It is a demand that runs through the entire spirit of the 10th Plenum of the Party’s Central Committee, an extremely timely, sharp and complex demand, a civic duty especially for every communist and cadre: to strengthen, anticipate and enrich the substance of ties with the masses—with workers, peasants, youth, women, and others—with those who will carry out the major program of work before us. The aim is for everyone to find themselves in the great problems of our time. In its nearly 50 years of activity, the Party has gained an exceptionally rich experience in propaganda work, from small-scale oral agitation to win the mind and trust of even a single person, to discussions, generalizations and lecture series, as established forms of agitational work with people. But the tasks set out by the Party Central Committee’s recent plenums require all educational and persuasive work with people to be raised to a higher, qualitatively new level. “All propaganda, oral and written, Comrade Ramiz Alia said at the 10th Plenum, must respond to the demands of the times. It must cast aside formulas and slogans and use arguments more, patiently and with culture addressing the questions and problems that arise.” The issues addressed by the 10th Plenum require new and more effective solutions, including a deepening of the democratization of all Party and national life. Alongside the enthusiasm with which our workers welcomed them, they are raising many and varied questions. Today, the task of communists and cadres is to be prepared to address these questions, to be politically clear, but also to have the necessary level of economic knowledge, so that they enter meetings and conversations with people not merely by repeating texts. This should now be the fullest measure of the effectiveness of their activity. Thus, a pressing task has emerged: raising economic culture to a higher level, and ensuring that communists and cadres know and master its mechanisms and laws, because the new tasks cannot be explained without knowing these laws, with the dilemmas [?] that have arisen. For example, the new forms of remuneration and the benefit workers will receive from a share of an enterprise’s net income must not—and should not—lead to treating the industrious and the laggard, the hardworking and the lazy, or those working on a main front and those occupying a corner as if they were equal. These issues should be explained through economic reasoning grounded in the concrete conditions of the district and enterprise, without formulas, so that everyone can find their place in the new form of work organization and know what they are expected to do, and what their rights and duties are in relation to the plan. Here they can also find useful reserves in their own work, that of their colleagues and department, as well as shortcomings in the work of the administration, etc. Or: in some sectors, demands are being made to review wages. The essence of this phenomenon is the pressure exerted by those who want to take more than their share from society without giving anything in return. Wages do not rise by administrative order, but by increasing production efficiency and exceeding plans, through expanding exports and reducing imports, and by opening the way to innovation. The revolutionization and democratization of the country’s life, which constitute the essence of plenums, require communists and cadres, as propagators of its teachings, to remain active among the masses—in the workshop and brigade where they work, in the block and village where they live—in order to address social problems [?] as well. These concern attitudes toward what is new, conduct in society, respect for the norms of coexistence and for the traditions and spiritual values we have created. In some places, signs of indifference are evident; elsewhere, there are impermissible concessions to acts of hooliganism, even to acts of waste. Worst of all, people try to confront them with stereotyped lectures, “opinions more or less like this: ‘Our public opinion has the strength to fight them.’” Public opinion certainly has the strength to rein in those responsible for such manifestations, but public opinion is not abstract: it works and struggles in concrete conditions, with specific people. Meanwhile, to focus attention today on certain external and secondary phenomena, such as clothing, and even label them, while paying no attention to the fact that the personality of our people is determined first and foremost by their working relationships and by the contribution they make to creating material goods, means dealing with second-order problems and evading the difficult task of winning people’s minds and hearts. Open, sincere and democratic ties with the masses do not tolerate bureaucratic appearances. We emphasize this because it is true that we hold many meetings, but we cannot do without them either. How should we proceed? What matters is to arrange one’s time around others’ time, to know how to draw them into fruitful discussions of major or personal issues, making use of the tradition of free and warm conversations in the mass meeting hall or at an impromptu gathering at the edge of a workshop or field. Naturally, and with clear purpose, these conversations also address the path we have taken: where we have been and where we are now, and how much struggle it took to get here. For a communist and cadre, this is never excessive or wasted work. A day is not enough for such work, much less an eight-hour shift, and it cannot be reduced to a few per diem forms that show how many days someone spent in the village, but not what concrete work they did or what problems they solved. Our people have been characterized by lofty virtues of patriotism and freedom, moral integrity, and a revolutionary and progressive spirit. The fact that there is no unemployment, drugs or terrorism in our country, just as there is no social inequality or national persecution, is a tribute to everything we have done to strengthen the socialist homeland and improve workers’ well-being. We must never regard these historic achievements as familiar or taken for granted. They are an inspiration to tackle courageously the great tasks before us and to achieve the lofty objectives set out by the Party Central Committee’s recent plenums. of the country. also raise many different questions. The task of workers and cadres today is to be prepared to answer these questions, to be politically clear, and that they can enter into meetings and discussions with people not merely to give instructions, much less orders, but also to learn from them, especially so that they can jointly set about solving problems. The experience of several Party organizations in the district of Tirana is valuable in this regard: when explaining the important tasks set out by the Plenum, they begin their discussions this way: “Who has questions? What issues have come up that are unclear?” This makes the discussion more lively and democratic, steers conversations with people away from the spirit of dry lectures and prefabricated phrases, and leads to finding concrete ways to resolve the issues under consideration. How well prepared each Party organization and each communist is to carry out agitation based on profound, highly concrete arguments that will leave a mark on people’s consciousness and mobilize them—this… The revolutionization and democratization of the country’s life, which form the foundation of the tasks set out by the latest plenums of the Party’s Central Committee, remain constantly active among the masses—in the department and brigade where they work, in the block or village where they live—in order also to address the social problems that arise and explain them with intelligence and a social spirit. Democracy has nothing in common with indiscipline and disorder, or with liberalization and disintegration. Those who embody such manifestations are our own people; working with them calls for tact and patience, but in certain cases also for sharp criticism and firm administrative measures, because problems are not solved only through education and appeals to people’s consciences. It is therefore important to explain clearly, in particular, the essence of the alien manifestations observed in attitudes toward work and property, because it is there that we have our greatest reserves for strengthening the economy and improving the people’s welfare. But social life also presents many other problems that require attention and warm engagement with people, especially with young peo- ptim, we cannot help but accept that

