— On the implementation of the Council of Ministers’ decision on the new form of bonuses in the agricultural economies of the district of Vlora — A recent fact: as has become known, this year the district of Vlora exceeded its wheat-production target by 3,000 kv. It is striking that the entire campaign to harvest and thresh more than 10,000 ha was completed 10 days earlier than the deadline set in the district schedule and 20 days earlier than last year. The question arises: what motivated the agricultural workers of this district to carry out the campaign on time and fill the granaries? “There are many factors that have brought about a new attitude toward work and property,” says Zigur Sula, head of the agriculture section at the executive committee of the district KP. “But I would single out first and foremost the proper implementation by the comrades in the agricultural economies of the Council of Ministers’ decision on the new form of bonuses. During the harvest-and-threshing campaign, agricultural workers have so far received an additional 600,000 lekë on top of their wages. This practice has been followed for some time. By this I mean that the new form of bonuses is not applied only during peak periods, for day-to-day work, but continuously, throughout the processes being carried out.” Were there difficulties in implementing this decision in time? “Of course. Initially, work was done to build strong conviction among managers and production specialists, and then, especially, among finance officers, economists and ordinary workers. Naturally, meetings and seminars were also held, but they were characterized by healthy debate about the problems and uncertainties that had arisen. They were productive and not one-sided. It was made clear that bonuses for work of high quantity and quality would not be limited to grain brigades, but would also be given in livestock, forage, fruit growing, vegetables, olives, etc. For example, in the greenhouse sector of NB «Vlora», 80 workers and specialists were rewarded continuously for producing tomatoes for export. The result: the annual foreign-currency income target was achieved within May.” Experience in implementing the Council of Ministers’ decision on rewarding workers can also be found at the NB «Lufta e Vlorës» of Lakatund, which this year delivered the state 2,500 kv of wheat above the target. Grain workers were rewarded; 60 of them received 650–900 lekë each, while the vegetable brigades also earned thousands of lekë in income above the target. Last year and earlier, there was no review at which mechanizers, combine operators and SMT managers were not criticized for delays in spring sowing or in harvesting and threshing wheat. This year, however, the SMT is telling other enterprises: “Come and learn from our experience.” The campaigns were not carried through alone, nor solely by means of orders and countless meetings that consumed people’s working time. No. This year everyone had money in their pocket, because each mechanizer and combine operator was clearly rewarded under the new bonus system. If its implementation “limped” last year, that did not happen this year. Here is how Ali Fejzullahu, the SMT’s planning economist, explains it briefly: “To tell the truth, people don’t want promises and talk; as they say, you can’t fill up on an ‘empty spoon.’ Each person was rewarded according to the work they had done. During the spring campaign and upon completion of the wheat harvest and threshing, 76 outstanding workers—those who gave the work a boost—received bonuses. From the SMT’s special fund, 23,000 lekë were distributed. Vasil Bena and Zoto Kopa, to name a couple, received 800 lekë each as a bonus.” But is there any reluctance to implement this decision? There is, in some economies where, generally speaking, achievements do not match the level of fulfillment of duties. The attitude of planning and finance specialists toward economies such as Gumenica, Sevaster, Peshkëpia and a few others is unjustifiable. This is not about rewarding those who have fallen behind, but the most outstanding, those who deserve it. In this way, their example will also encourage the others. JANI PAÇO

