Ripley County democrat., 1918-02-15
ITALY TO SOLVE
FOOD QUESTION
Mobilization Of Agricultural
Forces Planned as Emergency
War Measure.
MEN TO Be FORCED TO WORK
Radical Action Rendered imperative
BY the Necessity Of Providing
Larger Landowners With Labor
Needed to Handle Crops.

R0me.-The first of series OF emer.
| geiicy war measures tending to I'm.
prove rs much as circumstances will
permit the difficult food situation will
be announced soon. The mobilization
OF all the agricultural forces Of the
country viii be ordered and the new
army sent to work wherever there ex-
lists scarcity of farm labor.
According to the experts Of the min
istry of agriculture. the radical meas
ure. for which there is no precedent,
was rendered imperative by the neces-
sity OF supplying the large landowners
aud the organizations which have en-.
gagged In agricultural enterprises on q
large scale with all the labor they need
for sowing and taking In the crop. The
scarcity Of labor also has nude inpera-
tive the coordination Of work In farm
Ing operations.
Take Census Of Farm Labor.
The mobilization will take plnce un-
der the direction Of Agricultural Min
lister Ralnert. who will be assist 4 by q
few Of the officers of the Italia gem
eral staff. The mayor Of each town
will be ordered to take the census Of
oil the farm labor OF both sexes In his
district and state the approximate time
needed for local farming work. The
next step will be- the compulsory en-
l'stinent Of every man In new army
which will be under the command Of
regular petty officers.
Active operations will begin early in
March. Thanks TO different climatic
conditions the harvesting season In the
south Of Italy and In the islands is o
month In advance on thnt Of the North.
Consequently the authorities expect to
move the different agricultural units
from place to place till every crop has
becn taken In and then repeat the op-
GRAFTON next year for the plowing and
sowing season.
The general staff has promised its
heartiest cooperation provided the
military situation at the front i'm
proves or, OF least. remains stationary.
In this case two or three hundred thou
sand men will be temporarily released
from the army and sent to work In the
farming districts. The men and the
women will be paid the prevailing rate
Of wages.
Expect No Hitch.
The authorities are confident the
pnn will work without q hitch and
II the results are asspredcted, and II
the prize and premium system fails,
II ts not improbable that compulsory
farming will be among the after war
measures with which the government
expects 10 solve some of the most dis
tressing problems connected with the
resupplying and revictualing Of the
country.
In connection with the present food
situation Premier Orlando announced
In the chamber of deputies that II
could not be improved even II hostili-
ties ceased tomorrow. that the high
cost Of living and the scarcity Of all
the necessarles Of life would continue
for long time after the conclusion Of
peace, and that the solution Of the
problem Of supplies is that, today, the
country must resuppiy itself or be con-
tented with the little that can be i'm
ported from abroad.
At the same time the premier said
that before long the people will be
called upon to make additional sacri-
fees. and that in order to Increase the
ration Of the men In the trenches new
food restrictions would be imposed on
the country at large.