The entire public has learned, through the press and Albanian Radio and Television, of the Council of Ministers’ Declaration on resolving the market mechanism and strengthening economic levers in agriculture. It is now clear that our country has embarked on and is moving along the path of deep and complex economic reform. It is becoming more tangible every day, its contours taking shape through decrees, decisions and documents, as well as through actions that follow and complement one another. The steps being taken are bold and measured. The above-mentioned Declaration is clear evidence of this. It is a concretization, deepening and practical implementation of this reform, undertaken by the Party of Labour. In its essence and as a whole, the complex of measures contained in this Declaration further democratizes economic relations within the village and throughout the country. The aim is clear: to make fuller use, through intensive means, of the great potential of our countryside, and to put agricultural land to more productive use for the benefit of the entire country’s economy. This urgent need of the times now has a free and open legal field in which to become reality. The farmer and the cooperative will feel fully liberated from the “vice” of rules and laws that constrained the breathing space of economic activity. The new criteria for procurement prices and the other economic levers, together with the broad scope afforded to cooperative autonomy and democracy, will bring the farmer and cooperative farming better prepared and more capable into the market economy. Private property in the countryside is taking on the dimensions it needs in order to compete fairly and realistically with other forms of ownership. Alongside the cooperative, the farmer has land and livestock; thus, there is a field in which to express his individuality and initiative. His personal interest, more directly harmonized with the collective interest, will drive him to seek ways to multiply his own and his family’s efforts and to coordinate all the factors. He will multiply his labor and sweat, knowledge, investment and efforts to achieve results. In this way the farmer will increasingly be a producer, processor and trader. Among other things, let us congratulate our farmers on securing a supply of wheat bread throughout the year. The Declaration has been issued. It must now be turned into a decision and implemented as soon as possible. Our farmers must feel and enjoy its fruits as soon as possible. Both delays and mistakes are costly. It is not appropriate to prescribe formulas. Everywhere, people should work and act in the way that is best and most productive, as local conditions dictate. This is no time to wait for instructions from above, either. The village people’s councils, cooperative management boards and district executive committees should be guided by this in their work. One instruction is self-evident: take care of the land. It is a great asset that we have at our disposal in such limited quantity. When we say that the grassroots must not wait, this does not mean that the center should stand still. No. It too—especially the Ministry of Agriculture, but also the other departments, trade and industry—must engage with this major issue. And the point is that we must start now, gain time, gain...

At the instrument drilling equipment repair and supply enterprise in Fier, master craftsman Bujar Çepeli at work. (Photo: N. Xhufka) At the instrument drilling equipment repair and supply enterprise in Fier, master craftsman Bujar Çepeli at work. (Photo: N. Xhufka)

The times call for completely new approaches to the Party’s work — Based on a conversation with Agim Lçka, secretary of the Party Committee of the Elbasan district — The first step in the current campaign for new Party elections is to conceive of it differently from all previous campaigns. In this sense? It will be undertaken with major changes. Indeed, these are not simply changes, because even saying that does not fully express the leap to a new stage. Starting with discussions in the grassroots organizations, they will have a different scope. The idea is to have as many discussions as possible in them, including differing and opposing views. In this way, a qualitatively new understanding will be developed of how the Party should work from now on. Major changes have taken place, so many things will be abandoned, as has already been done. The Party’s organizational structure itself, that is, the way it is built, needs to be streamlined. In its structure, priority will now naturally be given to the territorial basis. Nevertheless, there are also issues connected with the trade unions, youth, etc.; therefore, one cannot become detached from production and enterprises. To this end, many valuable opinions have recently been solicited from Party members and grassroots organizations. The draft program and the draft Party statute will also be discussed, so that the district Party conference can reflect the realistic views of all its members, without exception. My view, not as a secretary but as a Party member, is that everything should be open to discussion; but here I am wary both of the changes in approach that have been noticeable lately and of amateurish ones. Revitalizing and consolidating grassroots organizations, and avoiding a listless life in them, necessarily calls for eliminating some superfluous links, such as district Party committees and bureaus. We believe (following the completion of a preliminary study) that the number of our nearly 600 grassroots organizations should be halved. On the other hand, in the new elections for grassroots organizations, which will now have more participants, two or three candidates should be presented, and election by lists should be abandoned once and for all. I mean to say that we are late in renewing them. One can no longer imagine a plenary, bureau or Party committee apparatus without everyone having completed their education and possessing the cultural level required by the times. We are confident that the steps we will take will free the links between the Party committee’s bodies and apparatus, the grassroots organizations and each of their members from the bureaucracy of plans and directives from above. In this way, the Party, as a living organism, will breathe more freely.

