Stores ["Magasins Pilotes Socialistes"] in Algeria, At the beginning of January the Algerian press carried forward the campaign of explanation. "This year will mark an offensive against those who engage in speculation and who starve the population," said a typical article, "The government has decided to deliver a decisive blow against those who believe that they can, without danger to themselves, stockpile goods of prime necessity in order to let them out later at exorbitant profits. . ." (In one instance, several tons of sugar had been hoarded by a speculator in Algiers.)
The opening of the Socialist Pilot Stores coincided with the pre- _parations for Ramadan, the Muslim religious holiday, which might well have witnessed a sudden increase in prices and shortages of products, The new stores opened by the government offered essential goods at ordinary prices, particularly sugar and groceries which had of late disappeared from stalls in the wake of maneuvers by speculators,
The Socialist Pilot Stores are supplied normally by ONACO [Office ‘National du Commerce], a government body.
These measures of struggle against the high cost of living and against profiteers testify to the popular character of the Ben Bella- Boumaza leadership.
The Socialist Pilot Stores were created not with the idea of com= peting with tradesmen but of functioning with their collaboration, Both wholesalers and retailers can purchase supplies from ONACO at the same advantageous prices as the Socialist Pilot Stores, so long as they keep their prices down to the level set by the government,
As for the consumers, their satisfaction was demonstrated by the crowds that flooded the new stores when they were opened, A typical comment: "“Itts a real store for the people, Yesterday at a grocery store I paid 185 francs [almost $.40] for a kilo of sugar. Here it was only 152 francs, These stores will certainly contribute to com-+
ey
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pletely crushing those: who still have the outlook of colonialism."
During January a couple of dozen of these stores were opened in Algiers and a series in all the big urban centers of Algeria,
The fact should be underlined that like the whole Algerian socialist sector, the Socialist Pilot Stores operate under self~management, as defined in the famous Marc 965 Decrees, the charter of socia ist self-management,
Thus the employees held a General Assembly to democratically elect the organisms of self-management — (workers council, management committee), However, in view of the special character of these enterprises, where the workers are employees but not producers, the principal of the March Decrees, of interesting the workers materially through sharing the profits, was not maintained, In addition, in view of the importance of success for the Socialist Pilot Stores and the amount of financial involvement, the government designated a technical leadership to back the action of the self-management bodies,
on January 9 Boumaza declared: "“Functionaries who fail in their tasks will be just as much subject to punishment as dishonest trades~ men." This was not oratory. Boumaza cited the case of a former director of domestic trade in ONACO and of certain officials of the Miniswry whose cases are now before the courts,
On January 12, the National Assembly adopted « an important bill containing the following passage: "Anyone, civilian or military, in ‘the service of the state, of a department, or of a community, of a public establishment, a national or mixed economy company, who des~ troys, embezzles, dissipates or takes in any way for his own profit or that of anyone else, public or private funds, etc. . . valuable objects, goods, commodities. . . is subject to imprisonment from six months to twenty years and 2 fine of five hundred to two million new francs [$100 to $400, 000].'
Another paragraph of the law rules out pleas of innocence because of incompetency or inefficiency.
This law, which has begun to be applied against speculators, can, if it hits those who are really guilty, become a solid weapon in the hands of the revolutionary Algerians to safeguard the people against. profiteers and to struggle against bureaucrats seeking to turn to their own advantage the economic conquests of the socialist revolution,
70% DISLOYAL HAMLETS
"The bleak truth seems to be that of the 8,700 hamlets built by Diem, only 50 per cent are now considered Loyal. The others have either been dismantled or thoroughly penetrated by the Communists, " ~~ Newsweek, February 3 report on the situation in South Vietnam.
=~ 1LQ=
DEMONSTRATION IN LONDON OVER CYPRUS
LONDON =-- More than 1,000 persons turned out to a meeting called by the Movement for Colonial Freedom to hear Greek Cypriote leaders and Labour party Members of Parliament attack the policy of the Tory _* government toward Cyprus.
After the meeting, the audience joined in a demonstration that wound its way through central London, ending at the Commonwealth Relations Office where a deputation presented a letter addressed to Duncan Sandys, minister for Commonwealth relations.
The letter, signed by British Labour party MP's Fenner Brockway and William Warbey, urged that authority be given to the United Nations — and the Cyprus government, if any "policing" of the strife-torn island is necessary,
The two major speeches at the meeting were given by Warbey and Mr. Tallalis of the Greek Cypriote Co-ordinating Committee,
Warbey said that the Tory government was handling the dispute in Cyprus in such a way as to make a peaceful solution of the problem impossible, .
“We tried sending troops to Egypt," he said. “We tried sending. . troops to Malaysia. . . but it failed, ... Now we are asking the Americans to send troops to salvage the situation for us,"
He scored NATO as a belligerent alliance, "The intended NATO force is not to bring peace to Cyprus but to keep a NATO force in the heart of the East Mediterranean,"
While opposed to any intervention by NATO, Warbey had no alternative policy except intervention by the United Nations, whose record in Korea and the Congo can scarcely be considered a good recommenda~ tion for new involvements.
Warbey advocated that United Nations troops could be headed by some "neutral" country like "Canada" or "Poland,"
"The question is, where must our loyalties lie. . . to the UN or to the NATO alliance? For members of the British Labour party and colonial freedom fighters, "their allegiance must first of all be to the UN," he said,
Mr, Tellalis spoke along much the same lines as Warbey.
The meeting sent telegrams to Foreign Minister R.A.Butler, the American and Soviet ambassadors and. President Makarios expressing opposition to any NATO force and urging support for UN involvement,
The leadership of the British Communist party are in agreement ‘+ with this proposal, Ina page one spread February 5, the Daily Worker
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had only praise for it. Not a word of suggestion that the affairs of Cyprus should be left to the Cypriotes, and that the imperialist powers should get out of the island along with their troops, military - bases, and policy of stirring up fratricidal conflict,
THE SPECIAL CONGRESS OF THE