The Party has always regarded the implementation of the line of the masses in the economy as an inseparable part of its overall efforts to democratize the life of the country. This is also the fundamental aim of the very important tasks set out in the decision of the 9th Plenum of the Party’s Central Committee, for invigorating the driving forces of socialist production. “For the phase of intensive development, which is already becoming dominant in our economy, when priority is given to quality, productivity, efficiency, technical and scientific progress,” Comrade Ramiz Alia stressed at the Plenum, “further improvement of the constituent elements of our economic mechanism becomes essential. The point is to give full scope to the masses’ initiative, giving economic methods priority over administrative ones, which have often been made absolute in rules, orders and regulations, thereby hindering the active contribution of the grass roots, the collective and the individual. In this process of revolutionization, people’s interests must be brought out and harmonized further. Studies on the qualitative transfer of complexes from the centre to the grass roots in the field of management, on the more appropriate use of the incentive of remuneration, etc., are intended to enable our workers to have a greater say in drawing up and implementing plans, and to encourage them more directly to increase production and the fruits of the economy, in which they see their interests embodied. In combating bureaucratic practices, there will still be a need for centralized direction of major issues of the Party’s and state’s economic policy, such as the long-term development of the economy and districts, overall balances of development among branches, and pricing policy for basic products, among others. Meanwhile, transferring powers and responsibilities from the centre to the grass roots, from central ministries to districts and from districts to enterprises and agricultural cooperatives, is intended to put an end to practices whereby a ministry’s “approval” must be obtained for everything, thereby stifling the grass roots’ initiative. The improvements called for require, first of all, that ideas be developed and outdated concepts whose time has passed be changed. We must not confuse what is principled with what is not. The principle is that the masses draw up and implement the plan in accordance with the Party’s guidelines and directives; in practice, however, although this has been said and the matter discussed, in many cases the grassroots draft plans have retained only the name “grassroots.” This “stamp” has lost even more of its content during implementation: plans have been changed for enterprises more than once a year without giving them any say or explanation—only figures. Or, while grassroots initiative has been discussed, excessive centralization has been imposed on them in investment financing and other matters regulated by planning methodology. The invigorating of the driving forces of production will be served by better harmonization of society’s interests with those of groups and collectives. Experience shows that in some outdated rules and regulations—and even more so in their practical application—restrictions are considerable and have consequences for enterprises’ initiative. By conceiving, and especially by correctly implementing, khozraschyot, the content of an enterprise’s net income—which has almost nothing left of the word “enterprise” except its name, since it has been given virtually nothing to use—enterprises’ initiative will increase, as will their responsibility for expanded reproduction. They will not have to look to the budget for everything, nor will those that meet their plans and reduce costs be placed on an equal footing with those that merely perform their assigned tasks. Otherwise, what remains of the incentive to improve indicators such as cost and quality? Slogans and calls alone are not enough for this purpose, nor are inspections and orders, however perfect they may be. Disciplinary proceedings are now highlighting many cases in which distinguished enterprises and collectives, which have brought the state and society and the economy benefits from fulfilling their plans, have “no” resources to make even a small investment in working conditions, maintenance and renewal of technology, etc. This is precisely what must be put right—secured through a mechanism with legal force, so that enterprises benefit from cost reductions, quality improvements, and so on. Practice confronts us with many facts showing that workers’ efforts and energy have not been properly mobilized. In this process, it is important to bring personal interests into line with those of society at their most tangible and sensitive point: remuneration for work. Concrete steps have been taken on this issue, especially in agriculture, where incentive schemes have been expanded and invigorated. The logic of the times demands that this be deepened and extended to other sectors of the economy as well, linking remuneration to the final financial result and the enterprise’s net income. This is the guidance of the Plenum and the aim of the discussions and studies now under way. The point is to increase social labor productivity more rapidly and substantially. This underlies all economic interests. The attempts seen here and there to raise the basic wage without linking it to production are harmful. They encourage and foster individual, petty-bourgeois interests. The issue is to ensure that those who produce more, better and at lower cost receive more, thereby stimulating an increase in social production and closing off opportunities for unearned gains resulting from egalitarianism or from the actions of the dishonest and cunning. There are many and varied ways to harmonize interests, depending on the conditions and specific features of each branch and sector. There are no taboos and there should be none. There are no ready-made formulas and none should be expected. Creative work is a constant requirement for democratizing economic life. Especially since the 9th Plenum, many views have been put forward, supported by practical experiments, on how remuneration can be linked to work results. In a number of enterprises, the benefits of piecework are already being demonstrated, which means it may be extended to some sectors. But this does not mean that everyone should “rush” into piecework. It must always be considered and applied only when it does not conflict with the interests involved. It would be wrong and harmful, for example, to consider piecework in a woodworking enterprise or another sector where scarce materials are used, or where, during the piecework period, days and months may pass without work being available, etc. Interests are harmonized more easily and effectively, and economic mechanisms invigorate production more, when they work closely together. Expanding planning powers and the authority to plan for results, for example, must be accompanied by the necessary improvements in pricing. Studies in this field aim to bring prices closer to the real value of products. In this way, the relations that arise, especially those of exchange, will be placed on a fairer footing. There are many views, proposals and studies in enterprises and agricultural cooperatives, in districts and in ministries, aimed at invigorating the driving forces of production and giving practical effect to the decision of the 9th Plenum. The essential thing is to identify and set in motion those levers and mechanisms that ensure expanded reproduction, viewed not only from a narrow economic perspective, but also politically, ideologically and socially, with the aim of strengthening the economy and the country’s defense and raising the people’s material and cultural standard.