— KORÇË — What has been done so far for the new Party elections? In answer to this question, here is what we learned from the apparatus of the Party of Labour committee of the Korçë district: First, at a special meeting of the bureau of the district PPSH Committee held a short while ago, the latest guidelines of the Party’s Central Committee were analyzed and interpreted in light of the district’s specific conditions. At this meeting, the bureau approved the study carried out on the organization of the Party in the district, in accordance with the processes of renewal. According to this study, of the 615 grassroots Party organizations currently existing throughout the district, there will be 249 grassroots organizations with a broader scope. Priority will be given to organizing them on a territorial and residential basis. After the meeting of the district Party bureau, in accordance with the program for the new elections, seminars were specifically held in 15 areas of the Korçë district, in both the countryside and the city, to explain the Central Committee’s guidelines on Party organization and the procedures for the new elections. The seminars were attended by Party secretaries as well as delegates appointed by the plenary of the district Party committee for the new elections. In the coming days, following these preparations, meetings to render account and hold new elections will begin.

At the seaport of Durrës Intensive work to handle the ships At the seaport of Durrës, organization, management and practical work are being stepped up to handle as quickly as possible the various ships that have arrived. Cargo is unloaded in two shifts, while work with minerals is carried out in one shift. At present, a ship loaded with wheat is being unloaded; this will be completed within the next two days. There is also a ship carrying sugar, another ship with 16,000 tons of corn, another with about 14,000 tons of wheat, and one with 2,500 tons of potatoes. Although mobilization is greater, the rapid dispatch of all the goods calls for more agile work by everyone, including the railway, motor transport depots, foreign and domestic trade bodies, etc. Various goods for the economy are arriving. In the minerals area, a 22,000-ton ship carrying coking coal is being unloaded. Meanwhile, the ships «Teuta» and «Bashtova», loaded with soybean meal, are waiting in the roadstead to enter the port. The ships «Partizani», «Dajti» and «Sazani», loaded with various goods, are also waiting to be unloaded. Meanwhile, a foreign ship is being loaded with nitrogen fertilizer for export, and another with tobacco. These days, as the port managers told us, one is expected to arrive... ...wheat and one with 2,500 tons of pallets. Although mobilization is greater, the rapid clearance of all goods requires more agile work from everyone: the railway, motor vehicle depots, foreign and domestic trade authorities, etc. We say this because, although most of the goods have been cleared, considerable quantities of goods that are so necessary for the economy have nevertheless been sitting for several days in the port’s warehouses and open yards, such as laminarin, pipes, chemicals, equipment for industry, etc. Likewise, 4,300 tons of wheat and 2,300 tons of barley have still not been cleared. The practice of delays must come to an end, because a seaport is not a warehouse. SOTIRAQ GJORDENI

I am neither a specialist in this field nor fully informed about what is still holding this matter up, but as a citizen I can see one thing: so far, in practice, services remain as they were. The legal provisions on this issue have been available for some time. The draft constitution... So, why are we delaying? Is this not another cause of work-rule violations? From the limited information provided on television, it appears that privatization depends not only on privatizing activities but also on the premises and buildings. Such a thing does not... We are interested in privatizing the activities, the services. For a while, let the premises remain state-owned and be rented out to the people who are operating there today and who want to continue doing so as private operators. Let them be given the work tools and the equipment of the premises that they need

Visiting the exhibition These days, in the premises of the National Museum, the photographic exhibition “This Is Israel” is on display, representing Israel’s activities. In the exhibition set up in the hall on the Museum’s top floor, the collection of photographs of the country presents not only views of the city of Jerusalem, but many others as well. Among them, “This Is Israel” particularly catches the eye, resembling a description of the country by its author, Foga Peri, who began in Iraq and emigrated to Israel in the 1950s, taking his brothers with him. He writes: “Jerusalem of my heart! Every stone of it reminds me of the spiritual and cultural world of the Holy City. The past and the present, the ancient and the modern, are here... (Continued on page 3)

– TEPELENË – The pace of fulfilling production tasks and other indicators is rising in most of the economic enterprises in the Tepelenë district. This is evident from the achievements during this period and the actual state of work discipline. Of the 25 enterprises and branches, [they] have fulfilled their tasks in their main indicators, and efforts are being made to stabilize the situation completely. The land-reclamation enterprise, the housing enterprise, the collection and processing enterprise, the food enterprise, the handicraft services enterprise, the forestry enterprise, the pastures enterprise, and others stand out for their better achievements. As the director of the collection and processing enterprise, Lavdosh Limaj, told us, they see stability at work as depending on strengthening accountability at every level and maintaining close ties between managers and employees, as well as making effective use of material resources. In fact, employees who have consistently achieved their planned output have been given an additional bonus. Such a practice can also be seen at the municipal housing enterprise and the land-reclamation enterprise, headed by Skënder Hasa and Sami Jaupi. Both enterprises have fulfilled almost all their planned indicators. The land-reclamation enterprise is making good progress on construction of the Bënçë hydroelectric facility and on completing the pumping station at Leshnjë. There are also enterprises in the district that have still not overcome their failure to meet targets; among them is the Memaliaj coal mine, which is facing serious difficulties due to a pronounced shortage of intermediate transport... J0RGO ZHONGA

