The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-04-04
ITALY IS PREPARING TO TACKLE
BIG PROGRAM OF RECONSTRUCTION
Aims to Make the Most Whatever Place in the Sun the Peace
Conference Gives Her-By the Time the Peace Treaty Is
r Signed 1t Is Expected Dawn Of Greater
ItaIy Will Be Here.
By LLOYD ALLEN,
Western Newspaper Union Staff Cor
RESPONDENT.

BY LLOYD ALLEN,
Western Newspaper Union Staff Cor
respondent.
Our American ambassador here in
Rome, Thomas Nelson Page, believes
that Italy suffered more from the raw
ages of war than any other nation
fighting the central powers, except
Serbia and Poland. both of which
were robbed and almost wholly over
run by invading Hun armies.
In spite of her war losses, which in
clude almost half a million dead and
near on to a million wounded. to say
nothing Of an enormous national debt,
Italy is today starting out on a pro-
gram of reconstruction aiming to make
the most out of whatever place in the
sun the peace conference gives her.
The slogan of the national leaders
might well enough be "Italy for the
Italians" since that phrase summa-
rizes majority of their ambitions
and to all appearances has the sup
port of the people.
1t is going to be tremendous up
hrl job, this business Of repairing the
damages wrought by war. SiXty-two
per cent of the Italian merchant ma
rine was sunk by Austrian and Ger
man submarines-the Mediterranean
sea was made into a graveyard of
merchant ships, every one of which
could now be put to excellent peace
time use carrying raw materials and
food.
Enormous Task Ahead.
Half a million fine acres cf land in
the northern provinces Of Italy, which
was virtually abandoned during the
Austrian occupation, may not be
plowed this spring, owing to the short
ness of time, and the en0rnity of the
task of rehabilitating the farm popu-
lation. Several thousand blowing ma
chimes must be rushed in for the work,
if it is to be accomplished, as we'll AS
a large number of horses for trans
porting fuel and fertilizers and for
sowing the fields.
There is a food shortage in the
meantime; meat and wheat and dairy
products are very scarce, in fact, but
ter Is almost an unknown commodity
in even the best hotels of Rome, Milan,
Turin and Genoa.
And there is fuel shortage that is
even worse, because Italy does not
produce one pound Of coal within her
own boundaries. Every pound burned
must be hauled in ships, either from
England or America, and there is none
to spare in England.
Not counting the excessively high
prices Of all commodities, these were
some Of the principal economic trou-
bles the Italian government was en-
deavoring to overcome during the first
weeks Of the peace conference in
Paris. The army of 3,500,OO0 men was
still in uniform, although a few had
been demobilizcd, and 100000 men and
women were still in the 1nunition fac
tories.
Slight Tinoe of Anarchy.
Throughout the political situation
there. was naturally enough an under
current of radicalism, which, fortunate
ly enough, was thought, to be only
slightly tinged With the anarchistic
doctrines of the bolsheviks.
With this groundwork 1taly's ma
tional leaders confidently expected to
develop a greater Italy; an Italy that
would be big enough, and prosperous
enough, to keep at home. most, if not
all, of the half million Italians that
in former years were obliged to leave
the motherland to find work in the
Americas. either in the United States
ur the Argentine Republic.
First Of ali the government expected
70 Go great tliings Cor the cou1try by
encoUragin the Development OF water
power sites in the big rivers and in the
l.iounluInou:5 country Of the north,
through tie TrentilIo, which had just
been won from Austria.
Food Administrator Crespi, here in
Rome. outlined some Of the advantages
to be gained by The greater use CT
electricity generated by the hydro
electric plants to take the place o.
coal costing mare than 500 a ton.
Available Water Fewer.
According to C3e$pi, and his views