We have entered the sixth month of this year and are continuing our work. It is now clear to everyone that its tasks are distinctive. They stem from the great importance of the decisions of the recent Plenum of the Party’s Central Committee. In implementing these decisions, the working people, while working to fulfil this year’s plans, will prepare to implement the new economic mechanism, which, according to the laws passed by the People’s Assembly at its last session, comes into force on 1 January 1991. This is a very busy period for Party organs and organizations, government and economic bodies, and mass organizations in the districts and at the centre. The work to be done and the problems to be resolved bring 1 January very close. Preparations for enterprises to move to independent accounting must be comprehensive. In order to prepare for this qualitative transition, take a step toward the new mechanism and gain experience in its implementation, some enterprises in different sectors of the economy will move to independent accounting as of 1 July this year. This mass experiment is intended to realize and verify in practice, as soon as possible, the advantages of managing enterprises through independent accounting. Everyone is convinced of the unquestionable superiority of the new economic mechanism. But putting it into practice and verifying it will make those advantages more tangible. It has been stressed that there will be difficulties and obstacles, but none that cannot be overcome. This year’s experiment will serve as a “test run”; any haste in the operation of enterprise management through independent accounting could become a source of illusions and uncertainty about the method’s future results. Therefore, for this experiment to yield the expected results and experience, extensive preparatory work is needed in all enterprises and branches of the economy. First and foremost, Party organs and organizations must set cadres and specialists in motion to clarify for the respective collectives how the new mechanism is to be implemented, encourage advanced economic and technical thinking to give the new management method a spirit of enterprise, and demand a new spirit of work and management from administrations. The new mechanism and management through independent accounting tolerate neither complacency nor incapacity, whether in work or management, nor globalism or other harmful phenomena. Which enterprises will move first to independent accounting? This is a question that economic bodies in the districts and ministries must ask now. As the saying goes, “What seed you choose is the bread you will bake.” Can you expect experience in implementing the new economic mechanism in the second half of this year, for example, from enterprises with high levels of inability to pay, with goods that turn over slowly and with excess stocks in their warehouses? Certainly not. Independent accounting will bear fruit only after the shortcomings and negative consequences inherited from the old management method have been cleared away and eliminated. Great care is needed here, and much work must be done during the days remaining until 1 July and thereafter. Independent accounting requires improvements to the organization of sectors and departments. No set formulas need be issued on this matter, of course, but wherever experience exists it should be studied and used now, on the eve of the move to independent accounting. Otherwise, enterprises’ organizational structures will have to be identified and adjusted during the experiment, according to the circumstances and needs dictated by practice. The workers of the enterprises moving to independent accounting in the second half of this year have the task of fulfilling the plans assigned to them. The new mechanism will encourage the fulfilment of targets in quantity and quality, variety and timeliness, in line with users’ needs. However, in certain enterprises and branches, imbalances have also been allowed in the distribution of targets among quarters and half-years, overloading the second half of the year or the fourth quarter. Wherever the experiment is to begin, the indicators urgently need to be reviewed so that they match actual capabilities. This must be done now and also kept firmly in mind in the planning currently under way for next year. During this period, finance and banking bodies have particular tasks: to verify and clear the accounts, eliminating shortcomings observed in the first half of the year or carried over from earlier periods. Intensive work in these days and those ahead must not be confined to the enterprises whose doors independent accounting will knock on 1 July. The year 1991 is not far away, and preparations for implementing the new economic mechanism are needed everywhere. The A to Z of preparations for every collective is the struggle to fulfil plans, thereby creating the material, financial and foreign-currency resources for this management method. Meanwhile, by following the progress and experience of enterprises that begin operating under independent accounting this year, everyone must sit down and address concretely the many complex problems arising from implementation of the new mechanism. The advantages of 1 July and thereafter. Independent accounting calls for improvements to the existing structure of enterprises, especially where organizational structures were established not on the basis of economic studies but by administrative orders. It rules out bloated administrative staffing. In view of this, and of the other factors that condition its implementation within enterprises, down to their smallest units, improvements will be needed; organizational arrangements inherited from the past must be reorganized. needed everywhere. The A to Z of preparations by At the same time, operating under independent accounting this year, concrete efforts must be made everywhere to identify and resolve the many complex problems that arise in implementing the new mechanism.

