In recent days, in the column “What is your opinion?”, the editorial staff put several questions to a number of agricultural enterprises and the autotractor combine: The aim is that, through discussion among the working collectives, managers and specialists, solutions and concrete measures should be identified to correct shortcomings where they exist and to fulfill this year’s greater tasks. We are publishing the first opinions the newspaper has received on these issues.

ADDRESSED TO THE AUTOTRACTOR COMBINE In our workshop, general repairs are carried out on vehicles and assemblies belonging to transport enterprises. We obtain the parts needed for these repairs from the autotractor combine. It must be said that some of them are produced to a high standard, such as the crown-and-bevel-pinion components, the oil-pump housing, the pumps from the “Enver” plant and many others. But the same combine that turns out quality products also turns out quite a few with pronounced quality defects, which the newspaper is right to invite us to discuss. What, in our opinion, are some of the causes? We would mention the first, which is obvious and concerns the reworking of components: failure to follow the technological process as drawn up by the technological office. For example, gear hubs, clutch plates and covers quite often arrive oversized and require additional work during assembly into units and machinery. If gears do not mate with shafts, as happens with some products of the autotractor combine, this clearly means that the technological process has been breached and not carried through to completion. To eliminate this defect, in the struggle against sweeping generalizations, we think the technologists and all the personnel in the departments and plants must work on it. As a second cause, we would mention the undervaluation of certain jobs regarded as “secondary.” Parts are cast by the combine with too much material (which means using more cast iron or steel, while also making their assembly more difficult). But quite a few cast parts also reach us without the quartz sand having been cleaned off, because this work is regarded as “secondary.” For this reason alone, the service life of replacement parts is reduced not by days but manyfold. To ensure product quality, there is undoubtedly also a need for inspection. One shortcoming, we think, is that the autotractor combine does not always obtain inspection instruments in time. This leaves the way open for poor quality. Finally, and not without importance, we would mention the handling of replacement parts during production, storage, sale and transport. When gears arrive from the autotractor combine with damaged teeth, it means that the spare parts are badly managed. Of course, they are not food products, but they do need packaging and care in transport. Starting from these shortcomings, which mainly concern organization and inspection, but also from the fact that their level of knowledge compared with the level of technical and technological knowledge shows considerable differences in quality, we say that the workforce of the autotractor combine has the means to improve the quality of its products more quickly. NIKOLLË DEÇKA head of the quality department, YLBER KUKA specialist at the vehicle workshop, Tirana

