ECONOMIC: INDUSTRIES, TRANSPORTATION AND ROADS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A005300530009-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 26, 2007
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: November 1, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/06/26: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005300530009-9
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This material contains Information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States within the mean-
ing of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C. Secs. 793
and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in
any manner to an unauthorized person Is prohibited
by law.
SUBJECT Economic:
Industries, Transportatior and Roads
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
12 November 1954
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
L. The most important factory at Durres is the NDSHGOMA '7dermarrje Shtetnore
^nmfjp State Rubber Factory). The main work at this factory is the repair of
old tires. Some rubber articles are also made. Raw rubber is not believed to
be imported. Old tires are melted down and the rubber used again. The site
is off the main road which leads to the harbor before entering the center of
the town.
2. The tobacco factory is on the right of the. main road from Tirana at the
entrance to the town.
3. The principal flour mill is on the left of the main road roughly opposite
the tobacco factory. Approximately 150 members of the mill joined Shnum (the
paramilitary organization), so that the number of employees is estimated at
between 150 and 200.
Fier
4. The cotton plant (or Kombinat'I Pambukut) is on the east side of the road to
'lone, about 1 to lj km south of Fier town. It is a building of roughly F
shape. The main building is 50 - 60 m. in length and contains machinery,
while the two wings contain raw cotton store: and baling facilities. It is
a ginning plant only and the product is sent to the Stalin plant at Tirana.
Sarande
5. There are no factories at Sarande. The main industry of the district is
citrus fruit. Fully 80% of this industry's production goes to the Soviet
Union, Seca^ri industry is olive growing. The town has electricity for
lighting purposes, but there is no knowledge of any new power station.1 There
is a primitive fish saltery.
6. The government has devoted attention to the fishing industry which was under-
developed. The Albaniar Workers' (Communist) Pa-ty has urged on the
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Government the importance of setting up a canning industry for fish and other
products.
Shkoder
7. There is no textile factory at Shkoder. There is however, a machine knitting
factory. Its prod>ction is knitted material, not garments. This factory
was an old privatc$ -owned one, taken over by the present regime. All the work
is done by machines. There are at least 150 women workers.
8. The most importrr+ tobacco factory in the country is in Shkoder. Tobacco
grown in the district is among the best.
9. Other industries in Shkoder are the old cement plant, and a state experimental
farm for stock and agriculture.
Oil Industry
10. At Kucove oil field (Stalin town) there is a refinery, originally built before
or during the war by the Italians, but believed to have been improved by the
present regime. It produces petrol, paraffin and gasoil.
11. Work at the Kucove oil refinery has not progressed satisfactorily. Between 1949
and 1952 the local Party Committee was changed three times. Accusations were
made of failure in the ~r ^^^^ of duty, anti-Sovietization, and failure to
employ Soviet methods. Piro Kondi of the Albanian Workers' (.Communist) Party
was sent as a special investigator to K-t-ove. Ether ro-ty and Qovernment func-
tionaries includinL;rehmet Shehu,, Spiro Koleva and Liro Belishova made a tour
of inspection of the oil refinery.
12. Some wells at Kucove have dried up and production has decreased whereas the
oil field further west at Patos is on the increase.
13. In 1952, Soviet Engineers had claimed the existence of an oil 'river' under
Fier town (not far from Patos) and they even proposed the demolition of the
town in order to exploit this source for oil.
14. Kucove is an oil town. There are shops and all necessary institutions and
everyone there is in some way connected with the oilfield.
State Farm
15. At Sukth, on the Tirana side of Shijak, is one of the largest State farms.
It 3c engaged in agriculture and stock raising. All cultivation is done by
MTS (m3,chine tractor station?). There are no draft animals. There are model
cow--oheas but no electric milking. True statistics of production are not known,
and officially published figures are certainly faked.
16. The main "Motor Pools" are at Tirana, Shkoder, Durres, Vlone, and Elbisan.
They are enclosed parking yards and garage workshops. There are smaller .notor
pools at other towns. All are under the Ministry of Communications.
17. Vehicles in those motor pools are used principally by official authorities for
miscellaneous needs and crop collections. The state undertakings have their own
transport, but they can requisition vehicles from these pools in case of need.
Passenger motor-buses are perhaps the largest users of these motor pools.
18. Buses service all main towns out of Tirana, and there are subsidiary services
form these towns to smaller towns. The main services are all by bus, the
subsidiary services mostly by truck.
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Tirana-Korce, 3 trips each way daily.
Note: The service passes Elbasan but the public is not allowed to travel
from Tirana to Elbasan by bus but only by train. If a person wishes to go
from Elbasan to Korce he must reserve a seat on the bus from Tirana and
pay the whole fare while he travels from Tirana to Elbasan by train.
Tirana-Gjinokaster, 2 trips on the bus ea'h way daily.
Route: Durres, Lushnje, Vlone, Tepelene.
Tirana-Shkoder, 2 trips each way daily.
Tirana-Derat, 1 trip each way daily.
Tirana-Vlone, 1 trip each way daily
Tirana-Peshkopi, 1 trip each way daily.
Route: Milot, Burrel.
Shkoder-Kukes, 1 trip each way daily, truck.
Shkoder-Kolgecaj, 1 trip each way daily, truck.
Route: Puke-Shemri-Kolgecaj, not touching Kukes. The new road from
Shemri to Kolgecaj is good but narrow, and there are frequent bays
to make passing possible.
Elbasan-Gramsh, 1 trip each way daily, truck.
Korce-Erseke, 1 trip each way daily, truck.
Berat-Corovode (Skrapar), 1 trip each way daily, truck.
Roads
20. The Gramsh Maliq as a short route to Korce, is a purely strategic road. Work
on this road was done-only by the Army Engineers and troops and was not finished
in 1952.
21. Good roads, asphalted and well maintained, are:
Tirana-Elbasan; Tirana-Durres-Vlone; Lush^1e-Berat; Tirana-Shkoder, (this
is very good to Lesh; from there on it is 'ery bpd but it is being thoroughly
relaid and asphalted, and may be finis.icu by 195+.)
22. Bad roads, not asphalted, and maintainer' inefficiently are:
Shkoder-Kukes; Tepelene-Permet; Berat-Corovode; Vlone-SaranL..-Konispol (casual
repairs with earth but no real maintenance; not used by through services).
Tirana-Kruje-Burrel. Vlone-Tepelene, (poor road, with many turns).
Tepelene-Gjinokaster.
23. The road Librazhd-Peshkope was not used for transport. Officers used to use it
by jeep. The only approach used for Peshkopi was via Burrel, and mostly via
Milot. The Kruje-Burrel road is neglected and not much in use. There was no
road from Babinot (Elbasan) to Peahkopi in 1952.
Sarande has a 1,000 kilowatts, 200 volts, power station.
2 Piro Kondi Jas been described as a member-candidate of the Central Committee
v. ~.e Albanian Workers' Party.
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