Mohave County miner., 1917-03-17
ITALY IS NOW PREPARED To
VIGOROUSLY WAGE WARFARE

| ploying 344,7O2 workmen and 55,253
women. Of these latter 81 turn out
metal parts; 489 rifles, cannon, aero
planes, automobiles, projectiles, and
cartridges; and 352 manufacture ex-
plosives, chemical products, and
work over crude ores. There are, fur
Their 1181 minor projectile factories
employing $4,000 persons. To these
totals must also be added a countless
number of uniform and clothing fac
tories in every part of the land.
The war so far has cost Italy some
$4,000,OO0,OO0, of which sum a little
over one third has been obtained
through war loans subscribed by her
own people. Notwithstanding these
popular subscriptions and increased
taxes, the national savings bank shows
a decided increase of deposits.
These deposits July 1, 1915, were
slightly over s3OO,OOO,OOO and Jan
uary l, 1917, they had increased by
100000, or a total of 2,2OO,OOO,OOO
lire. In addition there are deposits
in private banking Institutions
amounting to one and quarter bill
lion dollars.
While Italy has officially placed but
single loan Of $25,OOO,OOO in the
United States, she is buying annually
there upwards of 100000 in val
ues. Those war materials she her
self cannot produce come chiefly from
the United States, such as cotton and
wooden cloth, mineral oils, shoes, iron
ore, steel manufactures, coal, wheat
and horses.
The military activities Of Italy on
land have been, primarily, that of con-
tinually menacing Austria with an in
vasion that might reach Vienna, and
thereby forcing her to maintain big
army on this frontier that might have
been used against the Russians or the
French; of maintaining another army
in Albania and thereby connecting
with the Angle-French expedition at
Salonik; and, finally, of blockading
the Adriatic ports of Austria, pro-
tecting the Anglo-French expeditions
to the Dardanelles and to Saloniki,
and aiding in the transportation of
troops and material thither.
Italy has on her northern frontier
captured $4,000 Austrian prisoners,
not counting a possible double that
number of killed and wounded Italy's
army successfully handled the big
drive of the Austrians in the Trentino
last May and turned that drive into
a severe punishment of the Austrians
by the taking in August of Goriza and
other points on the lower line towards
the Adriatic, together with some 40
900 prisoners. The Austrian invasion
began with 100000 men and 1000 can
non all aimed at one point between
the Brenta and .Adige rivers. The
plan was no less than to so defeat
the Italians as to be able to break
across to the French frontier and take
in the rear the defenders of Verdun.
The attack failed within three
weeks. 1t failed because of the rapid
ity with which the Italians counter
attacked in large numbers. Within
the space of two weeks they threw
across the Austrian path an army
transported from other sections of the
front using therefor $1,000 railroad
cars and 1000 automobiles, to carry
100000 men, $4,000 horses, $4,000
carts, cannon, rations, ammunition,
medicines and other material.
The difficulty of this movement win
be appreciated by the fact that the
troops were fighting in waterless
mountains and each day to those dry
plateaus were carried 100000 quarts
of drinking water to the thirsty men.
TADA NECE TINED