— The Këmishtajt cooperative sets a progressive example in implementing the decision of the Council of Ministers — Throughout the country, the decision of the Council of Ministers to increase meat production was received with interest and joy, because it opens up sure and swift ways to produce meat, benefiting the supply of meat to the people. This observation is not merely a discouraged wish, but now a concrete and increasingly convincing reality, because, from what we hear, concrete measures are being implemented. Naturally, the cooperative families correctly understood this decision and the Ministry of Agriculture’s instructions for implementing it. But, looking more deeply into the purpose and aim of this decision and, in particular, the Party’s directives to move faster in improving the supply of livestock, agricultural and other products to the people, the families made a kind of “household calculation” of how they could produce more meat for themselves and for the cooperative, on the basis of their specific conditions and possibilities and, in particular, by intensifying their work and care in raising livestock. Here is what emerged from those “household calculations,” made by many families and communists, by specialists but also by experienced pensioners and even by housewives, whose opinions and words are particularly quick to come: By taking in two lambs, it is true that more than 25 kg of liveweight meat per animal and 600–700 grams of wool will be obtained, but in the end the value comes to about 200 lekë for the one they will use themselves and about 200 lekë for the one they will sell to the cooperative. Thus, by caring for two animals, the family gains 200 lekë and 12–15 kg of meat free of charge. Certainly this is good, especially since this care and attention adds almost nothing to the family’s expenses; indeed, it is a pleasant commitment. But the communists and almost all cooperative members in Këmishtaj calculated what would happen if they replaced the lambs with piglets, under the same guidelines and mutual obligations as with the lambs, with the adjustment that pork and veal would be received and sold at procurement prices. And what was the result? If two piglets are kept, by the end of the year—when they are properly looked after—each reaches 100–130 kg. We have had this experience for years, and the Qelëzës cooperative in Pukë confirmed it for us once again. That is, five to six times as much meat for household use and five to six times as much family income from selling the two grown pigs to the cooperative. Raising two piglets at home is no harder, because a pig is not “fussy” about eating any household food scraps, any residues from the production of vegetables, wild and cultivated fruits, cereals, any second forage crop from stubble fields, etc., etc. Perhaps in the final month it will need a small amount—say, 1 quintal of concentrate, even maize or the like—which we can obtain through our own work in the collective or personal plot, people said. Given these advantages of pigs, they thought, would it not be right to discuss this idea at a meeting of the communists and then with the village? No sooner said than done. The communists highly valued this forward-looking idea, but they found themselves in a tight spot when it came to deciding, because the cooperative had neither grain nor sows and therefore had no piglets to give to the 900 families. For this year, help came to them from outside; for next year, they will create the necessary supply of piglets themselves by keeping about 150 sows. That was all it took. The decision was adopted unanimously at the general meeting of the communists, while the villagers greeted the initiative with enthusiasm and applause. A writer or journalist would give vividly inspiring colors to this popular expression of everyone’s joy and readiness for the step they had taken. But the aim here is not to highlight this equally valuable aspect of implementing the decision in question. We want to take a quick look at the concrete actions that began as a campaign at district, cooperative and household level. Within a few hours, the communist cadres drew up the necessary estimates of the need for piglets, while district employees set about releasing them, inspecting them and documenting their movement. Trucks were found, and contracts setting out the mutual obligations were prepared and duplicated. At home, work began on temporary shelter for the two piglets. Conversations at home, in the street and in the management committee grew heated. Arguments followed one another in support of the soundness of the first step. “We have to produce for export thousands of quintals of surplus tomatoes, that is to say, tomatoes we necessarily have to sort will leave us thousands of quintals of waste, which we turn into a mush that even the Lushnjë market will not take. This will not go to waste, because we have the piglets from the assistance scheme.” “And the pumpkins,” said another, “that we can plant along the edges of canals and fences and against the walls of houses?” “And fallen mulberries and figs, spoiled fruit left to rot—won’t they increase the pigs’ weight? If we also go after the waste products from slaughterhouses, they have great value, whereas otherwise they are somewhat harmful.” “Even so, the foundation,” the brigade leader stressed, “is our own concrete work to sow more crops on stubble fields, especially maize, because we will also have more water from Bashkia.” As the discussions widened and went on, they arrived at the cooperative and at the secretary’s office. Family members, sacks in hand, signed the contract and received two piglets to raise. It took only two days for all 1,500 piglets to be taken in, in addition to the 200 piglets the cooperative itself had. Others took two lambs. “It is too early to make final calculations, or someone will say we are acting like Madame Peretë. But,” stressed the cooperative’s first Party secretary, comrade Mikail Dhima, “we are convinced that, without compromising any production-plan task, still less deliveries and sales to the state (and exports), we expect not only to ensure that each family obtains more than 1 quintal of meat for itself and more than 1 quintal to deliver to the cooperative, but also that the cooperative will thereby deliver nearly 1,000 quintals of meat to the state above the plan. This does not include the poultry meat that families may deliver to the cooperative in return for payment at prices the cooperative itself judges appropriate when it goes to market. In this way, the path is also blocked for any profiteer seeking unlawful gains from selling the produce and from the consumer.” It is worth emphasizing that the experience of the Këmishtaj cooperative and the village of Sulzotaj of the Çermë Agricultural Enterprise is gaining support nationwide. Lezha, Shkodra and some other districts are acting quickly. Within the week, every cooperative in Lezhë will supply each family in one village with two piglets, while the Lezhë agricultural enterprise will supply two piglets to workers’ families living in the countryside. The Shkodër district, too, is working intensively and in an organized fashion so that, of the 31,000 families who live and work in the countryside, 15,000 will gradually receive two piglets each. This initiative is spreading to other districts as well. The Party supports such initiatives, which accelerate meat production to improve the supply of food to the people. Hekuran Isai

