Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-18
PROSPERITY OF ITALY
The Kingdom Developing in
Every Direction.
PRODUCTS OF FARMS
NEW INDUSTRIES ENGAGING POP
ULAR ATTENTION.
Manufacturing Increasing in a Re
markable way-Where Taxes Are
High and Agitation is Rife.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
| ROME December 8, 1903.
The kingdom of Italy Is prosperous, ana
is gradually developing in every direction
| Manufacturing has increased IN a remark
able manner; agriculture Is producing an
I even greater degree of wealth, while new
| industries of various sorts are engaging
the attention Of the people with profit The
| sugar industry is the latest most import
ant and profitable, which, like that of
| Spain, Is due directly to the revolution in
| Cuba.
| When the insurgents destroyed the plan
| tations and mills of that island and in 1896
| and 1887 reduced the crop to only a small
| percentage of the average. Italy was COM
| pellcd to import beet sugar at great ex-
| pense from Germany and France, and 1t
| occurred to the enterprising farmers of
the Piedmont country that they might pro-
| duce their own sugar and realize the
! profit. In the year 1898 four factories were
| started. their total output during the sue
| ceeding year amounting to 1850 metric
| tons. For 1902 the reports of the depart
| ment of agriculture show forty three fac
| tories and refneries producing 70 800 metric
| tons. This is about as rapid as the de-
| velopment of the same industry in the
|
| and serious problem as to what will be-
| come of the sugar of the West Indies when
| the beet growers of Spain, Italy and the
| other European nations well those of
| the United States supply their own home
markets.
| The Silk Industry.
The silk industry is also fourishing in
| Italy. The latest census shows that more
than half a million people are engaged IN
| raising silk worms, and that 49, 600 skilled
| factory operatives engaged in the man
| ufacture Of silk. This confirms what Sec
| rotary Wilson has been saying for several
| years. that the wives and daughters of our
| farmers ought to raise silk worms like
| these of other countries, because 1t costs
very little labor-no more than raising
| chickens or keeping bees-and the profits
are much larger. The silk manufacturers
OF the United States now supply almost
the entire demand of the market in our
country, except for the finest fabrics. We
are now making our own dress goods, both
silk, satin and velvet. our own plushes and
other varieties of fabrics, but We have to
send to China and Japan for our raw silk.
| Italy does not make any silk goods
than we do, but her imports of raw silk
are very much smaller because of the home
| production, and her exports of raw silk
now amount to nearly $75,O00,000 year.
Enormous Emigration.
Other branches of agriculture are equally
prosperous, Notwithstanding the enormous
emigration from the country, which Is still
| increasing at an alarming rate, and Is at
tracing the attention of parliament and the
political economists. In 1896 Sol, 4S2 Italians
emigrated; In 1901 the total was 533 245, and
| in 1902 nearly 100000 The total for the last
four months has been 2o2, 255. which ndi-
| Gates that the exodus for 1903 will be larger
| than ever before and reach nearly 1,O0O,OOO
souls. The larger number go to the United
States. During the last four months 195,479
sailed for New York, $50 to the Argentine
EcyaI n,o1 20 ,1i1
| Village after village in southern Italy has
| been almost depopulated and the smaller
| cities and towns by the latest census show
| an alarming decrease in population. For
example, the town of Loranzana, which had
f7013 population ten years go now has only
| 4,3O4; the city of Potenza has been reduced
| from 20,343 to 1861. Count Pecci. the
nep hew of Leo XIII, told me that at least
1000 farmers and laboring men had gone
| from his little town of Carpineto during the
last two years. regardless of the efforts of
the land owners and other employers of
| labor to check the movement.
| The government cannot do anything but
| see that the emigrants are well treated
| which is now done. In 1901 a commission
| under the ministry of foreign affairs was
established for the supervision of emigra-
| ton and makes an inquiry into every case,
while medical officer is sent by the gov
| eminent upon every steamer that carries
emigrants. The law now permits the in
| spectors to detain emigrants if there is evil
| dence that they are leaving their homes
| under misrepresentation, but nothing further
| can be done. The commission has reported
that more than 100000 people have left
| the country during the last ten years; rs
per cent of them have gone to the United
| States and the remainder to the Argentine
| Republic and Brazil
| 1t finds a little consolation in the fact that
| they help the commerce of Italy by increas-
| ing her exports Of wine macaroni and other
peculiar Italian products and contribute to
| the wealth of the kingdom by sending home
| their savings for Investment 1t is also
shown that 80 per cent of the emigrants re-
| turn sooner or later to their old home and
! the most of them bring back considerable
| sums of money.
Notwithstanding this enormous emisra-
ton there has been gradual increase in
| the population of Italy, the total for 1881
being %, 459, 62S, while in 1901 it was 50 49,
| 253. Tho largest increase has been in the
! northern provinces of Piedmont, Lombardy
| Tuscany, Venice and Liguria where there
| Is the least emigration and the highest
| average of wealth. Still. in southern Italy
| and Sicily, from which most of the emil
grants go, there has also been an increase
| because of the large birth rate More than
| 100000 babies are born in Italy every year
to the 5,1S0,019 families enumerated in the
| census of 1901 and the number of marriages
| last year was 234, S19 of a population of
| 81, 100000
Taxation and Agitation.
Taxes are very high. Everybody has to
pay upon every article he owns or pro-
! duces Every egg, every chestnut, every
melon and head Of lettuce that is brought
to market by the old women is assessed a
| trifie. housekeeper is compelled to pay
| the government franc or two for every
| servant employed; there is a tax on win
| dows and doors, and you have to put a
| stamp upon every document of business
| nature, every bill for goods purchased and
| every receipt. Nothing escapes the as
SCISSOR neither the books in the library, nor
| the music on the piano, nor the bric-a- brac
in the cabinet, while the tax incomes is
very large, averaging nearly 20 per cent of
| the entire earnings and revenues of the
| people. This is very burdensome, but it is
| cheerfully paid, and 1 am told that the as
| sessments are fair and just and that there
| is comparatively little evasion.
AS in all countries where universal suf-
| frage prevails, there is great deal of polit-
ical agitation, and much time that might be
better spent is wasted in politics. Dema-