.2 percent Na2B407
Granular, decahydrate
3,060 45.46
67.3
2821
Plastics materials,
synthetic resins,
and nonvulcanizable
elastomers
Polyvinyl chloride
6,800 684.00 Li
9.9
Urea resins
5,000 727.52 1/
6.9
2871
Fertilizers
Superphosphate
Grade I
161 18.45
8.7
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Where detailed specifications are not available, comparability is based on methods of
Unless otherwise indicated, ruble prices are from source 48
Unless otherwise indicated, US prices are from source 49
Not elsewhere counted.
Adjusted to basis of 100 percent.
Adjusted on the basis of acetylene yield.
Price quoted at $105.79 per metric ton, anhydrous basis.
211
- 39 -
manufacture and comparable industrial use.
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 8
USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Construction Materials
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Prices
Specifications
Rubles Dollars Ratio
USSR US per Unit per Unit (Rubles per Dollar)
2951 Paving mixtures and Petroleum bitumen, Grades 4 to 5 Asphalt binders and flux
blocks
2952 Asphalt felts and
coatings
Roofing felt Soft roofing, Ruberoid ROM-500 Asphalt felt
Soft roofing, roofing tar paper Tar felt
T-350
3211 Flat glass Window glass, double strength, Window glass, double strength,
Grade I quality A
3241 Cement, hydraulic Mark 40o Portland cement, bulk
3251 Brick and structural
clay tile
Brick
Clay building brick, COST 1/
530-54, standard clay brick,
Mark 100, 25 by 12 by
6.6 centimeters
Common red brick, 8 by 3.75
by 2.5 inches
290 per metric 22.43 per metric
ton hi* ton b/
1.4 per square 0.33 per square
meter 2/ meter 1/
1.4 per square 0.33 per square
meter meter
9.8 per square 1.93 per square
meter 2/ meter 1/
12.9
4.2
4.2
5.1
144 per metric 20.9 per metric
ton g/ ton hi 6.9
243 per 1,000 1/ 55.33 per 1,000 11/ 4.4
3273 Ready mixed concrete Commercial Grade 100 Redi-mix 119 per cubic 16.41 per cubic
meter 1/ meter Ei
3274 Lime Lime, COST 1174-51 Lime, hydrated, building, 122.14 per metric 20.88 per metric
finishing ton hi ton 2/
3275 Gypsum products
Plaster, base coat Alabaster (construction gypsum), Plaster, gypsum, base coat
120 per metric 16.47 per metric
COST 125-41 ton 1/
* Footnotes for Table 8 follow on p. 41.
?
-4o -
7.3
5.8
ton a/ 7.3
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 8
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
3292
Category and Item
Asbestos products
Asbestos cement
shingles
Asbestos cement
pipe
3296 Mineral wool
Specifications
USSR
Mark II
GOST 539-48, Mark VND-8 and
VND-10
155 mm
305 mm
US
3/16 inch
6 inches
12 inches
Mineral wool, Grade II Mineral wool insulation
Prices
Rubles
per Unit
3.9 per square
meter i/
11.73 per meter
38.53 per meter
315 per metric
ton y/
Dollars
per Unit
1.07 per square
meter ?/
4.97 per meter
7.77 per meter .1.1./
83.77 per metric
ton 12/
Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
3.6
2.4
5.0
3.8
a. 22/ i. Gosudarstvennyy Obshchesoyuznyy Standart (All Union
b. 23/ j. 2/
c. 2/ k. US price of $34.58 per 1,000 adjusted to compensate
d. 256/ and Soviet brick. Soviet brick is roughly 1.6 times th
e. 2_/ 1. 62/
f' 4/ in.
2/
n' /
h. 22/ o.
Standard).
for difference in size of US
e volume of US brick. fdi
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 9
USSR and US:
Specifications,
Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Iron and Steel Products
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
3312
Category and Item
Blast furnaces, in-
cluding coke ovens,
steel works, and
rolling mills
Rails
Specifications
USSR
Open-hearth, No. 1, P-50 type,
12.5-meter lengths
Rail accessories Two flanged tie plates
Pipe and tube
Buttweld stand-
ard pipe
Seamless line
pipe
Carbon, water or gas pipe with
threads and couplings, ordi-
nary strength, 1-1/4 inches
(about 32 mm e)
Carbon steel, first-class
grade, St. 2 or 4,219-mm
diameter, 6-mm wall thick-
ness
* Footnotes for Table 9 follow on p. 46.
US
Standard, carbon steel No. 1, open
hearth with 8-percent seconds
arising, 39-foot standard lengths
with usual shorts, section
No. 11525 (115 pounds per lineal
yard), ASTM, 2/ AREA, d/ or equiv-
alent specifications, controlled
cooling, base quantity; extras
comprise controlled cooling
Standard section, low carbon, cold
punched, AREA specifications or
AISI base design to AREA spec-
ifications, weight more than
12 pounds per tie plate, base
quantity
Black, carbon, threaded and
coupled, 1-1/4-inch nominal dia-
meter, random 1 length, weight
228 pounds per 100 feet, carload
lots; jobbers and distributors
discounts
Carbon steel (electric weld or
seamless), black, plain ends,
8-5/8-inch outside diameter,
0.250-inch wall thickness, ran-
dom lengths, carload lots; job-
bers and distributors discounts
Prices
Rubles per Dollars per Ratio
Metric Ton 2/* Metric Ton 1.2/ (Rubles per Dollar)
618
631
927
1,034 Li/
106 l/
124
171
165
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5.8
5.1
5.4
6.3
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 9
(Continued)
Standard Prices
Industrial Specifications
Classification Rubles per, Dollars per, Ratio
Number Category and Item USSR US Metric Ton 2/ Metric Ton :12/ (Rubles per Dollar)
3312
(Continued)
Seamless casing
Heavy sections
Light sections
(bars and bar-
size shapes)
Hot-rolled
carbon bars
Seamless casing with threads and
couplings, Class I, 168-mm
(6-5/8-inch) diameter pipe with
a wall thickness of 8 mm
Angles, unequal leg, 150 by
100 mm, open-hearth St. 3 killed
steel; this sample is represen-
tative of the heavy section cate-
gory -- that is, prices for such
items as I-beams and channels are
almost identical
Hot-rolled carbon rounds, 38-mm
diameter, open-hearth St. 3
killed steel
Hot-rolled alloy Rounds and squares, hot-rolled
bars alloy steel, type 35 KhM (0.40
carbon, 0.80 to 1.10 chrome,
0.15 to 0.25 molybdenum)
Hot-rolled stain- Stainless steel round of 25-mm
less bars diameter of type 1 Kh 18 N9 ?1/
Casing, oil well, carbon steel,
Grade J-55, seamless, short
threads and couplings, 7-inch
outside diameter, 20 pounds per
foot, carload lots; jobbers and
distributors discounts
Structural shapes, carbon steel,
6 by 4 by 1/2-inch angles,
30 feet long, ASTM specifica-
tions, A-7, base quantity; the
extra is size
Hot-rolled carbon 1-1/2-inch
(38-mm) rounds, 16 to 20 feet
long, specifications C-1030,
special quality, base quantity;
extras comprise size, quality,
and chemistry
Hot-rolled alloy steel, 1-1/2-
inch rounds, 18 to 20 feet long,
specifications AISI 4140, open-
hearth, annealed, machine
straightened, base packaging,
base quantity; extras comprise
size, grade, straightness, and
annealing
Stainless steel, type 303, 3/8
by 2-inch flats, mill lengths,
