Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-20

Turing the last eight months Italy has
Dbeen preparing step by step for the crisis
with Austria. 1t is violating no confidence to
say that at the outbreak of the war last
August the nation was far from fit for par
ticipation in the struggle. At that time the
mobile forces on land consisted of approx
mately 100000 men of all arms about half OF
whom were veterans of the Tripolitan cam
paign. Since then the army authorities have
unostentatously called now this, now that
class of reserves until there are today with
the colors something like 100000 men, ana
very probably more There are still to be
summoned the mobile militia" and the ter
ritoriaI militia" corresponding respectively
to the German Landwehr and Landsturm.
With these in the ranks the total strength or
the italian army will fall not far short OF
1000 900 men. all under 40 years of age.
OF these forces, fully a quarter of a mil
lion are especially trained for Alpine fight
ing, even in ordinary times, and since last
August the mountain maneuvers have taken
place on a gradually increasing scale: for a
great part of the early operations in any
conflict with Austria must necessarily take
place among the high peaks of the Austro-
Italian border. In fact. there have been for
some time concentrated at Verona, only %
miles from the boundary line, Italian troops
to the number of half million.
Deserving Krupp for the French "75"
One of the great weaknesses commented
upon by critics of the Italian war machine
has been the lack of adequate equipment for
the artillery. This is a matter which has
been very thoroughly remeded. Up to last
August the field guns were about equally
divided between the famous French "75" and
the Krupp n millimetre piece. But as Italy
has faded from the Dreibund, so has her ar
tillery inclined more and more toward the
French type and all winter long the Italian
metal works. even the plants of the State
Railway, have been turning out the "75"
model In large quantities She now has ap
proximately 1000 batteries OF four guns each,
all of this type. in addition to 12 regiments
of mountain artillery and 10 regiments OF
heavy artillery, including the men manning
the SIEGE, fortress and coast defense guns.
Not the least interesting portion of the de-
fense forces comes under the head of the
engineer corps. This takes in, besides sap
pers, miners. brldgers, one regiment OF
aerostatists, or men for handling the dirigible
balloon section. and the Battaglione Aviatori.
or aeroplane corps. totaling $500 enlisted men
in addition to the flying officers, who make
up a separate body, serving either with the
army or the navy, as the need may direct
The actual dying equipment is divided into
squadrons of seven machines each, and at
the close of last year there were some 80 of
these units making above 200 aeroplanes in
the active service. Since then this total has
been nearly doubled, many of the new ma
chimes coming from the American Curtjss
Company,
Venice, once queen of the seas the home
port of mighty fleets of war galleys, lies to-
day virtually under the guns OF the Austro-
Hungarian sea forces on paper the Italian
fleet is rated at considerably more than the
strength of her enemy, opposing six dread
noughts TO Austria's fourand ten flrst-class
battIeships (pre-dreadnoughD TO three. Italy
likewise has four speedy scout-cruisers TO
three for Austria, 81 torpedoboat destroyers
10 1s. and 2s submarines to Il. But Italy's
weakness against the Austrian navy lies in
her Adriatlc coast line. which is practically
undefended down as far as the straits of
otranto while Austria has what is regarded
as an impregnable (from the sea side) naval
base at Pola, within which she could with
draw. In the face of the Italian superiority.
at any time that the integrity OF her first
line feet might be menaced. In way the
problem would be somewhat similar to that
faced by Britain in her naval operations in
the North Sea. Just as the German ships
dart out from time TO time for raids on the
English coast, 50 the Austrians can issue
from Pola for attacks on various portions OF
the Italian littorai.
And a submarine offensive by Austria
would be even more difneult TO check than Is
the case with the British owing 70 the short
radius Of operations anywhere n the Adn-