(Photo: A. Bodinaku - ATSH) The photograph shows a worker operating a machine; another worker is visible on the right.

The fine products of the artistic enterprise in Korçë are also widely exported to foreign markets. IN THE PHOTO: A moment of work in this enterprise’s slipper workshop. (Photo: R. Duroli)

— In two months: 70. (Excluding those at the enterprise. When are we going to work?) At a meeting of the Party’s basic organization in the administration of the «17 Nëntori» agricultural enterprise, the enterprise’s director, Zdravko Marko, raised a concern: “We’re stuck in meetings,” he said. “I noticed that during the 45 days from January to February 15, I attended 52 meetings.” He explains: “They call us to meetings: the district Party committee and Party committee of Region No. 4; the district people’s council and its executive committee; the people’s council commissions, especially those for agriculture and trade; the region’s executive committee and its sections; the Ministry of Agriculture, particularly the director for agricultural enterprises and agriculture. The people’s council of the united village calls us to meetings, as do the district, regional and enterprise trade unions. The district Party bureau calls us, as do the plenary and the secretariat. These meetings held during this period, which now number around 70, do not include summonses to give reports, meetings or seminars, or the meetings we hold within the enterprise itself. “For example, yesterday,” he says—it was March 6—“I was at a meeting of the Party Committee of Region No. 4; in the afternoon I attended a meeting of the district executive committee on issues concerning the democratization of people’s councils... Tomorrow we have an assessment at the executive committee of the region’s people’s council on the crops. I don’t know what else I’ll find waiting for me when I get to the enterprise, among the notices put up by the duty guard.” Even hearing about so many meetings makes your head spin, let alone taking part in them. That is why we agree with the agricultural enterprise’s director when he says: “My work has been cut short; I’m losing the pleasure of going to the enterprise, and I can’t do what I should or achieve what I want. I have no time to meet people or go to the sectors and brigades. “I’m not against meetings; some are necessary. But don’t summon me to the agriculture section of the executive committee to talk to me about agronomy and planting deadlines. We have dozens of specialists in the enterprise who already know these deadlines, even according to the circumstances in the sectors and brigades. We don’t need lectures on agronomy; what we need is a chance to solve together the problems we face with tools, spare parts, fuel... Even though we hold so many meetings, problems like these are not solved. Instead, they tell us: ‘Sort it out with the region.’ Our region has no authority over it, because the production enterprises, the fuel branch, the commercial supply enterprises and the transport depots depend on other regions and do not answer to Region No. 4. We solve none of the problems we struggle with in these meetings. “Perhaps I’m exaggerating and being unfair to them, but the meeting-based method of work is convenient for people in administrative offices. They summon us when there’s a problem with the schedule, when certain crops are not ripening, or when a planting deadline has been missed. Why don’t they come down to the enterprise to warm us up or help us? That is my biggest complaint. With such meetings, they consider their duty done and mistakenly think everything has been put in order... The grass roots have learned nothing from these meetings. Because we go from one meeting to another, we pass nothing on. Imagine if I had to gather the workers to tell them everything I heard at the meetings: I would have to hold 70 meetings for the enterprise’s workers too. That would be the worst thing—to take even more time away from their work. “My view is that, as the 9th Plenum of the Party’s Central Committee instructed, we should get closer to the masses, make leadership more effective, identify difficulties and carry out our tasks better, and reduce as much as possible the summonses to report and the pointless meetings.” That is what the director of the «17 Nëntori» agricultural enterprise said. Our comment would be superfluous. SEDAT BRAJA

As soon as you cross a little way over the Fan bridge, on the left, your eyes see the mountainous area of Kacinari. You climb the slope at Bukmirë, passing by the carefully worked row of fields, well known in these parts for its crops and the production of lime. A few kilometres from this village is the Kacinari area, whose centre—the cooperative’s centre—is home to the first new secondary-school building and social and cultural facilities. Before Liberation, Kacinari had no school, and there was no doctor either. Those who needed any kind of service turned to the village priest. A girl did not know her fiancé; even when she married, her sisters-in-law would show him to her. For a handful of corn, an entire group of people would make a long journey through Zadrimë. When they recall those days, the people of the region seem to carry a heavy burden. But the years of the Party brought great changes. Today they are witnesses to the bitter past, which is sung about even at festivals—the story of the bride of Shbut, the martyr of Kacinari—and to the happy life of today. A few years ago I met a teacher here. He did not seem to be a local! After we greeted one another: (Continued on page 3)

