July once again ended with shortfalls. Instead of the increase that was entirely rightly expected, industrial production remained 6–7 percent below June’s results, and even below those of a nine-month period in the previous year. The problem is all the more serious because it concerns key sectors and products, such as mining and energy, construction, mechanical industry, light industry, vegetables in the case of agriculture, etc. There are also continuing deficits in exports. This situation has arisen precisely after analyses of the achievements of the first half of the year were carried out by the basic bodies, enterprises, districts and departments. The issue was discussed in basic organizations and in district Party committees. Much was said at these meetings; criticism and self-criticism were made, and possibilities and ways of closing the deficit as quickly as possible were suggested. Everyone was asked to keep a close eye on their work and plan it in detail, having several alternatives at hand so as not to be caught unprepared. The tasks were deemed achievable, and commitments were not lacking. But what happened? The pace is declining, bringing new shortfalls. Some commitments were nothing more than promises of the familiar kind, “to get over the river.” Many others were immature wishes. Complaints are pouring in everywhere, seeking to place responsibility outside oneself—in material shortages and weather difficulties. But in oil, coal or chromium mining, exports, or other sectors, these are not the main causes of failure to meet targets, as demanded by the recent plenums of the Party’s Central Committee. This cannot be the explanation in the face of the urgent needs of our economy, nor a reflection of its cultural transformations. We have no use for grand promises that run counter to the spirit of the times. Initiative, dynamism and a practical spirit—these are what must prevail in everyone’s working methods. From the production base, where work is carried out and managed, to the section and committee, and the directorate and department, the practical producer’s and economist’s imagination and a nimble business spirit must be cultivated and kindled. Every drop of sweat shed, every lek invested, every kilowatt-hour of energy or material used, every form of organization and management must be accounted for by everyone, so that costs are not merely covered, but that the price and profit now expected are also achieved. Without profit, there can be no talk of management on the basis of separate accounts, of workers’ bonuses above their wages, of renewing and expanding production in enterprises, or of meeting obligations to the state. Profit is what realistically reconciles interests and moves production forward. We must learn to be more practical; every day and every week we must learn to ask ourselves and our comrades, our brigade and our enterprise: how much have we increased production, and how well have we met our direct interests and those of the state? No one should see themselves as exempt from these tasks or from the responsibility cultural transformations. We must fulfil and, without fail, exceed the plans in order to close the deficits that have arisen as well. As the people say, many words mean poverty. Excessive meetings leave people without work, exhaust initiative and increase bureaucracy. From decision to implementation, from words to deeds: this must be the motto of work everywhere. Solutions to concrete problems are found alongside the work, as close as possible to the grassroots. From offices, difficulties become mountains and seem insurmountable. The economy has problems to solve, and the Party has drawn up major programmes that provide work for everyone except those who do not want to work. They are to be implemented today, not put off until later. The basic Party organizations, district Party committees, departments, institutions and their mechanisms, and every communist must be in this position. Militancy is not an empty formula; it takes on flesh and blood through the fulfilment of plans. We are in the middle of August, with only a few days left before the reports. But the tasks

When we discuss the personal household plot The distribution of land to cooperative families has been delayed for weeks. In some districts, even the two dynym stipulated by the previous decision were distributed late. Those responsible for this obstruction include the cooperative leaders themselves, as well as the agriculture sections and cadastral offices in the executive committees of the district KP. Some of them say: “We decided as a cooperative that the entire area of land to be given out should be newly opened up,” or, “We approved it at district level: all the families on the hillside, for example, should receive 2,500 square metres,” etc., etc. The Frakulla Cooperative, for example, consists of three villages. Kafaraj and Frakulla itself, with 620 families, lie on the plain, while Peshtan, with 600 families, is on the hillside. It is therefore clear that families in the first two villages are entitled to receive up to 2 dynym of land, including the garden around the house. In Peshtan, although the cooperative is considered a plain-area cooperative, families were entitled to receive up to two dynym in addition to the garden around the house. This is how the villagers reasoned and decided, and then acted accordingly. By way of comparison, there are also cooperatives classified as hilly, although some of their villages lie on the plain. “For example, in our cooperative,” says Astrit Gjika, chairman of the united council in Peshkëpi, Vlora, “three villages lie on the hillside, and they are the garden. Families in the village of Peshkëpi, which lies on the plain, will receive up to 2 dynym including the garden.” In the Frakulla Cooperative, someone asked: What counts as a garden, and how large is it? How much land will be irrigated and how much unirrigated? What will happen to new families? And so on. Each of these questions was answered. For example, depending on the distribution among families, the size of the garden may be 300 or 500 square metres, or elsewhere 700 or 800 square metres. Thus, as decided in Peshtan, one of these families may have a total of 2,300 square metres in use, another two and a half dynym, and so on. There are also cases, although rare, where the garden has been larger than one dynym, contrary to the existing statute. It is clear that under the new decision families in hilly areas will use no more than 3 dynym of land, while those on the plain will use no more than 2 dynym. Where will the land be allocated? In the Frakulla Cooperative, pensioner Resmi Memushaj said: “We gathered, discussed and decided as a village. Here in Frakulla we are on the plain, and we received two dynym each, including the garden, in the nearest plot.” The cooperative chairman, Nasibi Zyka, told us: “It is in the common interest that the land should not be fragmented. Otherwise, mechanization is hindered: problems arise in organizing brigades, and there would also be damage. That is why it was decided that the plots should be allocated by neighbourhood, as close as possible to the homes and in groups.” Some of these plots are planted with corn and cotton. Although the land has been allocated, people will have to wait until the crops are harvested. However, there are other problems in some cooperatives in the Fier district and elsewhere. For example, some cooperative members from Kraps want land in the village of Plug. But if this were done, the farm would not have a single hectare of irrigated land left. It is expected to produce corn and wheat for its own bread needs, as well as vegetables for its obligations to the state. Although in exceptional cases, it is the duty of the Party’s basic organizations, the Front organization and the village people’s councils to explain and persuade all those who seek to separate themselves from others and gain more than what society offers them. As before, and in the future, the basis for securing income will be cooperative communal property. We say this because, alongside the cases mentioned, tendencies and demands have been observed to build houses outside the designated village boundaries, and to move down from the hillside to the plain, among the cultivated plots. We have often spoken and written about how precious our land is. The aim is to preserve and enrich it, so that it yields ever more abundant crops. Village development plans must be implemented in accordance with the plans and demographic development. SELIM HOXHA

