The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-04-04

May Get Coal From East
It's perfectly true the mountain
streams are great producers Of power,
but unfortunately they flow In satis-
factory quantities only during the
months of January, February and
March. During the summer, spring
and autumn months the slower flowing
rivers of the lowlands must furnish
all the hydro-electric power Italy uses,
Crespi declared.
The most optimistic statesman or
government official In Italy, however,
knows that electric power alone will
never adequately supply the Italian In
dustrial wants, and this factor In the
italian problem Is also appreciated by
the allied nations. Accordingly there
Is a well-defined movement on foot at
the peace conference to grant Italy
permission to mine a certain quantity
of coal in Asia Minor-the near East.
1t Is admitted that the Italians
should not be forced to depend for
ever on the surplus coal from Amer
lean and English mines. The near East
coal. however, will not completely fill
the country's needs, so that the greater
development of water power Is expect
ed to continue as one of the leading
reconstruction activities.
Building a fair-sized mercantile ma
rine is another job Italy has before
her, to replace as soon as possible the
ships that were torpedoed or sunk by
shell fire during the war. II will take
some years and considerable labor for
Italy to regain her peace-time strength
In merchant ships.
Jobs for the Jobless.
To start creating jobs for jobless
men who will be demobilized from the
Italian army Of three and a half mil
lion. the government has appropriated
a sum of about n billion dollars, to
be used In public works and shipbuild-
ing, also In road repairing.
While the nation Is getting back to
the ways of peace the people will have
to continue their war diet There Is
approximately two years of food con-
~servation In sight for the nation.
Italy today Is one Of the most crowd
ed Of all the European nations. Yet
the government is planning to main
tain a larger population on the farms
during the coming decades than before
the war. Intensifcation methods of
farming are to be encouraged.
For some years hence the outflow of
immigration will be greatly con-
stricted, due in part to the recon
~struction Jobs that will be open In
Italy, and to the shortage In ocean ton
mage.
Instead of moving to America, the
Italians will probably find employment
In helping construct the thousands of
huts that will be needed In the north
of Italy to house the refugee popula-
ton or 60 into the factories building
railroad cars, an industry that virtu-
ally stopped during the war. or get a
Job in other Of the industries.
Devastated by Enemy.
The plight Of the people in the In.
vaded sections has its only parallel In
the devastated areas of France.
Trees are smashed. houses demol.
ished, telegraph wires are down, roads
and bridges are more or less impassa-
BILE through the whole section of north
Italy that was In the actual zone OF
fire.
1t is expected that the government
will have to take a hand at rehabili'
tating these lands rather than leave
the job to private enterprise. The
principal industry of the region Is ag'
riculture.
The list of things needed on the
damaged farms, as compiled by an Of
fetal American investigator, comprised
the following items: Cattle, agricul
tural machinery, plows, food, galvan'
lied wire, shovels, cutters, horses, seed
wheat, corn and oats, hoes, spades and
pruning scissors.
American Red Cross men, who were
among the first In this district after
the Austrians left, said the ~retreatinl
enemy took even the faucets from the
water pipes, leaving the water flow
ing and flooding the wrecked homes
Their verbal report on Austrian treat
ment Of the women is unprintable.
Message to America.
One Of Food Administrator Crespf:
aims In life is to create closer ties
Of sentiment and better business rela
tons between italy and America
When asked for a definite message tt
send Americans, Crespi said:
"It's rather amazing, the similarit!
of thought and feeling that already ex
list between America and Italy. Amer
lea as a nation is sentimental, and 81
are we; America has nc imperialis
aims In the war, and we do not fee
that our acquisition of essentially Ital
ian lands is imperialistic. / believ'
both countries IN most anxious t
face the future minus big arma
ments."
By the time the peace treaty. |
signed Italian oficialdom expects tina
the dawn Of a greater Italy will b.
hara. with focforfoS hunmfuU and