The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-06-08
ITALIANS Save
ALBANIANS FROM
FOOD SHORTAGE
Italy Has Done For Them
What y. s. Did In
Philippines
tBy Associated Press.)

Rome, June 1.-The Italians are do
ing in Albania exactly what Ameri-
cans did in the Philippines in helping
and uplifting a population in need Of
guidance and encouragement General
George Scriyen, military attache at
the American Embassy, said to The
Associated Press correspondent upon
ahis return from a journey of five
weeks through that part OF Albania
which has been occupied by the Ital-
ians.
Had it not been for the work Of
the Italians there, the poor Albanians
would have starved" General Scriven
said The Italians have given these
people food employment, educa-
ton and security. Wheat, corn and
rice have been imported into the
country and the foodstuffs have been
distributed free to the INDECENT and
sold at reasonable prices to those
who could afford to pay for it. Elk
detrimental farms have been opened,
schools have been instituted and
most important Of all, courts Of JUS
tice which hitherto had been I'M
existant in the country have been
established and Albanian judges
placed at their heads whenever pos
sible.
although the Italians are fight
ing the Bulgarians and the Aus
TRANS on the frontiers, the work
there is not a work Of war but one
.Og civilization and the ground there
Z is most favorable to such work for
the reason that the Albanian Is an
honest man Of good character, pos
6essing the primativt virtues Of
courage, truthfulness and activity,
He has the highest respect for Wom-
NH II
Of Albania to the other alone with
out being molested.
''Brigandage has virtually 6isap-
pearsd from Albania, and the AL
banians welcome the Italians as
benefactors and friends. Several
hundred miles of beautiful, and
durable roads have ben built; tun-
nels, bridges and railways have been
constructed. Nine piers have been
erected in ValOna harbor and eight
In Santa Quaranta. Barracks. and
hospitals containing 1000 beds, have
been established. In order to have
the practise Of burying the dead in
the centre of the villages discon-
tinued, cemeteries have been Great
ed in the outskirts of villages and
towns. Telegraphic, telephone and
wireless stations have been estab-
tished and the Italians are now an
gagged in retaining the unarshy
zone surrounding Valona and COM,
prislng about 5000 acres.
The Albanians are great admirers
Of America" added General Scriven,
although only recently have they
begun to emigrate there"
In this connection. General Scriv-
en quoted one Of the leading Alban-
lans, q man who has been to Amer
lea, as saying to him:
THE invasion Of Albania by the
Balkan states, accompanied by har-
rowing atrocities on unarmed popu-
Iation, thousands Of shepherds and
farmers being slaughtered towns
and villages destroyed, farms
burned, flOcks devasted and stolen,
and hundreds of thousands of ref
ugees flocking into Valona half
starved and perishing from hunger
and exposure. have caused the be-
ginning Of emigration to the United
States. The average American is
probably unaware that so, 900 AIban-
lans have gone to the United States
since the beginning of the war"
Concluding, General Scriven said:
The occupation Of Albania by
italian troops has proved the saliva
ton Of the remaining Albanians and
and the revival Of the Albanian ma
ton"