annealed, base packaging, base
quantity; extras comprise size
and annealing
808
130
6.2!/
616
107
5.8
619
118
5.2
1,387
207
6.7
4,114
992
4.1
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table
9
USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Iron and Steel Products
1955 -
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Specifications
USSR
US
3312
(Continued)
Tool steel bars
High-speed tool
steel
High-speed tool rounds, 16 to
30-mm diameter, type R18 (FF1),
17.5 to 19.0 tungsten, 1.0 to
1.4 vanadi/m, 3.8 to 4.6 chrome
High-speed tool steel, hot-rolled
alloy, tungsten 18, chrome 4,
vanadium 1, 1-inch rounds, 10 to
14 feet mill lengths, annealed;
extras comprise size and anneal-
Tool steel
Alloy tool steel rounds, type
5KhVG (0.55 to 0.70 carbon,
0.90 to 1.20 manganese, 0.50 to
0.80 chrome, and 0.50 to 0.80
tungsten), 50-meter diameter
Cold-finished Cold-finished bars with in-
carbon bars creased manganese, type 150
(0.12 to 0.20 carbon, manganese
less than 1.5, sulfur and
phosphorous less than 0.040),
15.0 to 23.0-mm diameter rounds
Wire rod
Sheet
5-mm diameter, open-hearth, St.3
rimming grade
Hot-rolled carbon Ordinary quality hot-rolled
carbon sheet, 3 mm, open-
hearth rimming grade, Mat 3
Cold-rolled
carbon
Cold-rolled carbon sheet, con-
structional grade, normal draw-
ing quality, thickness 0.8 to
0.95-mm, 0.10 to 0.20 carbon;
size extra, 5 rubles
-
ing
Alloy tool steel, oil hardening
die steel, carbon 0.90, manganese
1.25, chrome 0.50, tungsten 0.50,
2-inch rounds, 10 to 14 feet
mill lengths, annealed; extras
comprise annealing and quantity
Cold-finished, carbon steel, 5/8-
inch rounds, 10 to 12 feet long,
specifications H1112, standard
quality, base quantity; extras
comprise size, chemistry, and
quality
No. 5 coils, 0.218 inch, carbon
steel, base quantity; the extra
is size
Hot-rolled carbon steel, 10 gauge,
48 inches (1,220 mm) wide by
120 inches (3,050 mm) long,
sheared edge, cut length, base
chemistry, commercial quality,
base packaging, base quantity;
extras comprise size, gauge,
width, length, and cutting edge
Prices
Rubles per Dollars per Ratio
Metric Ton 8/ Metric Ton 12/ (Rubles per Dollar)
Cold-rolled sheet, carbon steel,
20 gauge, 36 by 120 inches, base
chemistry, standard flatness and
shearing, drawing quality, single
paper wrapped on skids, base qual_
ity; extras comprise size, gauge,
width, length, quality, and packag-
ing
-44-
19,380
3,549
5.5
2,071
1,157
1.8
1,006
191
5.3
607
117
5.2
635
113
5.6
1,062
138
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7.7
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 9
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
' 3312
(Continued)
Category and Item
Electrical
Strip
Hot-rolled
Specifications
USSR
Electrical sheet, dynamo grade,
0.5 mm thick, 860 by
1,720 mm 1/
2.5 to 3.5 mm thick, open-hearth
(ordinary steel) St. 3 killed steel
Cold-rolled
(quality steel)
Plate
Blooms, billets,
and slabs
Carbon steel, 0.90 mm thick
Plate (thick sheet), 6 to 9 mm,
open-hearth St. 3 rimming
grade carbon; size extra, 5
rubles
Forging billets, 100 to 180 mm
on a side, open-hearth St. 5
killed steel, base lengths
2/6 meters
US
Electrical sheet, alloy steel
specifications, electrical grade,
240 gauge, 30 by 108 inches
(2,750 mm) long, single paper
wrapped on skids, base quantity;
extras comprise gauge and packag-
ing
Hot-rolled, carbon steel, 10
gauge, 121y 240 inches, base
chemistry, commercial quality,
mill edge, base packaging, base
quantity; extras comprise size
and length
Prices
Rubles per Dollars per Ratio
Metric Ton E./ Metric on 1.3./ (Rubles per Dollar)
Carbon steel, coils, No. 4 temper,
No. 2 finish, No. 3 edge, base
chemistry, 6 inches (152 mm) by
0.050 inches (1.27 mm); extras
comprise size and quantity
Plate, carbon steel, 72 by 1/4
by 240 inches, ASTM specifications,
A-7, base quantity; extras comprise
thickness and physical requirement
Forging carbon steel billets, 4 by
4 inches by 10 to 15 feet long,
specifications C-l045, base
quantity; extras comprise size and
chemistry
1,21+4
225
5.5
750
118
6.4
998
5.6
585
109
5.4
564
107
5.3
- 45 -
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 9
USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Iron and Steel Products
1955
(Continued)
a. Unless otherwise indicated, ruble prices are from source Li.
b. Unless otherwise indicated, dollar prices are from source 7
c. American Society for Testing Materials.
d. American Railway Engineers Association.
e. The extra, "controlled cooling," is only 7-1/2 cents per 100 pounds.
f American Iron and Steel Institute.
g. Millimeters.
h. In 1950 the price differential between 6-mm and 8-mm wall for 219-mm diameter pipe was 7.1 rubles. It has been assumed that the same differential would
apply in 1955.
i. The Soviet item is smaller than the US item with which it has been compared.
j. Soviet prices are not available for stainless flats. This comparison, however, is believed to be a fair one.
k. For strict comparability with the US type, the Soviet type 9KhVG should have been used. A 1955 price, however, is not available for this item. In 1950
the ruble prices for the 5 KhVG and the 9 KhVG were identical.
1. Comparability is only approximate because a Soviet item directly comparable to the US item with respect to size or grade is not produced.
m. Soviet price data are not available for cold-rolled strip over 0.90 mm, and for this reason 0.90 mm was chosen for comparison. Cold-rolled strip 1.27 mm
thick would be cheaper than 0.90 mm.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 10
USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Nonferrous Metals
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
3331 Primary smelting and
refining of copper
Cathodes
3332 Primary smelting and
refining of lead
Ingots
3333 Primary smelting and
refining of zinc
3334
3339
Ingots
Primary production
of aluminum
Unalloyed ingots
Primary smelting and
refining of other
nonferrous metals,
n.e.c. 2/
Cadmium
Tin
Mercury
Antimony
Magnesium
Specifications
USSR
US
COST 2/ 546-41, Mark MO, Cu 99.95, Cathodes, electrolytic, delivered
electrolytic copper Connecticut Valley
COST 3778-47, Mark S-2,
Pb 99.95
COST 3640-47, Mark TS-2, Zn 99.9,
Pb 0.05; Mark TS-3, Zn 99.7,
Pb 1.0
COST 3549-47, Mark A-2,
Al 99.00
COST 1467-42, Mark KD-0,
Cd 99.95, Pb 0.02, Zn 0.01,
Cu 0.01
COST 860-41, Mark 0-1, Sn 99.9
COST 4658-49, Mark R-1,
Hg 99.999
COST 1089-41, Mark SU-3, Sb 99.4
COST 804-49, Mark MG-1, mg 99.21
Ingots, common grade, St. Louis
Ingots, prime western zinc,
St. Louis
Ingots, 99 percent plus f.o.b.
shipping point
Regular shapes, delivered
Straits, spot, New York
Domestic, bulk, carload lots,
f.o.b. Laredo, Texas
Ingots 99.8 percent Mg, f.o.b.
