Newport daily independent., 1918-03-11
Minister of Treasury Routs Out 148 Officers and Sends
 Them to Front.
SEARCH IS ON FOR OTHERS
Great Disaster to Cadorna's Army May Be Blessing in Disguise-VoIun- teers in Minority-Deserters
 Are Shot.
By PHILIP R. MACKENZIE.

ItOIuc-- tue eve Ol tlle SFeuC war, while General Cadorna was hard at work creating the Italian army des. tined to unite Trent and Trieste with the kingdom 14S officers of all ranks from cOlonels to sub-lieutenants, were given special work. This work con. sisted in finding out how much money was wasted during the Tripoli war.
 A corridor in the ministry of the treasury accordingly was set apart for these officers, who during the last three taking their time in doing it, while their comrades fought the Austrians and were wounded or killed in action
 There is every reason to believe that the great task of auditing the accounts of the Tripoli war would have been prolonged indefinitely, but the new minister of the treasury, Signor Nitti, discovered the 14S officers hidden in the corridor.
 Royal Decree Is Issued.
 Signor Nitti was disgusted at the sight of so many professional officers calmly working on the four simple rules of arithmetic, and in "A hours he had the case brought before cab inet council and royal decree was is sued postponing the work of the 14S officers, who were ordered without de lay to the front.
 No figures are available as to the number of men physically fit yet ex. empted from active military service. Cases of so-called "imboscamento,' meaning literally hiding in bushes to evade military service, have been frequent in Italy.
 The socialists, who oppose the war and whose peace propaganda contrib. uted toward the recent military disas ter, repeatedly told the masses that in Italy the war was being fought by the peasants. The rich people do not fight said the socialists, as when one has money he can easily ''hide in the buSh.''
 The sons of well-to-do tradesmen and farmers as rule, are drivers of motor lorries and ambulances, and those of upper middle classes and nobility, who should be officers, often prefer to drive staff officers automobiles unless they succeed in getting clerical work in of fees away from the front.
 It is true that many young men vol unteered for active service as officers in infantry regiments and sacrificed their lives for their country, but they were minority.
 It must be admitted that up to the present the mistaken impression pre- vailed that the hardest share of fight ing was borne by the peasant and la boring classes, who suffered most of all from the war. This impression in creased to such an extent that great proportion of the men who returned on short leave from the front felt discour' aged and dissatisfied when they real ized that every city and town in the country was crowded with young men who evaded military service or who even if called to the colors succeeded in remaining away from the front and saw no actual fighting.
 Some OeserterS Are Snot.
 As a resdlt, besides those men who returned to fight when their short leave expired, others felt justified in desert ing. Some of the latter were arrested, court-martialed and shot, and their comrades were not impressed with such exemplary punishments, which, instead of serving as warning, had the opposite effect of exciting pity ana provoking dangerous comparisons be- tween the fate of those who evaded military service and that of others who had done their bit and yet paid with their lives for a moment Of weakness.
 There were, no doubt, other cOncomi- tant causes thnt contributed to weaken resistance on the Italian front when the well planned Austro-German offen- sive was timely initiated. Thanks to their superior intelligence services at the front and their espionage system ln this country the Austro-Germans knew where and when to attack with sue coss. They resorted to propaganda among the Italian troops holding posi- tionS where no nRhting nau been goins on for long time.
 Ii is known now that after the riots at Turin most of the intuition workers who were socialists had been sent to the front and attached to the units holding these positions. It was among these men that the enemy propaganda was successful, and the deficient resist snce, due to weakness or treachery that rendered the invasion of Italy pos sible originated at q point which could be easily defended by handful o1 men, as it was naturally strong and forrnidably fortified because 1t afforded the shortest way for invasion. Un' fortunately the men who held this point gave way.