Among the leading collectives in the district of Sarandë is that of the gathering and processing enterprise, which stands out for carrying out its tasks regularly. IN THE PHOTO: A moment in the processing of sage. (Photo: G. Xhengo - ATSH) Among the leading collectives in the district of Sarandë is that of the gathering and processing enterprise, which stands out for carrying out its tasks regularly. IN THE PHOTO: A moment in the processing of sage. (Photo: G. Xhengo - ATSH)

WE DRAW ATTENTION There are many facts that attest to the careful work of the Party’s basic organizations and collectives in implementing the decisions of the 9th Plenum of the Party Central Committee concerning the election and re-election of leading cadres. It would be difficult to cite them all as evidence. In general, people are characterized by depth of thought and, most importantly, by concern to ensure that work is entrusted to the most capable and devoted, those who secure the progress and advancement of production. But, to tell the truth, in some workers’ collectives a certain leniency can be observed in implementing decisions concerning the transfer of leaders and other officials who have completed their term in office. At times, people remain silent about making the necessary changes, and in other cases efforts are made to extend the tenure of those concerned, contrary to the relevant decisions. In both the first and the second cases, the aim is that, despite a decision, they should remain directors, managers or officials. This is not about someone who has only a few months left before retirement, nor someone such as a school principal waiting for the end of the school year. To illustrate this phenomenon, let us give an example: a few days ago, the staff of the Institute of Studies and Designs No. 4 in Tirana met to elect a new director, since the former director had completed the maximum term as head. There is no need to recount the staff’s assessments of the former director’s work, which were positive and reflected the truth about a period of more than 10 years. What caught our attention, and raises an important issue, was one employee’s insistence that the former director be re-elected, on the grounds that “he has worked very well; he is a capable cadre,” with the most enthusiastic among them saying, “let’s re-elect him.” In this and other cases, we are by no means referring to people who are unfamiliar with the decisions (there will certainly be some, but it is best to clarify matters for them in advance, so as to head off misinterpretations). More specifically, we raise this issue with regard to those who know the decisions well, yet seek to “make concessions in the name of the common interest.” Is that really the case? In this sense, we cannot rule out that in some cases a collective may be weak and at the same time insist on keeping that person at the head of the work. But the Council of Ministers’ decision on the tenure of leaders is a decision, and it must be implemented. Even a good and capable head of an institution or enterprise needs to move on, to progress further; indeed, they may even be promoted to greater responsibility. Another capable person, perhaps a member of the collective, will take the helm and will certainly bring a new perspective and fresh impetus, in keeping with the demands of the times, to the organization and its work. This is the logic within which we discuss and act. When people intervene to prevent transfers required by the decisions, certain toadies and flatterers, seeking to circumvent them (as long as they serve the leaders), raise their voices and even demand explanations, claiming that democracy is supposedly being violated. “You are dictating to us,” they say. Sometimes they even dare to ask, “Who appointed you to chair the meeting?” But the superior bodies do not sit idly by: they confront the enterprise’s leadership with the facts [?]. The decisions of the 9th Plenum on the tenure of leaders apply not to some, but to everyone.

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 United Republic of Tanzania, Ali Hasan Munji: “On the occasion of your national holiday, on behalf of the Albanian people, the Presidium of the People’s Assembly and myself, I send you warm greetings and extend to the friendly Tanzanian people my best wishes for their friendship and for the development and progress of their country. I am convinced that the friendly relations and close cooperation between Albania and Tanzania will continue to develop and strengthen, in the interests of both our peoples.” (ATSH) [The beginning is cut off] …the dear and for the development and progress of their country. He expressed his conviction that friendly relations and close cooperation between Albania and Tanzania would continue to develop and grow stronger, in the interests of both our peoples.”