Freeport, Texas
?
Prices
Rubles per, Dollars per, Ratio
Metric Ton 21 Metric Ton L. (Rubles per Dollar)
6,600
7,150
2,975 1/
4,76o
103,000
100,000
17,000
7,200
793.66
326.28
275.57
511.47
3,747.82
2,139.45
7,682.68 f/
628.31
628.14 El
8.3
21.9
10.8
9.3
64.o
48.1
13.0
27.1
11.5
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Unless otherwise indicated, ruble prices are from source 71.
Unless otherwise indicated, dollar prices are from source 71/.
Gosudarstvennyy Obshchesoyuznyy Standart (All-Union State Standard).
Arithmetic mean of prices for Mark TS-2 and TS-3 (3,150 and 2,800 rubles per metric ton, respectively).
Not elsewhere counted.
78/
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 11
USSR and US: Calculation of Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Rail Freight Transport
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Metric Tons
Originated in
the US, 1955 1./*
(Thousand Metric
Tons)
Freight Revenue
Received by US
Railroads, 1955 y
(Thousand Dollars)
US Average
Short Line
Haul per Uni,t
of Weight 2/
US Revenue
per Metric
Ton
(Dollars)
Soviet Base Rate
per Metric Ton
for Average
US Haul i/
(Rubles
Average US
Revenue per
Metric Ton -
Kilometer
for Average
US Haul 5/
(Dollars
Soviet Rate
per Metric Ton -
Kilometer
for Average
US Haul 5/
(Rubles
Ratio le
(Rubles per Dollar)
4011 Rail freight transport
Foodstuffs
Wheat
280
1,904
523
6.80
19.30
0.0130
0.0368
2.8
Corn
165
968
544
5.87
20.00
0.0108
0.0360
3.3
Wheat flour
79
560
999
7.09
36.70
0.0071
0.0374
5.3
Potatoes (not sweet)
33
718
1,942
21.76
. 64.91
0.0112
0.0333
3.0
Fresh meat, n.e.c. h/
25
946
1,622
37.84
118.80
0.0233
0.0720
3.1
Food products, n.e.c. h/
99
1,848
1,572
18.67
62.00
0.0119
0.0400
3.4
Coal and coke
Anthracite
152
542
295
3.57
11.20
0.0121
0.0386
3.2
Bituminous coal
3,140
10,612
468
3.38
15.40
0.0072
0.0330
4.6
Coke
180
643
386
3.57
13.20
0.0092
0.0352
3.8
Petroleum products
Gasoline
88
438
312
4.98
25.00
0.0160
0.0794
5.0
Fuel and road oil, n.e.c. h/
90
507
468
5.63
21.00
0.0120
0.0452
3.8
Refined petroleum, n.e.c. h/
82
1,153
1,056
14.06
49.00
0.0133
0.0460
3.5
Ores
Iron Ore
1,434
2,155
222
1.50
7.80
0.0068
0.0339
5.0
Iron and steel
Manufactured iron and steel
287
2,650
600
9.23
18.50
0.0154
0.0316
2.1
Iron and steel pipe, fittings ?
65
994
1,044
15.29
30.40
0.0146
0.0297
2.0
Scrap iron
227
918
214
4.04
10.30
0.0189
0.0490
2.6
* Footnotes for Table 11 follow on p. 49.
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Table 11
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Metric Tons
Originated in
the US, 1955kl/
(Thousand Metric
Tons)
Freight Revenue
Received by US
Railroads, 1955 12/
(Thousand Dollars)
US Average
Short Line
Haul per Unit
of Weight 2/
US Revenue
per Metric
Ton 51/
(Dollars)
Soviet Base Rate
per Metric Ton
for Average
US Haul i/
(Rubles)
Average US
Revenue per
Metric Ton -
Kilometer
for Average
US Haul
(Dollars)
Soviet Rate
per Metric Ton
Kilometer
for Average
US Haul 5/
(Rubles
Ratio 5/
(Rubles per Dollar)
4011 Building materials
(Continued)
Gravel and sand, n.e.c.
561
733
135
1.31
5.20
0.0097
0.0398
4.1
Crushed stone
472
754
177
1.60
5.70
0.0090
0.0338
3.8
Portland cement
294
1,340
240
4.56
12.70
0.0190
0.0552
2.9
Lumber and shingles
231
4,019
2,113
17.40
53.10
0.0082
0.0247
3.0
Chemicals
Fertilizers, n.e.c.
125
778
576
6.22
19.20
0.0108
0.0328
3.0
Phosphate rock
165
420
372
2.55
14.20
0.0069
0.0381
5.5
Sodium products
88
763
686
8.67
32.20
0.0126
0.0460
3.7
Chemicals, n.e.c. 12/
94
1,550
1,349
16.49
57.80
0.0122
0.0436
3.6
Machinery and equipment
Machinery and machines
28
919
1,324
32.82
82.00
0.0248
0.0619
2.5
Passenger automobiles
13
763
1,399
58.69
132.00
0.0420
0.0944
2.2
Vehicle parts, n.e.c. h/
98
2,709
1,230
27.64
77.00
0.0225
0.0626
2.8
Miscellaneous
Paperboard and fiberboard
60
858
1,212
14.30
50.10
0.0118
0.0409
3.5
Feed, n.e.c. 11/
156
784
536
5.03
19.30
0.0094
0.0368
3.9
a. One percent sample. Data _2/ converted from short tons to metric tons.
b. One percent sample. L./
c. One percent sample. Data L/ converted from miles to kilometers.
d. Column 2 divided by column 1.
e. Soviet freight rates from source 4_8_31.
f. Column 4 divided by column 3.
g. Column 7 divided by column 6.
h. In this table (and in Table 22, p. 66, below), n.e.c. represents the categories for not
n.e.c. as used in this table includes most of the specified items.
?
otherwise specified (NOS) as used by the
Interstate Commerce Commission. As such, the
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 12
USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratio for Rail Passenger Service
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
4021
Category
Prices
Specifications Ratio
Rubles 1./ Dollars bi (Rubles
USSR US per Trip per Trip per Dollar)
Rail passenger Adult one-way fare, Adult one-way fare,
service soft car, basic first class, basic
fare fare plus pullman
seat space
97.05
15.33 6.3
a. Rate applicable to a distance block of 431 to 460 kilometers. 22/
b. Arithmetic mean of rates applicable to the East and Southeast, based on unpublished statistics from the
Interstate Commerce Commission, applied to a trip distance of 438 kilometers.