Three years have passed since the Third Plenum of the Party’s CC adopted a series of important decisions to improve the people’s food supply. During this period, implementing these decisions has been among the main tasks of the Party and government bodies in the district of Tepelenë. The main point is that a series of organizational and technical measures were also undertaken at the same time. All this made it possible for the population of the towns of Tepelenë and Memaliaj, in the first seven months of this year compared with the first seven months of 1987, to receive much more cheese, 27 percent more fresh vegetables, 3.5 times more eggs and 10 percent more milk. This increase in almost all indicators has been rising since the end of 1989. But the supply of the population with ample fresh milk during the seven-month period of this year remains a problem. This is because the agricultural farms of the Vjosa lagoon, including the district agricultural enterprise, did not meet the requi- - TEPELENË - ... 1989. - TEPELENË - ... and the seven-month period. With the exception of the Dukaj cooperative, led by Xhevat Allkaj, which fulfilled its cow-milk production plan by 112 percent, the other farms, such as Krahesi, Dragoti, Damesi, Qesarati and the state agricultural enterprise, did not meet their targets. The Agricultural Enterprise, led by Abaz Bardhi, fulfilled only 64 percent of its plan for milk deliveries from cows during this period. The leaders of these farms offer plenty of excuses, foremost among them the lack of animal feed, but we want to stress that Dukaj does not have better conditions than Qe- (Continued on page 2) …known for “throwing the river.” Many other responsibility outside oneself, on shortages of materials, clothing and the weather. But in oil, mining and coal, or chromium, in exports or in other sectors, these are not the main causes. Such attitudes do not put bread on the table. This does not meet… …Tepelenë. The main point is that people have also been included in a series of organizational and technical measures. towns of Tepelenë and Memaliaj, during first seven months of 1987, to receive 50 percent more meat per person, 38 percent more…

The workforce of the geological enterprise in the district of Tropojë fulfilled the five-year plan for geological work and mineral reserves on 7 August. This was achieved with lower expenditure, reducing costs by 1 million and 920 thousand lek below the planned amount. The enterprise’s net income exceeded the target by 843 thousand lek. The achievements are rooted in the work and efforts of each individual, from the miners and drillers, brigade leaders and study and synthesis groups. Communists have been, and remain, at the forefront of every task, in overcoming every difficulty and solving every problem. The specialists worked carefully and skilfully on the Kam chromium massif, and two geological reports were defended, yielding results in practical application. Two rich chromium deposits were identified at Lajthizë and T’pla. Thus, the five-year plan for chromium reserves, including rich ore, has already been fulfilled by 115 percent. Alongside rich chromium deposits, other metallic and verified deposits were also sought, identifying one of the most powerful deposits in the entire massif, that of Qafë Perollit. For this collective, systematically pursuing the search for other underground resources has been and remains an important task, one that has been continually fulfilled. During these five-year-plan years, geological reports on bauxite, polymetals, asbestos and precious minerals were defended. These constitute an important part of the activities and successes of the enterprise’s employees, who spared no effort in this work. The expeditions of Zogaj, T’plan and Kepenik distinguished themselves. The decisions of the 9th, 10th and 11th plenums of the Party’s Central Committee and the instructions of comrade Ramiz Alia have encouraged and inspired them to fulfil all the commitments they made. Now, as democratic reforms give broader scope to all economic thought and action, this collective has intensified its efforts to complete planned tasks sooner. (ATSH)

