Let us draw attention to this Last year, to guarantee the market’s supply of potatoes, we imported quite a large amount of this product, much sought after by consumers. We also imported beans, since very little was produced. Whenever necessary, the state has brought in essential everyday products through imports, and it will continue to do so. But people are also rightly raising this concern: why are many seasonal vegetables missing from the market? Are we going to import cabbage, onions, spinach, herbs, carrots, etc. as well?! Many products [partly illegible] from imports. But we should not look abroad for everything, and not everything can be brought in through imports. Thanks to our favourable climate, vegetables, potatoes and beans can be produced to meet our needs, and also for export. Why there are no vegetables on the market is not something for which the state should bear responsibility, nor should we, like spendthrifts, pay dollars to buy them in foreign markets. No, this must not happen. We do not have money to spare to buy from others even those things that we can very well produce ourselves. We have done business and will continue to do so. We will sell potatoes when it is profitable for us, but we will also buy profitably. However, to do business, first and foremost we must produce for our own needs, as well as for sale. If the production and delivery of vegetables and potatoes amount to minimal figures, we must look to our own work for the cause. There is no need to put ourselves under «obligations» and difficulties by seeking these products through imports when we are also short of many other products that we cannot make ourselves. So, if we are to have more of these products than those imported, we must not spend dollars on everything we can make ourselves. If it is now time to plant early potatoes, let us go ahead and plant them. Let us plant them both for our own needs and for export, since it is profitable. But how can we say this task is accomplished when, compared with last year, we have planted less than 50 per cent of the area? The same can be said of luedulla or seasonal vegetables. The figures «speak» badly; things are not going well. So, if we are not to ask others in order to eat better and improve the market, we must work harder. Only through work can we ourselves put many things right that do not seem normal to us.

The chemical enterprise is increasing its business ties with foreign firms day by day. In cooperation with the Italian firm BALLESTRA, the department producing shoe polish has been reconstructed. The purchased production line is being installed, and the materials have arrived. Production will also begin during the first quarter. In cooperation with the Yugoslav firm NEVEMA LESKOVAC, the enterprise has also produced dishwashing liquid, which has just appeared on the market. Work is also being done with this firm to expand production of liquid detergent. Meanwhile, work is under way with two firms, one Dutch and one Danish, to determine how to reconstruct the washing-powder factory. The issue of producing varnish and alkyd resin is being worked out with several other firms. All this cooperation has been accompanied by a reduction in imported raw materials, replacing them with domestic products without compromising quality. MORE FOR THE MARKET Yesterday, the market in the city of Gjirokastër was lively, with the sale, at differentiated prices, of stocks of goods that were moving slowly. Their sale—clothing, small articles, stationery, artistic goods, etc.—has begun in the districts’ localities through the trading enterprise. Meanwhile, the cooperatives of the enterprises and trade branches continue working to reassess other stocks of goods. Correspondents of «Zëri i popullit»

- GJIROKASTËR - We attended an expanded meeting of the management board at the freight vehicle depot in Gjirokastër. The year has not started well. Work has not been going smoothly these past few days either. There are subjective reasons—discouragement and lack of mobilization among the workers—but there are also shortages. Both factors have caused work to falter. How can this situation be overcome? The tires and fuel that were missing until recently have arrived, but spare parts are lacking, especially batteries. Both before and now, workers have raised the question of suggestions: we are in a border district and also have a chamber of commerce; can’t we resolve these supply shortages by giving and taking through cross-border trade? No one from the depot has gone or made inquiries abroad about these requests, even though this seems so easy. The foreign currency allocation requested by the enterprise is not being made available to it. A suggestion must be sound and appropriate. Why is no work being done to establish joint companies with our neighbours, whether for buses or taxis, when the other side is known to be willing? Could it not be more beneficial to privatize the taxi service? What if today’s depot itself were reorganized into smaller, more flexible enterprises? The path of suggestions is open and worthwhile. As in every sector, in transport too, new ideas and forms of organization may be more effective than the current ones. They could ease many difficulties and the negative consequences of the depot’s inventory situation and shortages of spare parts. But they must not turn work into empty debate. Drivers and mechanics must work with discipline; the advantages of operating vehicles on two shifts must be used, and the necessary employment must be ensured. Most of the workforce is doing just that, but a few drivers and mechanics have room for reflection. Only then will work and suggestions together change and improve the unsatisfactory state of transport in this district. THANAS DINO