– GJIROKASTËR – Recently, the establishment of the joint enterprise “A. Glina” was approved, with its headquarters in Glinë, between the firm co-founded by Nam Peci, who resides in America, and the Gjirokastër food enterprise. Through the renewal of its technology, the new enterprise will double its processing capacity for the well-known Glina mineral water, increase its quality for the domestic market and exports, improve its packaging and labeling, and improve its transport system within the country and abroad. Under the contract, profits will be divided proportionally, and a wage increase of up to 50 percent will be provided for the workers employed there. THANAS DINO

Yesterday we got hold of the newspaper “Koha jonë,” the organ of the Labour Party committee of the Lezhë district. What struck us was that four of its six pages carried the heading: “The newspaper ‘Koha jonë’ must live.” As we learned, this was the last issue of this newspaper, which, like its sister publications, has secured a firm place in the social life of this district. Among those who had signed this final issue, with their civic appeal for the newspaper not to be closed, were MP Zef Nikolla, the chairman of the district branch of the Republican Party, Pal Pali, the “Besëlidhja” sports club, Candidate of Sciences Qazim Dushku, as well as veterans, teachers, journalists from the newspapers “Bashkimi” and RD, military personnel, students, etc. In other words, it was, so to speak, a call from the whole city not to close the newspaper. As is known, local newspapers in all districts are currently organs of the district Labour Party committees. Some of them have now been published for 20–25 years, while most are in their early years of publication. We think we are not alone in stressing that they have become an integral part of life in the districts: they are their chronicles, their written history, the pulse of their joys and concerns; ultimately, they are an integral part of today’s cultural heritage, whose value will grow in the hands of generations to come. It is said that there are no funds to keep the local newspapers going. This may seem true. But we think there are plenty of other sectors that do not justify the expenses incurred. For example, dozens of institutes in Tirana and many projects produced under scientific titles, yet the work of many of them has yielded little. We think that the newspaper “Tirana,” with its small staff of journalists and many contributors, has made a much greater contribution in quite a few fields, and in addressing the urgency of the issues it has raised, than they have. Local newspapers have been and remain at the forefront of the struggle against manifestations of bureaucratism, yet it seems to us that it is often precisely bureaucrats who decide the fate of a newspaper. Meanwhile, the shortage of paper has often been discussed. Until now, the local press has felt these shortages only slightly. Now we are seeing one new newspaper after another appear, which means paper is available. It seems to us that this obstacle, too, should not be considered insurmountable for the local press. Not simply from the standpoint of a journalist, but as a citizen, we believe that, beyond party prejudices, local newspapers must live on. They need not be the organs of just one party; they can be pluralistic, their price can be changed to cover expenses, and they can become organs of the people’s councils of each district. In any case, we do not think that an administrative order—“Close the newspaper!”—can be the only right course. Our country is going through many hardships. Naturally, people have basic necessities, such as food, and so on. But we also have a great need for the press, this daily spiritual nourishment. Local newspapers have an irreplaceable place in our pluralistic press. Political forces and local authorities in the districts can agree on a solution to this problem. Just as people rejoice when a new newspaper appears, they also feel pain when another one is closed. ALBERT SHALA

— Report from Elbasan — Work stoppages caused by shortages of raw materials, both during the past period and earlier, led to a decline in the output of many finished products. During these days in April, it can be said that something has changed for the better. Thus, although work at the carpet enterprises has once again come to a complete halt because of a shortage of wool, and at the NPV work is intermittent, daily production targets have been met and exceeded at several other enterprises, such as the power complex, the wood complex, NPA-1, the carbon-products plant, the oil-and-soap enterprises and the cooperatives. Meanwhile, Plant 12 and the nickel-cobalt plant also resumed work in recent days. Soon, the cast-iron and rolling mills will also be working at full capacity. So, during this month efforts are being made to ensure that all three complexes in the industrial metallurgical region continue production normally, after a relatively long stoppage at certain plants. In recent days, considerable difficulties have arisen in the transport sector. The quantity of diesel fuel that arrived in Elbasan during the first two weeks of April amounts to only 67 percent of the plan. Even so, priority is being given chiefly to supplying agriculture and passenger transport. Will the stoppages observed in the three complexes of the metallurgical region happen again? This is a question that concerns both the workers and the specialists. Here is the answer: coke supplies are guaranteed through 10 May by imported coal. What about after that? For the period after 10–15 May, the foreign-trade authorities have not yet guaranteed the necessary quantities of coal. Indeed, it seems that the letter of credit for this purpose has not been opened. Now is precisely the time for foreign trade, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, to take an interest without delay in securing the necessary quantity of coal. Raising the alarm only when the coal stocks in the depots have run out will be far too late. Correspondent of “Zëri i popullit”