-50 -
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 13
USSR and US: Specifications, Prices, and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Communications Services 2/
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Prices
Specifications
Rubles Dollars Ratio
USSR US per Unit per Unit (Rubles per Dollar)
4811 Telephone communication
(wire and radio)
Telephone service Long-distance Long-distance N.A. N.A. 45 ??../
Home or private Home or private 300 _,/ 58 El/ 5.2
Business or enterprise Business or enterprise 500 s/ 122 El/ 4.1
4821 Telegraph communication
(wire and radio)
Telegraph service Telegram, common Telegram, full rate 5.25 2/ 1.32 f/ 4.0
4899 Communications services, n.e.c.
First-class mail Letters Letters 0.40 h/ 0.03 13.3
Post cards Post cards 0.25 h/ 0.02 12.5
Including intermediate and final services.
Arithmetic mean of ratios derived by comparing Soviet and US rates for a 3-minute call for eight distance units. f2/
It was assumed that the average rate increased between 1950 lt,g/ and 1955 in the same proportion as revenues from subscriptions for this period. 2/
Estimated from data on volume and revenue in source i2/.
Not elsewhere counted.
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 14
USSR and US: Prices and Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Electric Power 2../
1955
Standard Prices 12/
Industrial
Classification Kopeks per Cents per Ratio
Number Category and Item Kilowatt-Hour Kilowatt-Hour (Rubles per Dollar)
4911 Electric companies and
systems
Industrial consumers,
including railroads
12.2
0.91
13.4
Residential and com-
.mercial consumers,
including rural and
governmental consumers
4o .o
2.51
15.9
a. Including intermediate and final services.
b. For sources and methodology used in deriving rates, see Appendix A.
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 15
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Solid Fuels
- 1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
. Ratio _al
(Rubles per Dollar)
Weights
(Percent)
Weighted Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
USSR 2/
US 2/
Soviet Weights
US Weights
Solid fuels
100.0
100.0
17.0
18.2
1111
Anthracite
11.6
19.4
9.0
1211
Bituminous coal
18.8
63.3
90.7
1212
Lignite
21.0
17.3
0.3
a. Price ratios from Table 4, p. 32, above.
b. Based on prices derived from source 22/ multiplied by estimated physical production for all
areas producing coal.
-53-
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 16
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Petroleum Products
1955
Standard Weights Weighted Ratio
Industrial (Percent) (Rubles per Dollar)
Classification Ratio W*
Number Category and Item (Rubles per Dollar) USSR 12/ us .2/ Soviet Weights US Weights
Petroleum products 100.0 100.0 10.5 (4.6) y 11.8 (4.9) 2/
1311 Crude petroleum and natural gas 2/ 3.7 4.1 7.4 3.7 3.7
2911 Petroleum refining 95.9 92.6 11.4 (4.6) y 12.5 (5.0) y
Aviation gasoline 7.2 5.6 12.3 1/ 12.3 f/
s-100/130 14.8
B-95/l30 13.3
B-93/130 13.0
B-91/115 10.8
B-70 9.7
Automotive gasoline 32.8 45.9
A-66 and A-70 15.1
A-74 18.4
Minimum octane number of 56 11.3
Ligroine 8.8 Negl. Negl.
Kerosine 12.8 5.3
Tractor kerosine
Tractor kerosine, high octane
Illuminating kerosine
Illuminating kerosine, heavy high-ignition-
temperature kerosine for lighthouse lamps
(pironaft)
Jet fuels T-1 and TS-1
7.5
8.2
10.6
12.0
10.6
3.6
1.7
14.9 f/ 14.9 I/
98i/ 9.8 5_/
Diesel fuel, light 13.4 5.0 8.8 I/ 8.8 1/
L and Z
DL
DA, DZ, and DS
* Footnotes for Table 16 follow on p. 56.
8.8
8.5
9.1
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 16
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Ratio 2/
(Rubles per Dollar)
Weights
(Percent)
Weighted Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
USSR 22/
US 2/
Soviet Weights US Weights
2911
Diesel fuel, heavy
4.1
12.9
9.0 f/
9.0 1/
(Continued)
Motor fuels DT-1 (M-3), DT-2 (M-4), and
DT-3 (M-5)
10.2
Solar oil
7.7
Lubricants
8.7
2.9
12.4 y
12.4 f/
Autotractor oil, AK-15 (avtol 18)
14.5
Autotractor oil, AK-10 (avtol 10)
16.3
Autotractor oils, AKZ-p-6 and AKZ-p-10
22.4
Diesel oils D-11; Dp-8, Dp-11, Dp-14 (ail
three with additive AZNII T5IATI4-1); and
Dp-8, Dp-11, and Dp-14 (all three with
additive T5IATIM-339)
23.3
Oil for low-speed diesel (motor), M and T
11.0
Automobile transmission oil
7.0
Autotractor transmission oil, summer
6.6
Autotractor transmission oil, winter
7.0
Instrument oil (MVP)
20.1
Industrial oil
12 (spindle 2)
11.7
20 (spindle 3)
11.5
30 (machine 1)
10.8
45 (machine S)
10.6
50 (machine SU)
16.2
Leached 20V (spindle 3V)
7.7
Leached 45V (machine SV)
7.0
Oil for highspeed machines L (Velosit) or
for highspeed machines T (vaseline)
12.4
- 55 -
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 16
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Petroleum Products
1955
. (Continued)
Standard Weights Weighted Ratio
Industrial (Frcent) (Rubles per Dollar)
Classification Ratio 2/
Number Category and Item (Rubles per Dollar) USSR 12/ us 2/ Soviet Weights US Weights
2911
(Continued)
Cylinder oil
11 (cylinder 2)
24 (Viskozin)
38 (cylinder 6)
52 (vapor)
11.0
8.2
13.0
18.2
Axle oil
5.5
Z and S 6.1
Oil for rolling mills 20.0
Residual and others
Fleet mazut 13.3
Fuel oils (furnace mazuts), low sulfur,
20, 4o, 60, 80, and 100 with a sulfur
content up to 0.5 percent (low sulfur
boiler mazut) 8.0
Fuel oils (furnace mazuts), sulfurous,
20, 4o, 60, 80, and 100 with a sulfur
content of from 0.5 to 1.0 percent,
and fuel oils, high sulfur, 20, 4o, 60,
80, and 100 with a sulfur content of
more than 1 percent (sulfurous
boiler mazut) 7.6
Petroleum paraffin, technical highly
refined (A, B); medical; technical
purified (G, D) 13.0
Gasoline, solvent used in the rubber
industry (Galosha) 11.6
Gasoline, solvent used in the paint
industry (white spirit) 9.3
16.9 15.0
10.5 I/ 10.5 1/
a. Price ratios from Table 5, p. 33, above.
b. Based on 1955 values of production computed from estimated production multiplied by estimated average prices.
c. Based on estimated average prices, derived from physical quantities and value of consumption, multiplied by estimated production. 2/LY
d. See Appendix A, 2, b, p. 26, above. The ratios in parentheses reflect adjustment to exlude the turnover tax.
e. Represented by natural gas only.
f. Arithmetic mean of ruble-dollar ratios.
g. Arithmetic mean of ratios for tractor and illuminating kerosines combined with the ratio for jet fuel.