The 14th Conference of the National Commissions of the Balkan countries for UNESCO continued its work yesterday morning. Participants discussed and expressed their views in accordance with the agenda. Speaking about the activities of the commissions between the two conferences, in connection with the directions of work for the World Decade for Cultural Development, representatives of the commissions highlighted the ways and forms that could be pursued to advance cultural cooperation; views were expressed on expanding multilateral cultural exchanges at the Balkan level. It was proposed that, in the period between the two conferences, meetings be organized on issues concerning the study and enrichment of Balkanological collections in national libraries; on organizing summer courses in Balkan languages for translators and employees of scientific institutions that study the language, history and culture of the Balkan countries; on organizing Balkan festivals and film festivals; and on establishing an information office for the relevant fields of UNESCO, etc. Representatives of the Balkan countries presented reports detailing the commissions’ activities within the framework of the International Literacy Year, the implementation of decisions made and recommendations adopted during the multilateral consultation of experts on the study and exchange of school textbooks of the Balkan countries. The national UNESCO commissions for the Balkans also expressed their readiness to implement all the decisions to be made jointly at this conference. The conference will continue its work on Saturday morning. (ATSH)

Yesterday afternoon, the Chairman of the Committee for Culture and the Arts, prof. Alfred Uçi, received in one of the halls of the Palace of Congresses the delegations attending the 14th Conference of the National Commissions of the Balkan countries for UNESCO, which is being held in Tirana. Yesterday afternoon, the Chairman of the Committee for Culture and the Arts, prof. Alfred Uçi, received in one of the halls of the Palace of Congresses the delegations attending countries for UNESCO, which is being held in Tirana. He expressed his best wishes for the successful proceedings of the conference and said that these contacts, which should and can take place more frequently, would serve to expand cooperation in the field of culture as well and to strengthen the spirit of understanding among the peoples and countries of our region. The reception took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere. (ATSH)

At the Deep Oil Processing Plant, Ballsh. (Photo: N. Xhufka)

— The Plenum of the General Council of the BPSH convened — Yesterday, in one of the halls of the “Enver Hoxha” Museum in the capital, the Plenum of the General Council of the BPSH convened to discuss the tasks facing the organizations of the BP in increasing the role of the working class in implementing the decisions of the 10th Plenum of the Party’s Central Committee and the instructions of comrade Ramiz Alia. Also participating were the chairmen of the councils and committees of the BPS, from the districts, regions and several enterprises; leading workers, cadres and specialists; representatives of central mass organizations; social activists; and other guests. Also present were a member of the Political Bureau of the Party’s Central Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, comrade Rita Marko; the minister and Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Niko Gjyzari; and other comrades. The meeting was opened by Sefir Kocolari, president of the General Council of the BPSH. In the report, “The Tasks of the General Union of Workers Committee,” delivered by Namik Dokle, secretary of the General Council of the BPSH, and in the discussions by the participants, it was emphasized that our working class received the decisions of this Plenum and the instructions of comrade Ramiz Alia on democratizing the country’s economic and social life with enthusiasm and revolutionary optimism, because it sees in them the opening up of new prospects for

At the National Historical Museum These days, an exhibition of fine arts (antiques) has opened in one of the halls of the Historical Museum, presenting around 600 objects of artistic value and exceptional beauty. They are works by Albanian and foreign masters, dating from the 14th century to the beginning of our century. The silver and gold objects made by master craftsmen from Berat, Elbasan and Shkodra in the 18th and 19th centuries attract visitors with their beauty, finesse and outstanding craftsmanship. Among them are spoons, knives and household sets that were used in Albanian homes. Among the religious objects, one that stands out is a large silver cross gilded with gold, made in Berat centuries ago. The 14th-century Epitaph of Gjilanica is another object that draws visitors. The works of foreign masters also testify to distinctive art and refined craftsmanship, but above all to the relations our country had in the past with other peoples and countries. This exhibition includes household sets in porcelain, gold or silver, made 200 years ago in the Far East, in Japan, China, etc., as well as French porcelain from the time of Napoleon, whose colours still retain their brilliance today. Among the most remarkable objects attracting visitors’ attention are miniature copies of masterpieces of world art, such as the Venus de Milo, etc. You can also find a miniature clock there, a copy of London’s Big Ben clock tower, which chimes with the very same sound. The objects displayed in this exhibition are numerous, and although they all have value and beauty, it is impossible to mention them all. But, as the Museum employee Izmini Haxhiu told us, the exhibition is only a small part of the great cultural treasure preserved in our homes and surroundings. “Many people, when they see a particular object, say: ‘I have one just like this, or even more beautiful.’ Many of them express the wish to lend these antique works of art for exhibition, with the right to have them returned. This would be of interest to us, so we will try to make this exhibition, the first of its kind in our country, a permanent one. In this way, many more antique works will be made available to visitors.” EGON TOMORRI