— TIRANA — Many events were organized in the capital on the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Day. Groups of workers, cooperative members, pupils and activists of mass organizations gathered at the Pioneers’ Palace of the BSSh, bringing greetings from the comrades they represent, as well as their promises to advance the country’s achievements during the last year of the five-year plan. Among them were 40 women and girls from the «Shkëndija» wool-processing enterprise, who were invited together with their comrades from Tirana’s Region No. 2. At this event, Comrade Enver Hoxha, of the Political Bureau and Secretariat of the Party’s Central Committee, who came here to extend his greetings to the women on the occasion of March 8, spoke with them about the important role played by women and their Women’s Union organization in the life of the country, about the enthusiasm and high level of mobilization that the decisions of the 9th Plenum of the Party’s Central Committee have stirred everywhere, and about the contribution women make to implementing them. In this context, the chairwoman of the Women’s Union in Region No. 3 organized a joint gathering with outstanding socialist labor heroines, workers and social activists, veterans of the war and labor, where they also discussed the sectors of the Party Committee of Region No. 3. Members of the committee and other comrades took part, as did workers, and Drita Babameto, the regional women’s representative here, wished them a happy March 8. (Continued on page 2)

Yesterday in Tirana, the protocol on trade exchange and payments for 1990 between the Government of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was signed. For the Albanian side, the protocol was signed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade, Alim Ylli, and for the Vietnamese side by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade, Le. (Continued on page 4)

At an agricultural meeting held a short time ago in the district of Korçë to discuss the important sugar-beet planting campaign, everyone approved the goal of completing this task by March 25. Last year’s results, following the failure to meet the sugar-beet targets, provided the clearest evidence of how important it is to meet this deadline. But the early spring weather of these days and the very favourable planting conditions are also promising this year. Sugar-beet planting requires a steady pace. And so, on March 5, the cooperative members of Vithkuq were the first in the district to begin planting sugar beet. After them, the cooperative members of Lumalas are also carrying out this task; they play an important part in the district, planting 520 hectares, as do the workers of (Continued on page 2)

Lezhë: from antiquity to the present day The first population registers for Lezhë date from 1506 and 1520. The 1923 population census gives the following figures: 20,500 inhabitants, 3,867 families. Only 4 percent of them were born in the city. 1989 According to data for 1989, the population of this district reached 61,989. In terms of area, Lezhë ranks 6th smallest; in terms of density, it ranks 8th. That is, it has 127.5 inhabitants per km². The natural increase since Liberation has risen from 2.2 to 3.2 percent.

Next week, the first meeting of the so-called United States, USSR, Britain, France, FRG and GDR will begin, on the problem of German reunification. This meeting has made the German question the number-one issue at high-level political and diplomatic meetings in Europe and the United States, prompting debate and differing positions on its various aspects. The debate has been most acute on two key issues: the future military status of a united Germany—whether it will be a member of NATO or not—and the provision of guarantees that today’s Polish borders will not be changed. The FRG, the United States and NATO favour a united Germany’s membership in the Atlantic Alliance, while others have reservations and objections on several points and in the discussions. In a televised interview after talks with the GDR’s prime minister, Modrov, Gorbachev categorically stated that “the participation of a united Germany in NATO is completely ruled out.” In this interview, Gorbachev welcomed Chancellor Kohl’s “coordination” of certain efforts concerning the German-Polish border issue. Meanwhile, N. Andrei Kol eased the atmosphere somewhat on the eve of the “six-power” meeting by dropping his demand that the borders be maintained on the German side of the postwar Polish borders, in exchange for Poland dropping its claims for war reparations. The West German government spokesman, Hans Klein, stated that in another letter Kohl sent to the four victorious powers of the War, he set out his plan, proposing that the parties reach an agreement between West and East Germany to adopt an identical resolution recognizing Poland’s existing borders and their inviolability. These statements were welcomed in Warsaw. “This is a step in line with our hopes, but it is not yet what Prime Minister Mazovi-ecki has proposed,” the Polish government spokesman, Augustiys, emphasized at a press conference. Alongside these concessions, attention is drawn to the position expressed by Polish President Jaruzelski on the future military status of a united Germany: “Soviet troops cannot leave Poland before the military status of a united Germany has been determined,” Jaruzelski declared, while the West Germans shrugged off any intervention on this matter at the meeting with Andrei... the Washington Committee. We strongly support... Italian Prime Minister Andreoti reiterated Italy’s well-known position, along with that of other Western observers not included in the “six,” that Italy’s voice and those of other NATO allies should be heard more on German reunification. “I,” Andreoti declared, “think that all member states of the Alliance should examine this problem together, seeking a common solution,” said the United States, France, Britain and the USSR. LUZIM ÇOTA