- MAT - Several work collectives of economic enterprises in the district of Mat, with the results they have achieved at the beginning of this year, promise steady performance in the future as well. They are responding to the democratic processes and the situation that has arisen with work and comprehensive efforts. Thus, at the Klos mining enterprise, its miners and furnace workers continue on the path of fulfilling the plan’s targets across the board. During the first 25 days of January, the set targets were met steadily, both in mineral extraction and in mining operations. The workforce at the enrichment plant in Krastë is also working with great commitment these January days, having so far produced 100 tons of chromium concentrate above plan. It has pledged to produce 1,000 tons beyond the target by the end of the year. The sawmill workers and other employees of the wood-processing enterprise, the municipal repair and services enterprise, the «Karl Marks» hydroelectric power station in Ulëz, etc., are also working with a sense of responsibility. Work is proceeding at a higher pace these days in the chromium mines at Batër and Krastë as well. Many sections, such as level I, 280, and zone A-8, are exceeding their targets. Their example is being followed by others too. But in some collectives, such as those at the ferrochrome plant, the construction enterprise and a few others, work has not got off to a good start because of shortages of raw materials or other supplies. FERIT METUKU

- GRAMSH - At first glance, in the district of Gramsh, one gets the impression that there is no slackness at work. All the employees go to their enterprises and institutions as usual, observe the work schedule seriously, and so on. But let us be clear: this is only the outward appearance, because if you look into the matter, a different picture emerges. To reach this conclusion, it is enough to cite the figures for the first 20 days of January. Hetem Perfundi, an employee of the planning section attached to the district executive committee of the People’s Council, tells us that industrial production («goods sold») reached 71 per cent. The food enterprise, which reached only 54 per cent, and procurement, at 79 per cent, performed worse on this indicator. The volume of construction also stands at a similar level, reaching 72 per cent; exports, 62 per cent; transport volume in ton-kilometres, 82 per cent; goods turnover, 84 per cent, etc. Let us not cite any more figures of this kind, because they all lead us to one conclusion: although in the district of Gramsh you do not see many people in cafés or on the streets, and although employees and managers leave home at the appointed time and arrive at the gates of their enterprises at the appointed time, they still do not carry out their duties as they should. So even if you go to work regularly, you can still be slack at your job, because instead of getting on with it, you spend more time chatting and gossiping, indulging the desire to find out where this or that official will go, counting the benefits democracy brings to everyday life—and forgetting that democracy does not bring benefits by itself; democracy comes from the benefits we create through work. PIRRO VERUSHI

- OBSERVATION - A fact reported by Preng Prenga, chief engineer of the Puka forestry enterprise, is astonishing: today, our country’s forestry enterprises export unprocessed pine resin at a price of 300 dollars per ton, whereas the same quantity, processed at the turpentine-and-rosin factory in Fushë-Arrëz, sells for 623 dollars—more than twice the price of natural resin. At present, the factory’s entire output is exported, but its production capacity is utilized at only 35 to 70 per cent. Instead of signing contracts with this factory so that the resin can be sold after processing at twice the price it fetches now, the forestry enterprises prefer to export it directly themselves. So far, only 300 tons have been contracted for the Fushë-Arrëz factory. Last year, around 165,000 dollars were lost, not counting the negative effects of our resin exports, which end up competing with the by-products that buyers make from it. The surprise deepens when one learns that the chemical enterprise in Tirana imports rosin from neighbouring countries, while we sell them resin and leave our own factory idle. We say that we are in economic difficulty and seek help from others, while harming our own economy, as in the case above. This is not only economically illogical; one can say outright that it is economic folly. I believe it is essential that the relevant authorities decide that nothing should be sold unprocessed in these exports and similar cases when we have the capacity to process it at home. HALIL BUÇPAPAJ

From the fishing enterprise in Shëngjin, during this peri...

- Whoever pities the people of Mokër today is the one in trouble - “What’s all this, then? Who is this man feeling sorry for the peasantry of Mokër?” This whispered question passed from the comrade beside me to another, familiar or unfamiliar, to someone who had simply come to listen, to someone hoping to learn something clever. The speaker farther on gave his voice vivid emotional tones. Someone said, “He’s a cook.” Another said, “He’s a photographer.” These guesses were not believed. And, most importantly, no one believed that he might actually be from Mokër and speaking on Mokër’s behalf, trying to touch people, the people of Pogradec, as he said: “I feel sorry for the people of Mokër,” “for its poverty,” “for the exploitation inflicted on it by the delegates from the city,” etc. No, he is not from Mokër. This opinion prevailed, as if to dispel the bitter taste left by the speaker at the Democratic Party rally. And I, who as a journalist have climbed up to Mokër without being able to say what Mokër—and, above all, its hospitable people, so attached to their land and so eager for progress—has given me, believed it. This pseudo-democrat who dares to speak as a Mokër native must not be from Mokër. There was no need for me to talk to people of Pogradec whose roots are in Mokër and whose pride lies there, too. History has already decided who should represent the people of Mokër in genuine assemblies. And in history, Mokër has been represented by Gjok Mok-rari, known by the great name Gjokë Shqiptari, Muro Mokra, the brave heroine, the legendary partisan and commander Reshit Çollaku, and the patriot Zylo Kalluciç, along with many others. Mokër has many sons and daughters who are good workers and whose words carry weight in assemblies, in the squares of Pogradec and everywhere. I was thinking of all this as I climbed up to Mokër. I found Guri Ademi, chairman of the Pleshisht cooperative for many years and, now that the economy has been divided in two, chairman of the Oshtecë cooperative, in the village square. Seeing him reminded me of that October day when the district Party conference was held here in Pogradec, with comrade Ramiz Alia in attendance. As soon as Guri began his speech, comrade Ramiz interrupted him. Smiling, he asked: “What will the weather be like in Mokër tomorrow?” Guri almost had his answer ready: “All the hearts of the people of Mokër will become an umbrella and keep the rain off.” The next day, indeed, the weather cleared, and in the square at Pleshisht the people held an assembly with the leader, and of all this as I climbed up to Mokër. Guri himself has a particular understanding of things as, in a small room, he discusses the work in the square with the leader, alongside other cadres and specialists. The dialogue concerned very important issues, which can be summed up in a few words: how to develop the cooperative further so that it is viable; how to improve people’s well-being; what we should abandon and what new things we should cultivate as soon as possible. “The cooperative has a bright future if it is put on an effective path,” says Guri. “Anyone who thinks otherwise says so in order to undermine the cooperative, or is mistaken, or has an ulterior motive. If up to now we have not fully discovered the possibilities offered by this organization, that does not mean we should blame it. The claim, made even by people we have regarded as cultured and as men of letters, that the peasant is naturally a skeptic, melts here in Mokër like snow in spring. No, no, we are no longer mo— (Continued on page 2) ...with Gji and ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... A moment at work in the cigarette factory in Durrës. (Photo: N. Xhufka)

