To thunderous applause, to a long-continuing ovation, Comrade Stalin begins his address.

He speaks of the decisive significance of railway transport for the existence and development of a state as immense in the extent of its territory as our Soviet state. He says that the existence and development of our state, which surpasses in its dimensions any state in the world, including England with its colonies (not counting the dominions), is unthinkable without a well-functioning railway transport that links the vast regions of our country into a single state entity. He says that the development of the national economy of such an immense state is impossible without a well-functioning railway transport that links and cements into a single economic whole the centers and hubs of industry with the oblasts and districts of agriculture, providing them with raw materials and foodstuffs. England as a state would be unthinkable without first-class maritime transport linking its numerous territories into a single whole. In the same way, the USSR as a state would be unthinkable without first-class railway transport linking its numerous oblasts and districts into a single whole. This, says Comrade Stalin, is the great state significance of the railway transport of the USSR.

He speaks of the great honor it is for everyone to work in transport, of the workers who have understood the significance of transport and dedicate their labor to the altar of their Motherland. To realize the decisive and all-encompassing role of railway transport, what is first required is the coordination of all parts and their work in a strictly defined order. This is what is called discipline in transport.

Comrade Stalin says that among the railway workers there are those holding important posts and those standing at more modest posts, but there are no unnecessary or insignificant people in transport. Beginning from the most important leaders and ending with the "small" workers, down to the switchman, down to the greaser, down to the cleaning woman — all are great, all are significant, for transport is a conveyor in which the work of every worker, every cog, matters. When you understand this, comrade railway workers, says Comrade Stalin, when you establish the coordination of all parts, of all workers in the mechanism of transport — that will be genuine, Bolshevik discipline.

Comrade Stalin speaks of the successes of transport and of the shortcomings in its work, which must be uncovered through bold and resolute self-criticism. Without criticism, it is impossible to move forward. This truth is pure and transparent, as pure and transparent as spring water. He speaks of the self-criticism that Lenin always taught us — to criticize openly, honestly, to the end, as befits a revolutionary; to uncover the sores of our work; not to fear criticism but to go to meet it; not to paper over shortcomings; to listen to the voice of all workers; not only to teach the workers but also to learn from them. Criticism and self-criticism is the key by means of which we uncover and eliminate the shortcomings of socialist construction and move forward. This is the secret of our progress.

Comrade Stalin says further: the successes of transport are undeniable; we do not intend to conceal them. We do not need false modesty. Your achievements are not small. From 56,000 cars of average daily loading, you have risen to 73,000 cars. This is not a small thing from the point of view of the forward movement of transport. But, comrades, this is still not enough from the point of view of the country's needs. We must achieve an average daily loading of 75,000 to 80,000 cars per day.

Permit me to propose a toast to your successes, which are undeniable and for which you have deserved genuine, Bolshevik, comradely praise. Permit me to propose a toast to those achievements which you do not yet have but which you absolutely must have — to the goal that all of you, from the switchman to the People's Commissar, do everything necessary and raise transport, which is already going uphill but still going with a wobble, so that transport becomes a smoothly working, properly functioning, precise conveyor, like a good clockwork mechanism! To all of you and to your People's Commissar, comrades!

Pravda. August 2, 1935.