Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-03-13
BY LLOYD ALLEN,
Western Newspaper Union Staff Cor
respondent.

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 million dead ana
near on to million wounded, to say
nothing of an enormous national debt,
Italy Is today starting out on 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 we'll enough be Italy for the
Italians" since that phrase summa.
rzes majority Of their ambitions
and to all appearances has the sup
port of the people.
1t is going to be tremendous up
liN 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
cOnld now be put to excellent peace
time use carrying raw materials and
food.
Enormous Task Ahead.
Half a million fine acres of 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 enormity 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
large number of horses for trans
porting fuel and fertilizers and for
sowing the fields.
There is 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 a 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
10 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 3,5OO,OOO men was
still in uniform, although Il few had
been demobilized, and 100000 men and
women were still in the munition fac
tories.
Slight Tinge 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 Italy's ma
tional leaders confidently expected to
develop a greater Italy; an Italy thar
would be big enough, and prosperous
enough, to keep at home most, If not
all, of the half million Italians that
In former years We're obliged to leave
the mOtherland to find work in the
Americas, either in the United States
or the Argentine Republic.
First of all the government expected
to do great things for the country by
encouraging the development of water
power sites in the big rivers and in the
mountainous country of the north,
through the Trentino, 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 of
electricity generated by the hydro
electric plants to take the place OF
coal costing more than 500 a ton.
Available Water Power.
According to Crespi, and his views
were substantially the same as those
expressed by other Italian officials
with whom talked, Italy is today uti-
lizing 100000 horse power out OF the =
5000 600 horse power that Is available
In all of the rivers and streams Of the
country.
"YOu must remember" CreSpi said,
that it will be many years before 1t
Is an economic proposition to use
every bit of the 100000 horse power
we own. It's simple problem in
financeering. Some Of the water-power
sites must be left untouched because
1t costs too much to harness the pow
er. The cost of installing plant in
these doubtful sites is at present too
great, even though coal, the only
power substitute, is frightfully expen-
Sive."
Crrspi Is a manufacturer himself,
prominent in the silk industry, and II
recognized throughout Italy as a prac-
teal administrator of large affairs.
More electricity will mean more fac
tories; and that in turn implies the
employment of Italians who before the
war could not find jobs in their mother
country. So the government is en-
conrHging large corporations to create
olnu,'ain lakes to conserve water that
accumulates In the season of rain and
snow In the dry season the water
turns dynamos that produce white
coal.
May Get Coal From East.
It's perfectly true the mountain
streams are great producers of power,
but unfortunately they flow In salts
factory quantities only during the
months of January, February and