The expansion of participation in cultural and artistic activities and their qualitative improvement in the district of Fier are seen as closely connected with the ongoing professional development of cultural workers. In accordance with a special program, courses, seminars, meetings and exchanges, as well as other practical activities, have been organized at the district House of Culture and Folk Creativity to strengthen the promotion of scientific information and the sharing of advanced experience drawn from practice. Topics in ideology, professional practice and methodology have been covered. The recognition and generalization of the experience of the most advanced practitioners, as well as the organization of model activities, have also served to qualify cultural workers. During an exchange with the district’s cultural workers, the experience of the House of Culture at the Povëlçë Agricultural Enterprise in promoting scientific advances in livestock farming was presented, as was that of the Zharrëz cultural centre in enlivening cultural life, and that of the “Çlirimi” Agricultural Enterprise in promoting production, etc. (According to ATSH)

The scientific activity of the Institute of Olive and Citrus Research in Vlorë has expanded on a scientific basis to serve large-scale production. A new achievement with high effectiveness is the production of olive seedlings from semi-hardwood cuttings. “This new method,” says Hajri Ismaili, head of the institute’s scientific sector and a specialist, “was first introduced in June last year. Vegetative propagation is carried out by using certain hormones at the base of the cuttings and creating the necessary humidity and temperature. The modern facility built for this purpose, with automatic equipment, helps rapidly carry out rooting processes, hardening rooted seedlings, etc. As a result, a new rooted seedling, ready to be planted in open fields on agricultural holdings, is produced within 10–12 months, compared with the 6 years it took at the beginning of large-scale production. The advantages of this method are technological and economic.” (According to ATSH)

Përmet in figures and achievements Increasing production efficiency, with emphasis on meeting the enterprise’s net income targets, has helped fulfill and exceed the plan. All enterprises in the industrial system have exceeded their targets for the four-month period. We single out the food-processing enterprise, which exceeded its industrial production target by 5 percent; meanwhile, the enterprise’s net income exceeded its target by 9.4 percent, and goods worth 340 thousand lekë above plan were delivered for export. Here, 2,800 quintals of milk and 580 quintals of peri-prodh [?] were processed above plan. In view of the figures and their growth in recent days, the new sausage-production line has also now been completed. The group of specialists and innovators worked persistently to set it up: Dhimitraq Nasi, Petrit Hadaj, Robert Dhimi-tri, Gjergj Gjata, etc. The machinery and equipment for the line’s technological process were secured by the enterprise itself, also in cooperation with other collectives in the district. Most of them were manufactured in the machine shop of the miscellaneous-products enterprise. Now, on the eve of May 1, this line, with a production capacity of 5 quintals a day, is beginning production. PËRPARIM MUSTAFAJ

Among the good results achieved by enterprises in the industrial system in the district of Berat, exports are also worth mentioning: goods worth around 6 million lekë more than planned have been delivered. Stathi Kavaja, director of the food enterprise «Koli Myzeqari», says that the close ties and cooperation with the district’s agricultural economies, from which they also obtain raw materials for export, have been recognized. In this regard, the enterprise has also expanded into the villages. We do not hinder them; [the source text is unclear here: “pranë tyre janë fundin, pra vjel-jen e prodhimit, por mekanike”]. The district’s mechanical, oil and textile enterprises are also involved, with the aim of producing export goods in the second quarter. Specialists in the industry section believe that this task is becoming more difficult: although these factories have sent the first sample cards [or: sample catalogues], no reply has yet been received. We believe there is no reason for the reply to be delayed, as it would help further expand the range of export products across the district. ASLLAN SARAÇI

Workers in the industrial system in the district of Fier have exceeded their targets for the period, producing goods worth 15 million lekë more than planned. Among the enterprises in the light-industry system, the cotton collection-and-processing collective stands out; it fulfilled its six-month targets on April 20. This collective also did good work in meeting its financial indicators, exceeding its net-income target and its cost-reduction target. All contractual obligations and product-range targets were met. This was made possible by the good work done to conserve raw materials, such as cotton thread, cottonseed, etc. SAKO SHEQI

The museums in the villages of Piqueras, Nivl-çë, etc., in the district of Sarandë, have become centers for educating young people, where veterans and members of the families of martyrs and heroes speak and share their memories. They contain various documents from the period of the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War and from earlier historical periods. In the villages of Nivicë and Përparim, teachers and activists of the FD organization are carefully collecting War, songs dedicated to the martyrs, accounts of various historical events, etc. Such work is helping people learn more about the history of the villages and this district, with its long-standing patriotic traditions. (According to ATSH)

(Photo: G. Xhengö - ATSH)