— 1 million tonnes to be ensiled nationwide — Corn silage, and particularly corn-cob silage, is the basis of cattle feed, especially during the winter season. Last year, its supply was greater in most agricultural farms and at livestock collection and production centres than during the same period of the previous year. The good results in milk production over the eight-month period in the districts of Fier and Korçë are also based on the good work done to secure the necessary quantities of corn silage. This experience must be kept in mind now, all the more so because drought has significantly depleted the feed base. We are faced with the fact that important components of the winter feed base—the gathering of hay and the planting of forage cabbage—have so far reached only 30 and 50 percent of the plan, respectively, or half the level of last year. Meanwhile, some districts, such as Berat, are about 15 percent above the hay-gathering target. Thus, alongside further work to gather dry hay, forage cabbage and plant second crops, a very important task is preparing corn silage in the right quantity and quality. Some of the shortcomings observed last year must not be repeated. There were opinions and actions suggesting that it was more advantageous to leave corn intended for silage to produce grain and ensile its stalks, even though it has been proven fourfold that 30 percent more nutrients per hectare are obtained when corn is harvested at the dough stage compared with harvesting it for grain. The opposite practices entail major losses in feed value. We also incur similarly large losses when silage is made at the milk stage: although we obtain about 10 percent more green mass, we get about 40 percent fewer nutrients per hectare. This is why it is in the farms’ interest to view the entire operation from this perspective and abandon the observed practice of some forage brigades transferring part of the corn intended for livestock to bread grain. This is why districts that have allowed such a practice are behind on their feed-plan targets and have created large deficits as a result of poor livestock wintering. Harvesting at the dough stage is closely linked to compaction, which is greater at this stage. But preparing silage is also a pressing organizational problem. The number of combines and chopping machines available has created opportunities to improve this indicator. During the running-in and readiness checks of combines and silage choppers, the quality of chopping must also be checked. Experience from previous years has shown that little attention is paid to this indicator, resulting in poor-quality silage and losses of over 15–20 percent as waste during consumption. Improvements are also needed in compaction and in the time taken to fill and seal the storage pits. Another important aspect of silage preparation is the use of additives, especially urea. Using it at a rate of 0.5 percent is essential, since it significantly raises the protein level, doubling it, and consequently increases the nutritional value of the silage. In a change from the previous technology, it is now recommended that urea use be increased from 5 kg per tonne to 16 kg per tonne of silage, and that the solution be prepared so as to create a moisture level of about 70 percent in the silage, using 200 kg of water-and-urea solution per tonne of silage. This treatment almost doubles the nutritional value of each kilogram of silage, taking into account the increase in its protein value as well. Silage made from corn stalks is an important source for securing the cattle feed base during the winter. Around 1 million tonnes of silage are to be prepared. The time to prepare it has come. Everywhere, the work must proceed with careful accounting, bearing in mind also that part of the crop area has been consumed while still green. Harvesting at the peak of growth and maintaining rigorous quality are two requirements that must be taken seriously. NEZIR MEMSURI director of the Institute of Animal Husbandry Research

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 People’s Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassu Nguesso: “On the occasion of your national holiday, the anniversary of Revolution Day, I have the pleasure, on behalf of the Albanian people and in my own name, of conveying to you, and through you to the friendly Congolese people, my warmest greetings and wishes for their well-being and for the continued progress of your country.” Taking this opportunity, I express my conviction that the friendly relations existing between our two peoples and countries will continue to develop. (ATSH)

The livestock farmers of the Dibër district are working intensively to secure the livestock feed base so that the pace of exceeding milk-production targets can increase. Since the beginning of the year, the milk-production plan has been exceeded by 300 quintals, while deliveries have exceeded the plan by 400 quintals. The livestock farmers of the agricultural cooperatives of Shupenzë and Kalisë së Dodes stand out, having exceeded their milk-production plans by 305 and 360 quintals, respectively. The livestock farmers of Maqellarë, Kastriot, etc., have also achieved satisfactory results. (According to ATSH)

Yesterday, the ATSH correspondent learned at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy that the time had finally come for the General Directorate of Oil and Gas in Patos to enter into talks with a number of foreign firms specializing in offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction, with a view to reaching a cooperation agreement for the exploitation of this resource. The talks with DEMINEX, a firm from the FRG, are quite advanced. The text of a preliminary agreement has been drafted with this firm, setting out the basic criteria for cooperation in oil operations in an area of our part of the Adriatic Sea. Once agreement has been reached on this, work will begin on drafting the final agreement, specifying in detail the rights and obligations of each party. Under established practices, the firm will carry out, at its own expense, the studies and work needed to discover and extract oil from the designated area of the Adriatic Sea. The expenses incurred will be reimbursed to the firm with a portion of the oil extracted. The remaining oil, after the appropriate taxes have been paid to our state, will be divided between the two parties in percentages to be agreed upon. If no oil is discovered, the firm will leave and our side will have no obligation whatsoever for the expenses incurred. This arrangement will also be used to continue working with other firms on the exploration and extraction of oil in the rest of our maritime zone,