The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-07-01
As It Desires World to Know
the Truth About the War
in That Country.
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ITAI

HEADQUARTERS OF THE lTAL-
IAN ARMY, July 1.-lCorrespondence
OF The Associated essl.-The ltal-
ian censorship has been reorganized
and vastly improved, particularly from
newspaper point Of view. Little cen
sorship Is now exercised over mail
matter coming from or going TO ally
countries, such as France or England,
but every mailed letter or package
going to or coming from the United
States and Switzerland is opened and
read. The consors, however are some,
times courteous enough to notify
person sending suspected matter that
It is being held for explanation. In
the case Of cable messages, the censor
tries his best to let them 80 through,
either holding the message for time
before sending it, or else cutting out
Objectionable information, sending the
message in the new FORM and then
notifying the sender what portions
have been eliminated.
One of the reasons for the more
favorable attitude of the Italian CEN
sorship is an abatement Of the syp
mania and the realization that this
class of information is not as harm
full as was formerly supposed.
Spread the Truth.
Another reason has been the intlu
ence OF certain officers, patriotic jour
nalists and business men who feel
that Italy has not been fully under
stood in this war and that cOrrespon-
dence both of private individuals and
newspaper men visiting or living in
the country would, il not too severely
censored. let the outside world know
the truth about conditions and the rea-
sons for Italy's war,
A direct result Of this attitude has
been the establishment recently at the
headquarters Of the army Of press
bureau. One of the first steps taken
by the officers in charge was to Sc
cure permission for both ally and neu-
trail journalists to visit the army front
and see the fruits Of Italy's effort to
organize a splendid new army Pre-
vious to the existence Of this bureau
but very few civilians had been al
lowed on the Italian front The i'm
preston had gotten abroad that Italy
did not want her front visited and
therefore no requests to visit it had
been made, particularly by neutrals.
Visitors Well Treated.
The visitors at present admitted on
90 n
press bureau had satisfied themselves
these visitors are without unfriendly
intentions, are shown fully and freely
all that they wish to see. In the hand
ling Of newspaper copy written from
the front, the largest latitude is per-
mitted the writer's. Restrictions
about naming geographical locations,
are cast aside, since It is evident that
the Austrians have military maps of
the region and, as they are within
speaking distance of the Italian sol
diers for nearly every foot Of the four
hundred miles of front, it would be
difficult to hide from them the names
of the rivers and mountains and towns
along the front.
The press bureau, although not
long formed, has already justified it.
self, 1t is stated, in the better under
standing by France and England OF
the terrific difficulties under which tho
Italian army works in mountain ter
rltory, where 1t takes weeks to move
large bodies of troops or put artillery
into new positions, and where the TAX
ing Of single mountain involves the
patient effort and staunch heroism OF
months of hard fighting.
Numbers Are Used.
The numbers frequently referred to
in official military bulletins, in con-
nection with operations at places the
names Of which are not mentioned,
has given rise to the popular impress
sion that the number is used, in order
to withhold exact information as to
the geography Of the operations.
AS a matter OF fact, and particular
ly in mountain operations, the use Of
a number conveys the most exact and
accurate information. Every hilltop
and mountain in Europe has long been
identified by a number. This number
is not an arbitrary one. 1t is the ex-
act height in meters-(one meter is
1897 inches)-of the hilltop or noun
and Ohio under A. W. Thompson, on