-56-
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 17
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Paper and Paperboard
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Ratio 2/
(Rubles per Dollar)
Weights
(Frcent)
Weighted Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
USSR12/
US 2/
Soviet Weights US Weights
Paper and paperboard
100.0
100.0
9.6
10.1
2621
Paper mills, except building
paper mills
80.4
60.8
9.1
9.1
Newsprint
9.0
12.4
5.3
Book paper
9.1
22.9
25.0
Fine paper
8.3
15.5
12.4
Coarse paper
9.8
29.6
18.1
2631
Paperboard mills
19.6
39.2
11.7
11.7
Corrugated paperboard
14.1
11.3
18.8
Fiberboard
9.5
8.3
20.4
a. Price ratios from Table 6, p. 37, above.
b. Based on production data estimated from source 156/ multiplied by average prices from Table 6.
c. Based on production data estimated from source 2.2 multiplied by average prices from Table 6.
-57-
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 18
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Chemicals
1955
Standard Weighted Ratio
Industrial (Rubles per Dollar)
Classification Ratio 21* Weights for the US 12/
Number Category and Item (Bibles per Dollar) (Percent) Soviet Weights US Weights
Chemicals 100.0 11.0 2/ 13.0
2812 Alkalies and chlorine 5.8 8.9
Chlorine
Sodium bicarbonate
Soda ash
Caustic soda, liquid
Caustic soda, cake
4.3
7.7
8.9
15.5
15.3
2.0
0.1
2.3
0.6
0.8
2814 Cyclic (coal-tar) crudes 1.4
Naphthalene
Benzene
7.7
11.9
9.8 21./
2818 Industrial organic chemicals, n.e.c. 2/ 33.2 20.9 11
Methanol
Acetone
Ethylene dichloride
20.9
25.3
2.1
2819 Industrial inorganic chemicals, n.e.c. 2/ 22.9 9.1
Nitric acid
Ammonium sulfate
Ammonium nitrate
Sodium sulfate (salt cake)
Calcium carbide
Hydrochloric acid
* Footnotes for Table 18 follow on p. 59.
5.4
5.7
7.6
6.9
5.1
- 58 -
0.5
1.6
2.6
0.5
1.7
1.0
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 18
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Ratio 2/
(Rabies per Dollar)
Weights for the US 12/
(Percent)
Weighted Ratio
(Rabies per Dollar)
Soviet Weights US Weights
2819
Sulfuric acid, tower
6.7
1.0
(Continued)
Sulfuric acid, contact
7.7
5.4
Magnesium oxide
7.3
0.5
Synthetic ammonia, anhydrous
9.4
5.1
Aqueous ammonia
9.5
0.2
Ammonium chloride
7.8
0.2
Copper sulfate
8.3
0.6
Trisodium phosphate
6.4
0.4
Barium chloride
12.7
0.3
Hydrogen peroxide
8.8
0.3
Calcium chloride, solid
24.6
0.1
Calcium chloride, flake
30.1
0.5
Borax (sodium borate)
67.3
0.4
2821
Plastics materials, .synthetic resins,
and nonvulcanizable elastomers
.23.3
9.2
Polyvinyl chloride
9.9
18.0
Urea resins
6.9
5.3
2871
Fertilizers
13. 4
8.7
Superphosphate
8.7
a. Price ratios from Table 7, p. 38, above.
b. Based on 1954 value of shipments from source
c. Estimated. See Appendix A, 2, b, p. 26, above.
d. Arithmetic mean of ratios.
e. Not elsewhere counted.
f. Median ratio.
g. Arithmetic mean of ratios for weak and concentrated nitric acid.
h. Estimated on the basis of 1947 data.
i. Based on value weights for mixed and superphosphate fertilizers.
-59-
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 19
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Construction Materials
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
Weights
(Percent)
Weighted Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
USSR12/
US 2/
Soviet Weights
US Weights
Construction materials
100.0
100.0
4.9
5.5
2952
Asphalt felts and coatings
4.2
5.5
14.7
3211
Flat glass
5.1
9.3
19.0
3241
Cement, hydraulic
6.9
24.5
30.7
3251
Brick and structural
clay tile
4.4
46.3
9.2
3274
Lime
5.8
5.1
3.6
3275
Gypsum products
7.3
2.4
10.5
3292
Asbestos products
3.7 2/
6.9
12.3
a. Price ratios from Table 8, p. 40, above.
b. Based on estimated value of production. 2?_/
c. Based on 1954 values of shipments from source 22/.
d. Arithmetic mean of ratios for asbestos cement shingles and asbestos cement pipe.
-6o-
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9
Table 20
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Iron and Steel Products
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number Category and Item
Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
Weights
(Percent)
Weighted Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
USSR
US us sj
Soviet Weights US Weights
3312 Blast furnaces, including coke ovens, steel
works, and roiling mills
100.0
100.0
5.4 5.9
Rails
5.8
_
5.2
1.1
5.8
5.8
Rail accessories
5.1
1.3
0.5
5.1
5.1
Pipe and tube IIIP
13.1
14.4
5.9
5.7
Buttweld standard pipe
5.4
4.4
9.4
Seamless line pipe and seamless casing
6.3 d/
8.7
5.0
Heavy sections
5.8
11.4
2.!.1
5.8
5.8
Light sections (bars and bar-size shapes)
33.8
21.6
4.8
5.3
Hot-rolled carbon bars
5.2
21.2
9.1
Hot-rolled alloy bars
6.7
6.3
4.9
Hot-rolled stainless bars
4.1
1.5
0.9
Tool steel bars
3.6.2/
4.o
3.2
Cold-finished carbon bars
5.3
0.8
3.5
Wire rod
5.2
5.5
5.2
5.2
Sheet
15.3
35.9
6.2
6.8
Hot-rolled carbon
5.6
8.1
13.8
Cold-rolled carbon
7.7
5.7
20.4
Electrical
5.5
1.5
1.7
Strip
2.6
5.1
6.1
5.8
Hot-rolled (ordinary steel)
6.4
1.7
1.2
Cold-rolled (quality steel)
5.6
0.9
3.9
Plate
5.4
9.7
L2
5.4
5.4
Blooms, billets, and slabs
5.3
2.1
2.1
5.3
5.3
a. Price ratios from Table 9, p. 42, above.
b. Based on estimated production data and estimated average prices.
c. Based on value derived from production data 100/ and average prices from Table 9.
d. The ratios for seamless line pipe and seamless casing are about the same. The ratio for seamless line pipe is used for both items.
e. Arithmetic mean of ratios for tool steel and high-speed tool steel.
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Table 21
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Nonferrous Metals
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Nonferrous metals
3331 Primary smelting and refining
of copper
3332 Primary smelting and refining
of lead
Ratio 2/
(Rubles per Dollar) USSR12/ US .91 Soviet Weights US Weights
100.0 100.0 12.0 2/ 13.6
Weights
(Percent)
Weighted Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
8.3 38.9 31.6
21.9 28.8 8.6
3333 Primary smelting and refining
of zinc 10.8
3334 Primary production of aluminum 9.3
3339 Primary smelting and refining
of other nonferrous metals,
n.e.c. 2/
Cadmium
Tin
Mercury
Antimony
Magnesium
?
64.o
48.1
13.0
27.1
11.5
32.3
11.2
38.1
0.8
7.2
0.7
0.4
1.4
a. Price ratios from Table 10, p. 47, above.
b. Based on average prices from Table 10 and estimated data on production.
c. Based on 1955 value derived from data on production and consumption and average prices. 122/ See Appendix A, 2, b, p. 26,
above
d. The weighted ratio for copper, lead, and aluminum of 10.6 adjusted to 12.0 to take into account the effect of the ratios, all
of which were higher than 10.6, for which weights were not available.
e. Not elsewhere counted.