AFTER IMPLEMENTING THE NEW ECONOMIC MECHANISM The citizens of Burrel may have noticed that, alongside handing over one facility after another in the town, on the railway and in the mining towns, the enterprise’s workers are “nowhere to be seen” at the places where they usually gather in the evenings. The construction enterprise of this district, well known throughout the country, is the only one among its sister enterprises to have begun this six-month period with self-financing. And this beginning has a very telling indicator: during these two weeks and a few days of July, absences from work were almost halved compared with previous months. What are the reasons? “This very mechanism, which is concrete for everyone covered by it,” explains Hysen Doda, head of the planning department. “What does that mean?” he continues. “Every worker knows the volume of work they have to do. Every brigade knows the facility it has to hand over, the deadline, the materials it needs and, most importantly, the bonus it will receive and how much it can gain both by speeding up the work and through savings. For example, for one of the facilities under construction, handing it over one day ahead of schedule earned 150 lekë, of which 70 percent went to the brigade and the rest to the other builders. When acceleration amounts to weeks and months, the benefits for the enterprise and the workers themselves are very large.” “Previously, the foreman would make requests,” adds Aqif Leshi, chief organizer at the Krasta construction site, “sometimes failing to specify properly what supplies the projects needed; there would be endless running around in search of materials, and so supplies arrived late. Now he concentrates solely on organizing the work at the site and coordinating the different tasks.” For everyone to be at work, it goes without saying that supplies are also needed. How has this enterprise solved that problem? A worker is ready to work; he arrives on time and is willing to be disciplined, but if supplies do not arrive, then, as is well known, the excuses begin: “the obstacle is beyond our control,” “transport is not in order,” there is no iron, no cement, and so on. In one instance a worker may excuse the administration, but when this becomes a regular occurrence, he will not accept it. As part of the implementation of the new economic mechanism, under which the administration too is more directly linked through bonuses to production results, the solution was found as follows: mobilizing the administration. This mobilization does not mean general readiness, but a specific task for each person, one that can be checked and has a deadline. The new work-norm system, discussed and planned several months ago, is producing results. Many other departments of the administration are also helping to supply construction materials, following up contracts with producing institutions by every means and at all costs, in order to establish a continuous supply chain for the enterprise. The brigades also apply “pressure” every day, because supplying each brigade properly is linked to its volume of work, and that volume is linked to each worker’s bonus. In fact, supply shortages are still felt, even though the administration goes as far as Tirana and Elbasan. Sometimes bricks are missing, sometimes cement and other materials. Ibrahimi Meta, Zeqiri Tola and their comrades, as soon as they return from one institution, set off for another. “If they gave us not necessarily everything in the contract, because that seems difficult, but at least the minimum, we could build up a small reserve. And if supplies arrived regularly according to the contracts, the value of efficiency would be considerable and the gain very great, because nobody benefits from being idle, passing the time in discussions when there are materials to work with,” these comrades say. That is true. The very organization of work under the new mechanism is bringing absences down to figures never achieved before. The volume of construction and assembly work is also quite high in this seven-month period, despite some supply shortages. The profit is greater at the sites managed by Llesh Deda and Skënder Osmani. In addition, 177 workers benefited from the Council of Ministers’ latest decision to raise low wages. This too has contributed to mobilization. The regular supply of the enterprise therefore remains a problem to be solved, along with the commitment of innovative people to finding solutions that increase earnings and everyone’s stake in the smooth running of the enterprise. FRANCO ÇAKA

— KOLONJË — The good work in fulfilling the duties during the first six months led the workers of the district of Kolonjë to be honored by the Central Commission for Socialist Competition for fulfilling the plan for total industrial production, the export plan, and the targets for deliveries of milk and eggs. Being placed among the outstanding performers was gratifying and stirred their pride to go further, and to maintain the distinction of being outstanding through the rest of the year. We can see this in these days of July as well. Across the district, from the beginning of the year through 15 July, production worth 3 million and 600 thousand lekë above the target has been delivered. The successes in fulfilling export targets are also significant. Products worth 520 thousand lekë more than planned have been sent, making it possible to meet the targets for the seven-month period by 15 July. As with the industrial production targets, attention is drawn to the poor performance of the collection-and-processing enterprises in meeting the export targets. Exceeding the targets also made a contribution in this direction. More than the lottery(?), in the ... At the other goods enterprises, work is being carried out with the August figures in mind. An additional 1,000 kv of grain, 320 kg of butter and 100 kg of cheese have been produced. This collective has also supplied export products worth 160 thousand lekë above the target, medicinal plants...

A moment at work at the URT in Durrës. (Photo: P. Omeri - ATSH) A moment at work at the URT in Durrës. (Photo: P. Omeri - ATSH)