— A conversation at the machine and tractor station in Tirana — Users’ concern about the quality of replacement parts produced at the autotractor combine prompted a discussion with several specialists and workers at the machine and tractor station in Tirana. Here is what some of them said: Ilir Rusi, head of the repair department: — I do not want to deny the work done at the combine. Quite a few components and spare parts are of high quality. But this should not conceal the many others which, I cannot understand why, reach our enterprise. We receive around 20–30 collectors a year, at no small price. Yet in operation they cannot withstand loads and do not last; consequently, tractors are left stranded in the fields. The poor quality of the differential housing has long been a chronic problem. It, too, is not cheap: 2,400 lekë apiece. Once it has finally been assembled and put to work, it does not hold up. I cannot understand what the quality inspectors are doing in such cases. All the more so because the problem is well known and there have long been complaints about these parts. Haki Bureli, repair mechanic: — The combine has begun producing various assemblies. That is a good thing, because it reduces our repair costs. But what happens? For example, you have to open up the gearbox-differential assembly from scratch and put it together again, because it arrives without having been tested, not ready for use. What is the point of that? Is it just so they can say, “Now we also produce assemblies”? If things continue this way, it is better for them to send us the components, since we do the assembly ourselves. When replacement parts leave the combine, are they reported as finished or semi-finished? Because it happens that we have to do additional work on some of them. For example, the differential housing cannot be used without first undergoing machining in the fitting shop. So we have become appendages of the combine rather than repairers. Meti Hida, brigade leader in a tractor brigade: — It is upsetting when work stops halfway because a spare part is of poor quality. You are amazed when the side shafts snap as though they were made of copper. They should remain serviceable from one routine repair to the next, that is, for about a year. Yet it is not uncommon for them to last no more than two weeks. Sprocket wheels, tracks and so on also have short lives. We are required to fulfill our tasks. That is right, but our comrades at the combine must also respond better to our needs by providing higher-quality spare parts. Menthor Katroshi, chief engineer: — Agriculture today is moving toward the use of rubber-tired tractors, while the combine is not keeping the same pace in producing spare parts for these types of tractors. For example, for the T-28 or TN-55 models, cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, gearbox gears and so on cannot be found. Motor cultivators were produced at the combine a few years ago. But the production of spare parts for them has been forgotten. Last year we met and exceeded our target for supplies of spare parts from the combine, while the range of types... FRANC ZHUPA

— SHKODËR — Many political, cultural and artistic activities are taking place these days in the Shkodër district as well, on the occasion of the January 11 holiday, the 44th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic. In meetings and discussions with workers, cooperative members and young men and women, veterans and government officials have spoken to them about the historical importance of the Proclamation of the Republic, the work of the Party and of the glorious and unforgettable leader, comrade Enver Hoxha, the unceasing strengthening of people’s power, and the mobilization of working people to carry out the tasks set by the Party and the instructions of comrade Ramiz Alia. Excerpts from comrade Enver Hoxha’s book “When the Foundations of the New Albania Were Laid” have been read with school pupils. Artistic programs and themed competitions being organized in towns and villages have made the festive atmosphere even more joyful. At the district house of culture and folk creativity, a themed activity was organized with young men and women from workplaces and production centers, and the musical-literary montage “We Sing to the Republic” has been prepared. Similar activities for January 11 have also been held by the houses of culture in Bushat, Koplik, Barbullush, Gruemirë, Mjedë and elsewhere. — BERAT — At workplaces and production centers, such as the textile combine, the drilling and prospecting enterprise in Qytetin Stalin, and the agricultural cooperatives of Laparidh, Poshnje, Kutall and others in the Berat district, talks are being held on “The Unceasing Growth and Strengthening of Our Republic,” “People’s Power in Struggle,” and other topics. Veterans and activists of... (Continued on page 3)

AT WORK IN THE BISCUIT-PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT OF THE LIBRAZHD FOOD ENTERPRISE. (Photo: A. Bodinaku : ATSH)

ONE OF THE DAY’S INTERNATIONAL EVENTS For two days, two American warships, the aircraft carrier “Kenedi” and the cruiser “Virxhinia,” have been anchored near the coast of Colombia. The US State Department explained that their presence was necessary for the fight against Colombian drug trafficking. It was also announced that the warships would soon begin a series of anti-drug operational maneuvers. It would hardly be surprising if the scope of their operations included not only the waters offshore but also Colombian territory, under the current American pretext of directing the international fight against drugs. Only a few days have passed since the operation and the bitter taste left by the pretext for this attack on Panama and its people. Colombia therefore does not want the same fate. It has declared that it is capable of solving its drug-trafficking problems itself, without US intervention. Yesterday the BBC reported the Colombian government’s position: Not only will we not take part in joint anti-drug operations, but we consider this interference in our internal affairs. The presence of American warships is considered a threat to our sovereignty as well as to international norms. The American action demonstrates a constant feature of the policy of blackmail and overt political pressure from Central America toward the Latin American continent. The US seeks to exploit turbulent economic, political and social situations, or the acute, multifaceted problem of drug production and trafficking on the American subcontinent, assuming, unasked, the role of savior. Latin American countries will take another point of view. The fight against drugs does not mean denying this country’s achievements. Cartagena, to coordinate the strategy of efforts and of the fight against drug trafficking. President Bush has declared that he, too, wishes to attend this meeting. But for security purposes (as one of the White House’s justifications goes), Bush also needs two warships near the meeting place. Faced with this imperialist blackmail, Colombia has considered canceling Bush’s visit. SHKËLQIM BEQARI

● CONCRETE ACTION TO INCREASE MEAT PRODUCTION (p. 1). ● PROMPTED BY A PROBLEM CONCERNING EXPORTS (p. 2). ● THE PROMISES OF FREESTROJKA AND REALITY (p. 4).