● Making further use of the collective output, workers at economic enterprises in the district of Kukës are backing concrete initiatives that lead to increased labor productivity. The miners and chromite-ore processors in Kalimash stand out; working at a rate 4 percent higher than planned, they extracted over 5,500 tons more chromite ore than the target for the January–May period. ● In the district of Fier, employees of the road and railway transport system have set an example: for the January–May period, they fulfilled the work volume in ton-kilometers by a wide margin and did so ahead of schedule. Particularly noteworthy are the drivers and mechanics of the Industrial Park, who showed that transport targets were exceeded in every category. The work targets in tons of goods and ton-kilometers were met at 108 and 111 percent, respectively, while costs were reduced by 45 thousand lek. ● Improvements in the quality of many products and the achievement of targets for product variety led to net income at the “Koli Myzeqari” food enterprise in Berat being exceeded by nearly 100 thousand lek. Industrial production for the January–May period was achieved here as early as May 15, and work is now being carried out for the account of the second ten-day period of June. The most notable overfulfillment was achieved by the workers at the canning factory, where 27 tons more pickling onions, red peppers and peas were canned than required by the target. Production capacity has been increased for the summer season. (According to ATSH)

LETTERS FROM REMOTE AREAS Along the new road leading to Salaria, the first houses you come across are those in the Deliaj neighborhood, there on the beautiful pass beside the great gorge. The center of Salaria is not yet visible from here, but at this pass you are overcome by a pleasant feeling rarely encountered at these heights. The cluster of fruit trees—with grapevines, figs, apples and cherries—brings to mind the first cold spells that herald the change of seasons and shows that these people are not simply livestock herders. And this becomes a conviction when you learn that people have come from the town to obtain certificates for the young women, well known in these parts. Salaria, with its stone houses topped with slate, has always had its whiteness; but these days the people of Salaria are making it even whiter. It is the anniversary of Selam Musaj’s fall, so they are giving the walls and courtyards a fresh coat of care. Selam Musai, cast in bronze, stands facing the village, his gaze turned toward the Kreshta Pass beneath Këndrevica, where 70 years ago he set out for Vlora with the men of these parts to fight in the war of 1920. With 300 of its brave men, Tepelena has its place in this historic event, which undoubtedly remains rooted in Salaria. You can see this so clearly in the house museum. But when you meet Këzen, the hero’s daughter, you feel it even more. Now enjoying her old age, she speaks simply and beautifully about the days of the war: about the days when Selami set out, about the news that came to the village, and about how his hair was not cut because brave men did not have their hair shorn. The people’s song also speaks of Selam Musanë. “The sun rises when it falls! On the mountains of Salaria/ when Selam Musai comes...” It has been only a few months since Salaria became a cooperative in its own right. It has 140 households. This seems to have strengthened these people’s confidence. Their sights are set on livestock, but they have also started to plan better for other things. As we walk along the road, Luman Seferi, head of the economic department, shows us a lime kiln where two machines are burning lime. “So far we have fired three of these, but we have sold only two,” Luman tells us. From these sales alone, the economy earned 28 thousand lek, which means that the value of a day’s work increased by 1.5 lek as a result. Salaria is a land of sheep, but now people understand that this is not all there is to a place with a livestock-raising tradition. They talk about the future, about making a better way for goats, and draw up forecasts and plans. It is true that we exceeded the five-month milk plan by 250 quintals, but the fact that only 830 of the 2,630 small livestock being raised are goats is a shortcoming. Here, love for sheep has deep roots, but when conditions allow, goats are no less valuable. Neim Zhupa, foreman of the wool-bearing sheep, tells us that they are addressing two problems: increasing the number of animals and improving the breed of the sheep. They have considered and acted on both at the same time. “For ’91 we will add more than 600 dairy animals, and a year later we will double the number of small livestock. We will also do a better job this year of improving the sheep breed. The local breed will be used to achieve this.” (Continued on page 2)

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At the National Historical Museum The first exhibition of antiques These days, in one of the halls of

The BRPSH Committee of Region No. 2, in cooperation with the Youth Centers, is organizing these days the competition “What Is Your Opinion?”, with the participation of thousands of young people who will give their opinions on the results of the “World Cup ’90” matches using pre-prepared cards. The first-place winners will receive as an incentive 60 percent of the total value of the five-lek tickets, while second place will receive 20 percent. The competition has also aroused the interest of young people in other regions. F. BËRDELLIMA