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Table 22
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratio for Rail Freight Transport
1955
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
Category and Item
Ratio 2/*
(Rubles per Dollar)
Weights
for the US 12/
(Percent)
Weighted Ratio
for US Weights
(Rubles per Dollar)
4011
Rail freight transport
100.0
3.6
Foodstuffs
Wheat
2.8
4.3
Corn
3.3
2.2
Wheat flour
5.3
1.3
Potatoes (not sweet)
3.0
1.6
Fresh meat, n.e.c.
3.1
2.2
Food products, n.e.c.
3.4
4.2
Coal and coke
Anthracite
3.2
1.2
Bituminous coal
4.6
24.1
Coke
3.8
1.5
Petroleum products
Gasoline
5.0
1.0
Fuel and road oil, n.e.c.
3.8
1.2
Refined petroleum, n.e.c.
3.5
2.6
Footnotes for Table 22 follow on p. 65.
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Table 22
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratio for Rail Freight Transport
1955
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number Category and Item
Ratio 2/
(Rubles per Dollar)
Weights Weighted Ratio
for the US 12/ for US Weights
(Percent) (Rubles per Dollar)
4011 Ores
(Continued)
Iron ore
5.o
4.9
Iron and steel
Manufactured iron and steel
2.1
6.0
Iron and steel pipe, fittings
2.0
2.3
Scrap iron
2.6
2.1
Building materials
Gravel and sand, n.e.c.
4.1
1.7
Crushed stone
3.8
1.7
Portland cement
2.9
3.0
Lumber and shingles
3.0
9.1
Chemicals
Fertilizers, n.e.c. 2/
3.0
1.8
Phosphate rock
5.5
1.0
Sodium products
3.7
1.7
Chemicals, n.e.c. 2/
3.6
3.5
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Table 22
(Continued)
Standard
Industrial
Classification
Number
4011
(Continued)
Category and Item
Machinery and equipment
Machinery and machines
Passenger automobiles
Vehicle parts, n.e.c. 2/
Miscellaneous
Paperboard and fiberboard
Feed, n.e.c.
Weights Weighted Ratio
Ratio 2/ for the US 12/ for US Weights
(Rubles per Dollar) (Percent) (Rubles per Dollar)
2.5
2.2
2.8
3.5
3.9
2.1
1.7
.6.2
2.0
1.8
a.
b.
c.
Price ratios from Table 11, p.-48, above.
Based on 1955 revenue data. 102/
See Table 11, footnote h.
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Table 23
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Communications Services
1955
sw
Standard
Industrial
Classification Ratio 21
Numbet. Category and Item (Rubles per Dollar)
Weights
(Percent)
USSR 2/ US 2/
Communications services 100.0
4811 Telephone communication
(wire and radio) 42.5
Weighted Ratio
(Rubles per Dollar)
Soviet Weights
100.0 5.2
84.9 4.3
Long-distance 4.5 20.6 29.5
Home or private 5.2 3.1 30.3 2/
Business or enterprise 4.1 18.8 25.1 2/
US Weights
5.7
4.6
4821 Telegraph communication
(wire and radio)
Telegrams 4.0 28.0 2.2 4.o 4.o
4899 Communications services,
n.e.c. 1/
First-class mail
Letters
Post cards
29.5 12.9 13.2 13.2
13.3 25.4 11.4 e
12.5 4.1 1.5 id
a. Including intermediate and final services.
b. Price ratios from Table 13, p. 51, above.
c. Based on revenue data derived by multiplying average rates from Table 13 by corresponding volume data estimated from source 103/.
d. Unless otherwise indicated, based on revenue data from source
e. Estimated number of full-year subscribers 105/ multiplied by average rates from Table 13.
f. Not elsewhere counted.
g. Estimated distribution of first-class mail 106/ into letters and post cards multiplied by average rates from Table 13.
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Table 24
USSR and US: Aggregate Ruble-Dollar Price Ratios for Electric Power
1955
Standard Weights Weighted Ratio
Industrial (Percent) (Rubles per Dollar)
Classification Ratio 12/
Number Category and Item (Rubles per Dollar) USSR US 1/ Soviet Weights US Weights
4911 Electric companies and systems
Industrial consumers,
including railroads
Residential and commercial,
including rural and govern-
mental consumers
100.0 100.0
13.4 62.5 34.5 le/
15.9 37.5 65.5 2/
14.2 15.0
a. Including intermediate and final services.
b. Price ratios from Table 14, p. 52, above.
c. Based on values derived by multiplying estimated net consumption 107/ by average rates from Table 14.
? d. Based on values derived by multiplying net consumption, based on unpublished statistics from the Federal
Power Commission and on source 108/, by average rates from Table 14.
e. 109/
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APPEND DC C
SOURCE REFERENCES
1. Organization for European Economic Cooperation. An Inter-
national Comparison of National Products and the Purchasing
Power of Currencies, by Milton Gilbert and Irving Kravis,
Paris, 1953, p. 1-60.
2. RAND Corporation. RM-1443, A Comparison of 1950 Wholesale
Prices in Soviet and American Industry, by Norman M. Kaplan
and William L. White, I May 55.
3. Ibid., RM-1919, Prices of Basic Industrial Goods in the USSR,
1950 to 1956, by Lynn Turgeon and Abram Bergson, 12 Jun 57,
p. 13.
4. Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Statistical Abstract of the
United States, 1957, Washington, 1957, p. 327.
5. Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bulletin no 1214, Whole-
sale Prices and Price Indexes, 1954-56, Sep 57, p. 39-45.
6. USSR, Ministerstvo Finansav. Tsennik dlya sostavleniya amet v
tsenakh deystvuyushchikh na 1 Yanvarya 1950 (Price List for
Making Estimates, in Prices Effective 1 January 1950), pt 1,
Moscow, 1950, p. 415-417.
USSR. Spravochnik metallurga po tsvetnym metallam (Metal-
lurgist Handbook of Nonferrous Metals) vol 1, Moscow, 1953,
p. 799-828.
7. Interior, Bureau of Mines. Minerals Yearbook 1951, 1954, p. 316.
Ibid., Minerals Yearbook 1950, 1953, p. 363-364.
Ibid., Information Circular no 7538, Average Heating Values of
American Coals by Rank and by States, Dec 49, p. 2.
8. USSR. Spravochnik-tsennik na osnovnyye stroitel'nyye,
tekhnicheskiye i vspomogatel'nyye materialy proizvodstvenno-
tekhnicheskogo naznacheniya, instrumenty i avtozapchasti v
tsenakh 1950 goda (Handbook of Prices of Basic Construction
and Technical Materials, Tools, and Auto Spare Parts, in 1950
Prices), Baku, 1950, vol 2, pt 1, p. 128. (hereafter referred
to as USSR. Spravochnik-tsennik)
9. Platt's Oil Price Handbook and Oilmanac for 1950, Cleveland,
1951.
