-DATE-
19890714
-YEAR-
1989
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
APPEARANCE
-AUTHOR-
F.CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO TOURS HOTEL CONSTRUCTION SITE
-PLACE-
HAVANA
-SOURCE-
HAVANA TV SERVICE-SPANIS
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19890714
-TEXT-
Castro Tours Hotel Construction Site in Havana

FL1407015189 Havana Television Service in Spanish 0000 GMT 14 Jul 89

[Text] Commander in Chief Fidel Castro visited this morning some important
projects under construction in this capital.  First, accompanied by Candido
Palero, chief of the Blas Roca Calderio Contingent, he visited the ground
breaking being carried out at the special markets [mercados concentradores]
in various parts of the city.  Afterward, he toured the projects for the
Pan-American games.  Finally, he visited the construction site for the
Hotel Cohiba which is being built by Brigade No 5 of the Blas Roca
Contingent.

During his visit to the hotel construction site, Fidel expressed interest
in the progress of the work and its quality.  He also conversed with the
workers who are part of this important construction force in the country.

[Begin recording] [Unidentified speaker No 1] Just one more foundation
needs to be done and we will be able to finish this 15 days ahead of
schedule.  We will finish it prior to our promised date of 26 July.

[Castro] What are does this foundation cover?

[Unidentified speaker No 1] It goes all the way over there.  It meets the
last one over there.

[Unidentified speaker No 2] Commander, it goes all the way to where you can
see the other foundation.  [Words indistinct] from this corner.

[Unidentified speaker No 1] With this, the foundations for the Cohiba Hotel
are finished.

[Castro] What are those thick reinforcement rods?

[Unidentified speaker No 3] Those are the 32 mm steel rods. In other words
the 1 and 1/4 inch rods.

[Castro] They are 1 and 1/4 inch rods. Why is it that some of the ones you
have there are thicker?

[Unidentified speaker No 3] The thicker ones are the ones that will hold
the heaviest weight.  Those are the ones that are always in the columns.
They are in the columns that are used in the elevating tower [torre
elevadora].

[Castro] How were you able to put so many rods there?  How do you do that?
Are they prefabricated, or do you install there them yourselves?

[Unidentified speaker No 3] No, we install them ourselves.  When we made
out calculations, we realize we needed 28 rods installers for each shift,
28 for shift A and 28 for shift B.  Before we only had rod installers for
shift A, we did not have them for the B shift.  Right now, we have three
installers...[rephrases] It is embarrassing to see all the people we now
have here.  We are all assistants and we are working very hard.  The women
have done a job that it is simply indescribable.

[Unidentified woman] You know that we are very hurt by the recent events.
However, I would like you to know that, here, you have a force which
supports you in everything.  You have a collective of workers who represent
the working class of this country, and we are working hard each day to
thrust forward--in which you have worked for so many years--this
construction of socialism.  Here we are, commander.  [video shows Castro
giving the woman a hug]

[Castro] There is something....

[Workers, interrupting] Long life Fidel!  Viva [applause]

[Castro] I have had to spend 31 or more days in this, over 4 weeks.  I was
telling Palmero that I couldn't even remember the number of the brigades.

[Unidentified woman] We are brigade No. 5, and here we are for anything
[you desire].

[Unidentified speaker No. 4] We are realized that in all the hours you had
to work on this, one day you worked 14 hours; and we said:  You worked just
like a contingent worker.

[Castro] Yes, and everyday [I worked like that]

[Unidentified speaker No. 5] I was telling the commander in chief, and now
I will tell him in front of your, that we have been abreast of all the
details.  Each brigade unanimously agreed to support, from the very
beginning, everything that was said [by you].

[Castro] Yes, I spoke about the contingents and I said that there is no
similarity between those people and your.

[[Unidentified woman] Yes, commander, we were very proud to hear to say
that.

[Unidentified speaker No. 6] Furthermore, commander, we, the youth of
the (?scholarship group) No. 50, we firmly continue in the [words
indistinct].

[Castro] Everything must continue; I know nothing will stop (?us).

[Unidentified speaker No. 6, interrupting] [Words indistinct] We have to
work.  [As Castro is shown going toward car and leaving, crowd shouts:
Long life Fidel!  Viva!  Workers applaud] [end recording]
-END-