Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-05-24
ITALY SHOULD Be
DEVELOPED BY US.

ROME, May 24.-"The United States
should send trade commission to Italy
and Italy should send one to the Unit
Ell States, and the two commissions
should cooperate, if these two coun
tries want to develop their joint COM
Imerce," said Ernest e. Ling, of the
American Chamber of Commerce for
Italy, and representative in Italy of
one of the largest banks in New oYrk.
Il have been in Italy eight months
ard it is clear to me that the big war
business the United States Is now do
ing here can De continued after the war
if both countries pull together" eh
continued.
THE best asset and wealth of Italy
| is her working spirit that the war has
awakened The nobility of Italy have
learned in the trenches that work is
not a disgrace, and all are eager to
leave off their old custom of cane-car-
rying and party dancing.
'The other fellows in the trenches,
who have always worked more or less
for living are going to come out of
the war graduates of fine working
school and they are going to go to work
in the shops as skilled workmen.
From an American point of view.
italy has become a fine market for
iron, steel, coal, cotton, electrical
equipment, for mechanical tools, for
heavy machinery tools of all kinds. Be-
fore the war Germany sold largely OF
these materials here, but now the Ital-
ians are going it alone. They have
developed self-reliance as national
asset, and this lasting result of the
war should improve the market for
American products.
THE big point in international trade
is craftsmanship, and this is where
trade commissions could do much good,
ty securing closer government coop
GRAFTON, by regulating tariffs, by revis-
Jig commercial law, by bringing closer
together the business people of the re-
sepctive nations, by using expert infor
nation for the establishment of cred
its What my firms thinks of Italy is
indicated by the fact that its first Eu-
ropean branch was established in
Genoa October last. prior by four
rlonths to it's Petrograd branch. OF
course, Genoa is a big shipping center
ter for all south Europe.
while the Americans in Italy are
not idle, trade commissions of other
ra lions, such as Japan, are active. A
good deal of Italy's new trade will go
to South America, but the credit ex-
tensions possible in the United States
should be an advantage The Italians
appreciate this fact but l doubt if any
body. however, in all of Europe kows
that the internal commerce of the
United States is so enormous that we
could do very well without any for
eign trade whatever.
Italy is aware of her own neces-
sity for the development of her for
eign trade as well as her internal re-
sources. The coal situation in this
war showed her how helpless she is,
for instance, with steam instead of ell
ectrical power. Her national poverty
in industries is today registered by
the exchange value of her money,
which loses some thirty percent,
abroad She is courageously prepar-
ing to increase her industries, such
as silk, to make her soil produce more
wheat and other foods, and improve her
land and water transportation systems,
and to develope her natural mineral
deposits"