10. USSR. Spravochnik-tsennik (8,
11. Oil, Paint, and Drug Reporter,
12. RAND Corporation. RM-1443 (2,
13. Engineering News-Record, 6 Jul
14. Stroitel'naya promyshlennost',
15. RAND Corporation. RM-1443 (2,
16. Ibid., p. 162-163.
17. USSR, Ministerstvo Ugol'noy Promyshlennosti. Nomenklaturnyy
spravochnik i tseny na materialy i oborudovaniye primenyayemyye
v ugol'noy promyshlennosti: gruppa II: tsvetnyye metally
(Nomenclature Handbook and Prices for Materials and Equipment
Used in the Coal Industry: Group II: Nonferrous Metals),
Moscow, 1950, p. 261-262.
above) p. 172.
13 Feb 50.
above), p. 129-130.
50, P. 93, 97, 98.
no 8, Aug 55, p. 39.
above), p. 138-144.
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18. Interior, Bureau of Mines. Minerals Yearbook, 1951, 1954,
p. 791.
19. Nedolyzhenko, l.A. Voprosy planirovaniya tsen v ugol'noy
promyshlennosti SSSR (Questions of Planning Prices in the
Coal Industry of the USSR), Moscow, 1955, P. 52-62.
20. USSR. Spravochnik metallurga po tsvetnym metallam (Metal-
lurgist Handbook of Nonferrous Metals), vol 1, Moscow, 1953,
p. 799-828.
21. Interior, Bureau of Mines. Information circular no 7538 (7, above).
Ibid., preprint from Bureau of Mines Minerals Yearbook, 1956,
"Coal -- Pennsylvania Anthracite."
Ibid., "Coal -- Bituminous and Lignite."
22. Bureau of Statistics, American Gas Association. 1956 Gas
Facts: A Statistical Record of the Gas Utility Industry,
New York, 1956, p. 28.
23. Platt's Oil Price Handbook and Oilmanac, 1955, New York, 1956,
p. 292.
24. Probst, A. "Voprosy razvitiya toplivnogo khozyaystva SSSR"
(Problems in the Development of the USSR Fuel Economy),
Voprosy ekonomiki, no 1, Jan 56, p. 17-32.
25. USSR, Ministerstvo Ugol'noy Promyshlennosti. Materialy i
oborudovaniye primenyaemyye v uol'noy promyshlennosti:
spravochnik (Handbook fof Pricef for Materials and Equipment
Used in the Coal Industry), Moscow, 1955, vol 1, materials
pt 2, p. 130-132. (hereafter referred to as USSR, Ministerstvo
Ugol'noy Promyshlennosti. Spravochnik)
USSR, Ministerstvo Finansov. Spravochnik tsen na stroitel'nyye
materialy i oborudovaniye (Handbook of Prices for Construction
Materials and Equipment), Moscow, 1956, pt 1, p. 702-703.
(hereafter referred to as USSR, Ministerstvo Finansov.
Spravochnik)
26. Broyde, I.M. Organizatsiya raschetov v neftyanoy promyshlennosti:
izdaniye vtoroye, ispravlennoye i dopolnennoye (Structure of
Accounts in the Petroleum Industry), 2d ed, revised and supple-
mented, Moscow, 1955, p. 114.
27. Ibid., p. 113.
28. Arkhangellskiy, A.S., et al. Spravochnik po tarifam zhelezno-
dorozhnogo transporta?THandbook of Railroad Tariffs), Moscow,
1955, P- 283.
29. Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bulletin no 1214 (5, above),
p. 278-280.
30. USSR, Ministerstvo Finansov. Spravochnik (25, above), p. 858-865.
31. Arkhangellskiy, et al., op. cit. (28, above), p. 121.
32. Interstate Commerce Commission, Transport Economics and
Statistics Bureau. ICC Statement MS-1, Carload Waybill Statis-
tics, 1955, Distribution of Freight Traffic and Revenue
Averages by Commodity Classes, Washington, 1956, p. 4.
(hereafter referred to as ICC. ICC Statement MS-1)
33. USSR Tsentral'noye Statisticheskoye Upravleniye. Transport i
svyaz' SSSR: statisticheskiy sbornik (Transport and Communi-
cations in the USSR: A Statistical Compilation), Moscow, 1957,
P. 41.
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34. Edison Electric Institute. Statistical Bulletin for the Year
1955, New York, May 56, p. 2.
35. USSR, Ministerstvo Elektrostantsiy. Sbornik tarifov na
elektricheskuyu i teplovuyu energiyu (Compilation of Rates for
Electrical and Thermal Energy), Moscow, 1956, p. 3-59.
36. Edison Electric Institute. Statistical Bulletin for the Year
1955, New York, May 56, p. 2.
37. USSR, Ministerstvo Elektrostantsiy. Sbornik tarifov na
elektricheskuyu i teplovuyu energiyu (Compilation of Rates
for Electrical and Thermal Energy), Moscow, 1956, p. 3-59.
38. Broyde, op. cit. (26, above).
39. Nedolyzhenko, op. cit. (19, above),
40. USSR. Spravochnik metallurga po tsvetnym metallam (Metallurgist
Handbook of Nonferrous Metals), vol 1, Moscow, 1953, p. 7q9-828.
41. Interior, Bureau of Mines. Information circular no 7538 (7, above).
Ibid., preprint from Bureau of Mines Minerals Yearbook, 1956,
"Coal -- Pennsylvania Anthracite."
Ibid., "Coal -- Bituminous and Lignite."
42. USSR, Ministerstvo Ugol'noy Promyshlennosti. Spravochnik
(25, above).
USSR, Ministerstvo Finansov. Spravochnik (25, above).
43. Platt's Oil Price Handbook and Oilmanac, 1955, p. 292.
44. American Gas Association. 1956 Gas Facts: A Statistical Record
of the Gas Utility Industry, New York, 1956, p. 28.
45. USSR, Ministerstvo Finansov. Spravochnik (25, above). p. 858-865.
46. Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bulletin no 1214, (5, above),
p. 278-280.
47. USSR. Spravochnik-tsennik (8, above), pt 2, p. 275.
48. USSR, Ministerstvo Ugol'noy Promyshlennosti. Spravochnik
.(25, above), p. 164-196.
49. Oil, Paint, and Drug Reporter, 27 Jun 55.
50. Modern Plastics, Jan 56, p. 95.
51. Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Price and Price Relatives
for Individual Commodities, Aug 55, p. 4.
52. Stroitel'naya pramyshlennost', no 8, Aug 55, p. 40.
53. Engineering News-Record, 10 Feb 55, p. 75.
Ibid., 8 Dec 55, p. 101.
54. Stroitel'naya promyshlennost', no 8, Aug 55, p. 40.
55. Engineering News-Record, 10 Feb 55, p. 80.
Ibid., 8 Dec 55,.p. 107.
56. Stroitel'naya promyshlennost', no 8, Aug 55, p. 39.
57. Engineering News-Record, 10 Feb 55, p. 78.
Ibid., 8 Dec 55, p. 104.
58. USSR, Gosudarstvennyy Komitet Soveta Ministrov SSSR po Delam
Stroitel'stva. Tsennik no 1: srednikh rayonnykh smetnyh tsen
na materialy, detaly i konstruktsii (Price Handbook No. 1:
Average Rayon Estimate Prices of Materials, Components, and
Structures), Moscow, 1956, pt 1, p. 95. (hereafter referred to
as USSR. Tsennik no 1)
59. Engineering News-Record, 29 Sep 55, p. 135.
60. USSR, Ministerstvo Promyshlennosti Stroitel'nykh Materialov.
Preyskurant optovykh tsen na stroitel'nyye materialy (Price List
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of Wholesale Prices for Construction Materials), no 18-05,
Moscow, 1955, p. 7-10. (hereafter referred to as USSR.