We talked at length that day with Ristan Gore. He is chairman of the Sarava agricultural cooperative in the district of Lushnjë. At our district office, he parted ways with the cooperative acquaintance. It seemed that the man had a problem, and, as I understood, the chairman had clarified it. After he left, Ristani began to tell me. “Do you know why that man came? Simply to make a criticism. He said to me: ‘Work has slackened, Chairman! Do you know this or not? If you do, take measures. We are keeping our eyes on this. We have a lot of work to do even now, in winter, but I see things slacking off. The work is “crying out” for someone to take charge…’” “And he is right,” I tell Ristani. This phenomenon can be seen elsewhere these days, too. “That’s true. There is a certain neglect of work in the village, too. People are busy with idle talk. That cooperative member is coming to the office for the first time. He is an honest and very hard-working man.” “His coming to the office is a call to work; it is a criticism of the cooperative administration.” “That’s how I understand it, too. Things are no longer managed as they were before. The farmer has greater demands. Every manager and specialist must think carefully about the sector in which they work. That is the lesson we are drawing from this situation. There is no other way. Let us return to work honestly and with redoubled effort, to make up for lost time.” Let us return to work! This is what the day demands. Not only in the city, but in the countryside as well. Indeed, even more so here. If some city enterprise is not working today because of a shortage of raw materials—something else, a shortage of raw materials or other material resources, means that work has not got off to a good start. With a high level of mobilization, the collective of the ore-processing plant in Krastë is also working chrome concentrate above plan. FERIT METUKU got off to a good start. Because of a shortage of raw materials or other material resources, work has not got off to a good start. FERIT METUKU ore-processing plant in Krastë is also working chrome concentrate above plan. PIRRO VERUSHI ore-processing plant in Krastë is also working chrome concentrate above plan. PIRRO VERUSHI The latest decision. After the cooperative was divided along village lines, its members returned to work. Shesh Agricultural Cooperative in the district of Tirana: numerous complaints about its chairman, Ramazan Dedja, had reached the highest authorities because the cooperative had been reduced to such a state. People were demanding that he be dismissed from his post. Finally, on January 14, after that pressure from below, the relevant higher bodies relieved this authoritarian chairman of his duties. But it was he himself who proposed the next chairman. The cooperative membership opposed this and demanded that the chairman come from outside the cooperative. After a few days, the delegates put forward the candidacy proposed by the former chairman. Once again there were objections— (Continued on page 3) ...MIR... ...KIR... ...and ... ...cilu ... ...govern... ...in ... ...of ... ...b... ...Alban... ...Govern... ... ...made ... ...territor... ... ...

NATIONAL LIBRARY TIRANA

● The Shëngjin fishing enterprise has caught 920 quintals of fish during this period, out of the total monthly plan of 1,100 quintals. This quantity has earned us 40 thousand lek more than the assigned target in the production of goods for sale, also affecting workers’ bonuses under the new economic mechanism. ● In the district of Korçë, a total of 30 thousand tons of organic manure has been collected so far. The aim is to fulfil 40 percent of the annual target within the first three-month period. ● Cooperative members and other agricultural workers in the district of Lushnjë have applied the second dose of nitrate fertilizer to more than 13 thousand hectares of wheat. Across the district, this process has so far been completed on more than 65 percent of the plots. ● During these days, the «8 Nëntori» agricultural enterprise in Sukth, in the district of Durrës, has supplied the market with more than planned: 20 quintals of leeks, spring onions, lettuce, carrots, etc.