From a Paris Correspondent,
The nationalisation of big properties of both Buropean and Algeriam landholders and the announcement of decrees definitively establishing Workers* Management Committees, Workers'Councils and Workers'Assemblies have been received with enormous enthusiasm throughout Algeria. In a nationwide tour following announcement of the new measures, Ben Bella was greeted with celeb rations reminiscent of those when independence was won last July. Sntire populations of towns and villages turnod out to hail the head of governnont © who, not so many months ago when he came to power in an unclear factional struggle, was met with chilly reserve,
Everywhere he went Ben Bella was appealing to the people to organ ise themselves by setting up workers' councils and workers' management committees. These are now being formed throughout the country at an accelerated rate. From various sources, including Le Peuple (formerly Al Chaab)and Alger Republicain wo reproduce below extracts from Ben Bella's speeches, indicating the topics he covered during the tour, :
We will never accept cur country serving as an-arena for the testing of bombs, The French Govermont: has been warned, It is up to it to decide." Elsewhere he said: "They say that taking back Borgeuad's land is contrary to the Evian agreement. So be it; if we are violating the livian oweement by this decision,, so mich the worse for the Byian agroement,"
“This struggle consists in discouraging once and for all the bour gooisie of this country. If we have plucked Bourgeaud and the others, this is not because of cism; we have suffered to@much ourselves to resort to that. Believe me, this minority which consists around 5 % of the Algerian people is nonetheless powerful for that. Unfortunately, they hold thepower of money. But the 95 % who constitute the other part of the people are absolutely with us in taking up the cudgels against this faina, To carry this out, you, the humble, join the national organisations in mass, and particularly the humble and the UGTA (the Unions) to make this the November lst of the Algerian Soo ialism." (November Ist 1954 was thé day the struggle began for national independence from French imperialism. )
"T+ has been repeatedly gaid that women played their role in the struggle for freedom, The whole world has repeatedly said that women participated fully and in a way that did honour to the Algerian struggle for ffoeadotiesseseee Dt in the struggle for constructing the country T Women are searching for their plaso," Noting the presence of many women in the audience, Ben Bella contimed: “Women must take their destiny into their own hands, Wonen mist not wait for direotions to follow from the men, but must integrate themeelves fully and spontaneously in the public life," "Today w6 are opening a far greater struggle than that which ended July 2nd 1962, — the struggle for sedialism, The time has come to struggle in order to roap. . We don't want to replaw one set of pigs by another sot wearing turbans, This is the revolution of the poor people, of thy wWHows, of the shoo-shine boys, We have undertaken these decrees swiftly in order to defeat the manoevres of imperialism and of certain Algerian elements who wanted to turn the vacated properties and allenterprises over to the colonialists,"
"I thank God that France put us in prison, because thus we had tine to think and to work out the policies which we are applying toiay., We studied the experiences of Cuba, the USSR and Yugoslavia. Tam from tho soil like you and I have the same difficulties as you."