— Dozens and dozens of young people involved in cultural brigades and artistic groups are spending these days in the villages of the district of Shkodër, reaching even the most remote mountain areas. The finest and oldest tradition belongs to the cultural brigades of the city’s secondary schools. In addition to their artistic group, they include young activists distinguished in various Olympiads and literary and artistic competitions, participants in the “sorfes” of poetry, as well as young scouts. The cultural brigade of the «Jordan Misja» school is carrying out its activities in the Kelmend area, the brigade of the «Oso Kuka» secondary school in the Dukagjin area, that of the industrial secondary school in the Pult area, that of the veterinary school in the Shllak area, and the «29 Nëntori» brigade in the Zagora area. The purpose of these brigades is to exchange the best experience with youth organizations in these remote areas, as well as to enliven cultural and artistic life in the villages. They are putting on various performances, organizing topical discussion evenings and talks on subjects from different areas of life together with village youth, opening painting exhibitions and other exhibitions too, such as the embroidery exhibition by the girls from the youth brigade of the «Jordan Misja» secondary school in Vermosh. Joint activities with village youth are also being organized, including excursions to historic sites, forests, mountain peaks, etc. At the center of all the activities of (Continued on page 3)

The Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, Comrade Ramiz Alia, sent the following congratulatory telegram to the president of the Republic of Colombia, Virgilio Barco - Vargas: “On the occasion of the celebration of Colombia’s national holiday, on behalf of the Albanian people, the Presidium of the People’s Assembly and myself, I send You sincere greetings, together with my best wishes for the well-being of the Colombian people and the prosperity of the country.” (ATSH)

The Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, Comrade Ramiz Alia, sent the following telegram to the president of the Republic of the Philippines, Korazon Akino: “We learned with sorrow the news of the casualties caused by the earthquake in the city of Manila and the northern part of the Philippines. On behalf of the Albanian people, the Presidium of the People’s Assembly and myself, I extend to You, the Filipino people and the families of the victims my sincere condolences.” (ATSH)

On Mali i Thatë, despite its covering of the usual sacks, lie hills dotted with harvested stones, in the fruit-growing sector, where the grapes, peaches and early apples are thriving. The nearby Potgores reservoir reflects a hot July sun on this day, while pleasant, restful shade forms beneath the mountain and the trees. This is a view of the stroll in the photograph, but if you turn your eyes to the first person moving through these surroundings, the landscape takes on the bustle of the campaign days. What is special, what is extraordinary about this day we are trying to describe? Mali i Thatë, as one can understand, is spending this July day like any other during this campaign, when people are working the fields and the stony ground, both of which seem to gather them in. And here they may mention that the doubling of fruit production, and perhaps also the considerable increase in apple exports, owe something to ... Reportage Down by the road, or beside the springs, because that is where people’s conversations take them. Every village has its green trees. They are also a kind of welcome for the traveler. “So, Maliq, who taught you to grow the orchard?” we ask him. “Fire,” he replies. Fejziu, his companion, nods and carries the conversation further, right to the point that gave us the idea for these notes. “These days and times have seen, and continue to see, many events. There is faith, there is work and sweat. Never before has there been so much activity, so much work by the seven households here in the village. And it is a hard time. There is more affection among people.” Fejziu has come to us; he has been at the sidelines of our subject. Or, more accurately, he is the one inspiring us to continue, when he says: “We have a family from the village that has been away for a decade, having left seven years ago. And the one who left used to call them on the telephone.” (Continued on page 3) KOSTAQ DUKA

• For the period January–15 July, in the district of Berat, targets were met or exceeded for cash sales of goods, mechanized work, public municipal services and exports. Productivity and net income reached 101 percent of target. Nearly 8,000 workers in the industrial system benefit each month from 2 million lekë through the decision to raise wages by 10–20 percent, while many others benefit from pay according to their job category. • In the agricultural economies of the district of Tirana, with the administrative works of the Directorate of Irrigation and Land Improvement, about 30,000 ha planted with various crops have been irrigated so far. This area is twice as large as during the same period last year. • So far, more than 95 percent of the milk production planned for the seven-month period has been obtained in the district of Sarandë. At the daily rate of about 330 kv achieved across the district, the concentrated herds of the economies alone are expected to provide 1,000 kv of milk above the seven-month target. • All the economies are meeting the production schedule. • In the district of Dibër, about 4,800 ha have been harvested so far out of a total of 7,021 ha, and production has been gathered from 3,350 ha. The pace is also increasing in the economies of the highland area. By organizing the work well and cooperating with the SMT mechanizers, the cooperative members of Kastriot, Muhurr, Gjocirë, Shupenzë and Fushë-Çidhënë were the first to finish harvesting and are close to completing the gathering of the produce. (According to ATSH)