Preyskurant, no 18-05)
61. Engineering News-Record, 29 Sep 55, p. 135.
62. Stroitel'naya promyshlennost', no 8, Aug 55,
63. Engineering News-Record, 10 Feb 55, p. 75.
Ibid., 8 Dec 55, p. 101.
64. USSR. Preyskurant, no 18-05 (60, abdve), p. 12-15.
65. Commerce and Labor. Construction Review, Mar 56, p. 31.
66. USSR. Preyskurant, no 18-05 (60, above), p. 17-18.
67. Commerce and Labor. Construction Review, Mar 56, p. 31.
68. USSR, Ministerstvo Promyshlennosti Stroitel'nykh Materialov.
Preyskurant optovykh tsen na stroitel'nyye materialy (Price
List of Wholesale Prices for Construction Materials), no 18-04,
Moscow, 1955, p. 8.
69. Commerce and Labor. Construction Review, Mar 56, p. 31.
70. USSR. Tsennik no 1 (58, above), p. 58.
71. Engineering News-Record, 10 Feb 55, p. 76.
Ibid., 8 Dec 55, p. 102.
72. Stroitel'naya promyshlennost', no 8, Aug 55, p. 4o.
73. Engineering News-Record, 10 Feb 55, p. 82.
Ibid., 8 Dec 55, p. 108.
74. USSR, Ministerstvo Ugol'noy Promyshlennosti. Materialy i
oborudovaniye primenyayemyye v ugol'noy promyshlennosti,
spravochnik: dopolneniyeniye k 1 chasti: 1 toma (Handbook
of Prices Used in the Coal Industry: Supplement to.Volume 1,
Part 1), Moscow, 1955, p. 9-53. (hereafter referred to as
USSR, Ministerstvo Ugol'noy Promyshlennosti. Dopolneniye)
75. Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices and Price
Relatives for Individual Commodities, Washington, Aug 55,
P? 39.
P. 5
76. USSR, Ministerstvo Ugol'noy Promyshlennosti. Dopolneniye
(74, above), p. 101.
77. Steel, 7 Jan 57, p. 185.
78. E. and M.J. Metal and Mineral Markets, New York, 4 Aug 55,
p. 1.
79. Ibid., 30 Jun 55, p. 1.
80. ICC. ICC Statement MS-1 (32, above), p. 4.
81. Ibid.
82. Ibid.
83. USSR, Ministerstio Putey Soobshcheniya. Tarifnoye rukovodstva
(Tariff Handbook), no 1, Moscow, 1955.
Ibid., no 3, Moscow, 1955.
Arkhangel'skiy, op. cit. (28, above).
84. Ibid., Ofitsial'nyy ukazatel' passazhirskikh soobshcheniy
?(Official Guide for Passenger Transport), Moscow, 1956,
P. 694.
85. USSR, Ministerstvo Svyazi.
gorodskoy telefonnoy seti
Moscow, 1958, p. 24.
Federal Communications Comm
Spisok abonentov Moskovskoy
(Moscow City Telephone Book),
ission. Interstate Message Toll
Telephone Rates Effective October 1953, Schedule I,
Washington, 1953.
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86. USSR, Ministerstvo Svyazi. Telefonyy spravochnik (Telephone
Directory), Moscow, 1954, p. 1-6.
87. National Association of Railroad and Public Utilities Com-
mission. Compilation of Local Service Telephone Rates in the
US in Effect June 1953, Washington, May 53.
88. Federal Communications Commission. Statistics on the Communi-
cations Industry in the US for the Year Ended 31 Dec 55,
Washington, 1957, p. 24, 33. (hereafter referred to as FCC.
Communications Statistics for 1955.)
89. Vestnik svyazi, no 11, 1954, p. 21.
Ibid., no 7, 1955, p. 24.
Ibid., no 10, 1955, p. 18-19.
90. FCC. Communications Statistics for 1955 (89, above), p. 116.
91. USSR, Ministerstvo Svyazi. Spisok abonentov Frunzenskoy
gorodskoy telefonnoy seti (Frunze City Telephone Book),
Frunze, May 56, p. 112.
92. Nedolyzhenko, op. cit. (19, above).
93. Interior, Bureau of Mines. Preprint from Bureau of Mines
Minerals Yearbook, 1956, "Coal -- Pennsylvania Anthracite."
Ibid., "Coal -- Bituminous and Lignite."
94. American Petroleum Institute. Petroleum Facts and Figures,
12th ed, New York, 1956, p. 202-292.
95. USSR, Tsentral'noye Statisticheskoye Upravleniye.
Promyshlennost' SSSR: statisticheskiy sbornik (Industry of
the USSR: A Statistical Compilation), Moscow, 1957, p. 269.
96. Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Statistical Abstract of the
United States, 1957, Washington, 1957, p. 706.
97. Ibid., Census of Manufactures: 1954, vol 2, Industry
Statistics, pt 1, Washington, 1957, p. 28A-11 -.28H-26.
98. USSR, Ministerstvo Finansov. Spravochnik (25; above), p. 3,
5-12, 35-63, 82-85.
USSR, Tsentral'noye Statisticheskoye Upravleniye. Promyshlennost'
SSSR: statisticheskiy sbornik (Industry of the USSR: A
Statistical Compilation), Moscow, 1957, p. 278-315.
99. Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Census of Manufactures: 1954
(97, above), p. 29A-15 - 32E-14.
100. American Iron and Steel Institute. Annual Statistical Report,
American Iron and Steel Institute, 1955, New York, 1956,
p. 64-78.
101. Interior, Bureau of Mines. 1954 Minerals Yearbook, vol 1,
Metals and Minerals (Except Fuels), Washington, 1958, p. 133-1340.
102. ICC. ICC Statement MS-1 (32, above).
103. USSR, Tsentral'noye Statisticheskoye Upravleniye. Narodnoye
khozyaystvo SSSR (The National Economy of the USSR), Moscow,
1956, p. 184.
104. FCC. Communications Statistics for 1955 (89, above), p. 32, 116.
105. FCC. Communications Statistics for 1955 (89, above), p. 11.
106. Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Statistical Abstract of the
United States: 1956, Washington, 1956, p. 521.
107. Economic Commission for Europe. Annual Bulletin of Electric
Energy Statistics for Europe, Geneva, Oct 56, vol 1, p. 39.
108. Edison Electric Institute. Statistical Bulletin for the Year
1955, New York, May 56, p. 2.
109. Ibid.
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USSR
Price Zones for Petroleum Products, 1955
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS, JANUARY,
BOUNDARY
????????-? ? ? -????????? Union republic (S.S.R.)
Autonomous republic (ASSR)
Oblast* or kray
Autonomous oblast (AO)
National okrug (NO)
El Not included in the basic price zoning arrangement
SULFUROUS MAZUT
zone Li Next lower price zone
In oblast not named on the map has the some name a
28816 5-60
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/16: CIA-RDP79R01141A001700020001-9