Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-30
NAPLES NOW DEAD:
TOURISTS LACKING
Scenes of Great Annual Ameri-
can Influx Practically
Deserted.
BUSINESS MEN SUFFER
AS RESULT OF THE WAR
Guides at Historic Spots Unable to
Make Living Wage at
Present.

Copyright. 1915. by Herbert Corey)
NAPLES. July 15-"Only a franc
said the guide, sadly.
We launched into voluble defense. He
had merely walked with US to the pier
at Pozzuolio. 1t was public pier. in
plain sight from the carriage He had
only been engaged to protect US from the
opportunities of others of the gadf1y
fraternity
But l haven't seen an American for
eight months said the>suide.
His statement that he needed the
money seemed to be well founded. One
doesn't think of a guide as a war suf-
ferer at first. If one did, one would be
inclined to gloat over the fact, there being
a certain lack of cordiality in the rela-
tons of travellers and guides. But their
situation is really rather serious one.
No one knows how many professional
guides there are in Italy. But it is quite
safe to say that not one of them is max
ing living wage.
Last year" said the Pozzuoli guide,
Il was rich. l made from So to 81 a
day Now-two, three francs. Oil and
wine and macaroni have all increased In
price. 1 cannot live on what l am max
ing.
Some one made an effort to cheer him
up An indefinite hope was voiced that
there might soon be d change
1T is true" said the guide There is
a change coming me. Next month
j go to the war and get shot.
Tourists Staying Away.
All Italy buffers it's bread by the aid
Of tourist money. Each year an untold
number of thousands come to see the
- af
millions OF dollars spent by them seep
into each Italian pocket. Those thou
sands are not coming this year. Not even
DOZENS are coming. 1t is not an exag-
Eeration to say that no one Is coming TO
Italy except upon business. and business
men do not spend money on guides The
most lucrative single industry OF the KING
dom has been cut off.
Naples is perhaps the chief sufferer,
because Naples is the gateway. Most
tourists go to Rome and Venice, and
the other magnets for sightSeerS, or
America enter through this city. In
normal times one or two ships sail
from Naples for America each day, per-
haps. This month ten ships are adVer-
tised to sail They leave Naples empty,
so far as the cabins are concerned.
The exporta ton of Italian goods has
not been interfered with-save those
goods upon which war embargo mas
been laid-but the Importation OF
goods has been shortened. Italians are
doing without Iuxuries, and there are
no strangers to buy. Thousands or
men engaged in the shipping business
are out of work, and hundreds of thou
sands of dollars in capital are eating
OF their heads.
Emigrant Business Suffers.
I'VE could do without the first cabin
or
we had the emigrant business. That
is where we make our money"
Hardly credible at first glance. A
cabin passenger pays 500 for his pas
sage. upon an average. The emigrant
pays s35 for his place in the Storage.
But he is packed like a sardine, and his
food is of the plainest and cheapest
sort. A single ship will carry from
1900 to 1000 emigrants, and good
half of the money they pay in is profit.
No emigrants are leaving Italy now. Of
course.
IT want to go home to New York. -
said Crescendo Mario, met at the Amer
lean consulate here. But l cannot get
a pass ,.uoo o,.ss In
worked in New York, in Albany and in
Troy at his trade as carpenter. At first
he thought to make his home in the states,
and took out naturalization papers. Hard
working and thrifty, like most Italians,
he saved considerable sum of money
for a peasant. Then a inconsistencies over
took him and he returned to Naples Here
he has a little shop.
Not so much money as in New York.
said he, but / have the good time. Very
nice here in Naples l think l stay"
The war came and changed his mind.
He has we'll founded fear that if he is
needed for the army he will have to go
to the army, American naturalization or
no. His heart turned lovingly to 123d
street. New York, where he once had a job
near I'd avenue. There are no wars there
except those wars that spring up over
night and end when the bomb explodes.
But he can't get d pass to return. The
officials have not bothered to discuss the
legal points involved. They just will not
let him go-and there's an end ont.
Many Hotels Closed.
There are twenty hotels of the first
order in Naples. Most of them are
closed. Five are peon, but only one is
doing business enough to justify even
It's very modest scale of operations
That business is purely Italian. for
many Italians come here in the sum-
mertime. in spite of the bad reputation
the town bears with us. The -four
others have an average of three wait
ers each. who are idle except for the
small local trade at luncheon and din
ner. There are innumeraoie smaller
hotels and pensions. which are solely
dependent on tourist trade. If any are
open, it is because the proprietors live
at their own boarding houses and are
unable to get away. One of the great
stores has gone into bankruptcy The
others are so empty they rattle
"Our best trade was with the for.
estieri," said the manager of one
italians do not buy as Americans do
We are keeping open now with small