-DATE-
19880101
-YEAR-
1988
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
SPEECH
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO SPEECH AT CHILD CARE CENTER TAKE 5 OF 11
-PLACE-
HAVANA
-SOURCE-
HAVANA DOMESTIC SPANISH
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19880101
-TEXT-
REF FL062158 HAVANA DOMESTIC SPANISH 310118///THEIR OWN HANDS.

Take 5 of 11--Cuba:  Castro Speech at Child Care Center

fl070012

[Text]  It shows that this movement is irrepressible.  Even I would
not have been able to image, to dream that today I would be able to get
together with all the mini-brigade workers.  I have met with thousands of
them representing the movement in the Karl Marx Theater.  Today, however,
it turns out that they are all here.  A few months ago, it turns out that
they are all here.  A few months ago, barely a year ago, the movement was
composed of a few thousands, about 3,000 mini-brigade workers; and now the
movement has already 31,000.  It is an army; and it is not an inexperienced
army.  It is an army of experienced workers.  [applause]  These are workers
who have been learning to build.  It is an irrepressible army.

What will it be like in 1989, or toward the end of 1988 when we have an
additional year of experience?  And what will it be like in 1990 when this
veteran army has 2, 3, and 4 years of experience in construction?   The
great majority, because there will always be new forces to join in.  If the
Cabulase workers accomplished that heroic feat, that type of record, what
will this army do when it has that experience?  I have seen that they have
been acquiring that experience by the dozens.  Hundreds of women come out
of offices and other jobs and have become excellent tile workers.  I have
seen these women in the contingent.  Then, what won't this army of
construction workers be able to do?

I sometimes wondered what I would tell the mini-brigade workers if we
got together.  I realize today that I have nothing to say to you.  Maybe
what I would have said then, 6 months ago, would be precisely what the
mini-brigade workers have accomplished.  Maybe we could have talked about
other things, about how the conditions of the project were, what equipment
was missing, what means, what problems we were having, the efforts that we
are making to solve the problems, how the kitchens were.  We already know
that.  Not long ago, we met with all the municipal mini-brigade chiefs,
first party secretaries in the municipalities, provincial party leaders,
and all mini-brigade cooks.  We asked them:  Well, how are you preparing
the food?  What are you going to do with that great variety of vegetables
that our orchard is going to produce?

Maybe, before, I would have talked to you about the idea of an orchard.
But toady, I can tell you that the orchard is already producing, and maybe
even more than what you can consume.  The mini-brigade workers are
improving the resources for the workers' cafeterias.  This is new, there
wasn't a quota.  We had to look for new resources everywhere to improve the
food of our mini-brigade workers.  We had to ensure that they had good
food.  What came from the actual work centers wasn't enough.  We had to
invent things.  We have invented things.  The orchard was one of those
inventions which will give us over 120,000 quintals of vegetables of 30
different types.  In fact, we are going to learn to eat vegetables,
prepared in different ways.  We will have the mineral salts, vitamins, some
proteins, fiber, and all the advantages that the consumption of vegetables
has for human health.

We are not going to eat only vegetables, we are eating rice, even
pre-cook rice, which is more nutritious.  We are eating some grains,
garbanzos, and some of those things that are being obtained there.  You
have fish with certain variety and good quality.  There are now a few
products which you did not use to see around.  We asked for cooperation
from the fishing fleet.  They caught a good quantity of tuna fish.  And the
social projects had at least canned tuna fish.  Sometimes it reached all
the mini-brigade workers, depending on the availability.  You have eaten
good quality hake caught near Antarctic waters.  You have also had at your
disposal other varieties.  Wherever we have been able to obtain them, we
have apple quota which has been coming to you.
-END-