New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1918-12-28
BY Or. FELlcE FERRERO.
Director italian Bureau Of Public
Information,


Information.
The blood and treasure Of Italy were
freely spent in the successful effort to
put Austria Hungary out Of the war
While Italy's efforts were not confined
to the Austrian front, her contribution
to allied success was greater here than
in the other places where her troops
fought the battle for civilization. Her
financial and industrial efforts have
been equal to her military effort, and
in all these directions Italy has not
Jagged behind her allies That the
nature and extent Of these efforts may
be better understood by the American
public, l wish to review them briefly.
In considering Italy's military con-
tributiOns, let me emphasize the fact
that her soldiers have not confined their
fighting to their own soil. Like those
OF her allies, they have gone far afield.
They contributed largely to the glori-
Gus victory on the Balkan front. A
large contingent in France first gave
powerful aid in the defense of Rheims,
then took part in the advance of the
allied forces.
Italy Had $500, 900 Under Arms.
Since the beginning Of the war Italy
has called to the colors little less than
5,5OO,OOO men and has suffered loss
Of almost 100000 Of them. or that loss
nearly $4,000 died in battle, and 1OO,-
600 from disease. Over $4,000 are
totally incapacitated, either by blind
ness, loss Of limb or tuberculosis. At
the present moment the strength Of
the Italian army is 1925 900, including
the class of men born in 300, who
have been called to the colofs recent
~. 1t may be said. then, that the ma
tons man-power has suffered q per-
manent loss Of nearly a million.
But. serious as is this loss. Italy has |
Inflicted an even greater punishment |
upon the foe. In Austrian prisoners
alone she has taken approximately a
million. The Austrian loss in killed
and wounded is, Of course, unknown
to us, but even the most conservative
estimates make it far greater than
ours. In the June offensive on the
Piave alone over 1900 Austrian dead
were left on the field.
Fighting Under Extreme Difficulties.
Aside from their achievements in
other theatres Of the war, Italy's SOL
diers have fought through fifteen fu-
iious offensives on the Isonzo and the
Piave. inflicting terrible losses on the
foe in each. These campaigns were
carried on in mountainous regions and
under rigorous weather conditions that
taxed to the utmost the genius Of the
military engineers and the endurance
OF the troops. The foe. when hostili-
ties opened. were entrenched in care
fully prepared and seemingly impreg-
nable positions, backed by a network
OF military roads and railroads. On
the Italian side were deep gorges, I'M
scalable cliffs. almost impossible gla-
ciers. passes filled with snow and COM
manded by Austrian guns. There were
no suitable roads or bridges. The sur
of these difficulties has chal-
lenged the admiration Of the engineer {,
ing world. +,
over $500 miles Of roads have been
on the mountains of italy
ana of Albania, and 1000 miles of
aerial cable railroads (Teleferiche)
have been built to carry food, ammu-
milton and guns over deep ravines.
Economic Difficulties.
The magnitude of this military effort 6
nan he fully appreciated only when one 3
axes into consideration the economic q
structure of the nation and the nature Y
ana number of its population. One
must remember that out of $4,000. 1000 s
in Italy at the beginning !
'f The war only 100000 were male. )