Evening star., 1918-06-09
has Wonderful Recuperadon Is Economic as We'll as Military

year.
The cotton factories have suffered
more than the silk mills. because all
of the raw material for them has to
be imported. 1t came principally
from Egypt. India and the United
States. The German submarines have
been able to interfere with cotton
shipments from India through the
Suez canal. and their activity in the
has also interfered with
the Egyptian crop. The supply of raw
cotton from the United States also
has diminished, due to the lack OF
cargo facilities. but it is understood
that Italy is getting some cotton from
this country, and will continue to
get it.
All the Italian industries have suf-
fered and continue to suffer from the
scarcity of fuel. The deficiency in
coal has been explained. Many of the
industrial concerns have kept going
by means of wood. but the demand
for wood as industrial fuel naturally
increased the price, and it also caused
some Of the establishments to run on
short time. The people of southern
Italy do not need to keep warm by
mems of fuel. The warm sun and the
hot Zephyrs from Africa which sweep
across the Mediterranean provide all
the heat that is needed and little
more. But in northern Italy, under
the Alps. the winter cold is as great
as in northern New York or Ohio.
Nevertheless, last winter it was re-
ported that the people of Milan and
other manufacturing centers cheer
fully went without fuel in their
homes in order that the factories
might have fuel.
X 4
The development of the water power
of the Alps and the Appenines and
the more systematic use of hydro
electric power has had some place
in the industrial rehabilitation of
Italy, especially in the war-making
industries. but the full utilization of
the water power is a chapter Of the
future rather than of the present.
Industrial Italy, as I have stated.
means chiefly northern Italy, and it
is for this reason that the importance
of cooperating with Italy in all mill
tary measures by the United States
becomes apparent. Had the German
drive through the Alps last October
been fully successful and the plains
Of Venice become the possession of
the Huns the next move undoubtedly
would have been to occupy Lombardy.
War critics and armchair strategists
would write very convincingly of the
difficulties in the way of this mill
shown the ability Of her war machine
to carry out definite programs in spite
of the strategists' efforts to prove
that 1t cannot be done.
Lombardy would mean as much to
Germany as does northern France.
She covets it industrially and will
continue to covet it. Annexation
would not be necessary, although in
the case of victory she might turn
part Of 1t over to Austria. But her
plan would be and is to control.
northern Italy industrially and ecoS
nomically, and this. of course, would
mean political and military control.
Much of the industrial development
of northern Italy undoubtedly was
due to German capital and even to
German industries. Many of the
Italian mechanical engineers received
their technical education in Germany.
1t is the common testimony that they
were superior in initiative and inven-
tiveness to their Teuton teachers. I'm
like the Germans. they did not simply
apply the inventions and discoveries
of others, they made discoveries and
inventions themselves.
The Great German bank, under an
Italian name. has its principal insti-
tuition at Milan. Starting there, it es-
tablished branches throughout all
Italy. The insidious influence of this
bank in undermining the Italian
morale has been frequently described
and does not need to be dwelt on. But
it is clear that Italian Industries in
the future will have to be financed by
other countries than Germany, and
that means England and the United
States.
Two or three years ago the British
government showed it's recognition of
this situation by becoming a partner
in what was known as the Anglo
Italian Corporation, a company form
promote Italian commerce.
The United States, not then being
at war with Germany. took no steps
to consolidate Italian and American
industry and commerce. So far as
disclosed, it has taken no steps since
our entry into the war. The circum-
stances have not been such as to re-
quire definite policy in this matter.
but they are rapidly developing to the
point where it may be wise to do
The present need is to
give all possible support in the way
of financial aid and supplying the raw
materials for Italys war industries.
The next step. perhaps, will be to
indicate in some definite manner that
Italy. il she makes good, and pre-
serves an unbroken front against Ger
United States Tor her industrial and
financial rehabilitation after the war.
The exact nature of this aid cannot
now be determined, because the time
is not ripe for the United States to
formulate its after-the-war economic