Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1920-09-16
news review OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Attempt Of Communists to Run
Metal Industries Of Italy
Likely to Fail.
TECHNICAL men HOLD OUT
Lithuanians Open Hostilities Against
the Poles-British Won't Release
Irish Hunger strikers-Destruc-
tive Earthquake in Itay-De-
veIopments in Politics.
BY EDWARD j. PIckARD.

Soviet rule in the Industrial region
of northern Italy came rather sudden
~. but it was not unexpected by those
who were watching developments
there. The experiment of the workers
is Of great interest, but the indications
are that it will be failure.
Employers in the big metaliurrical
works of that part Of the country un-
dertOok to head off threatened gen
eral strike for increased wages by put
ting lockout into effect. The imme-
diate result was the seizure of the
under the management of the soviets,
and are trying to operate them on com
munistic principles. The owners did
not resist but the technical and adj
ministrative staffs unanimously re-
fused to join in with the others, and
consequently the latter are having a
hard time in making good They have
no one capable of directing their eff
forts. and thousands of them are drift
ing away and refusing to work at all.
In the plants that are running the
waste is said to be appalling.
So far the communists have gener-
ally refrained from vioeltt--indeed,
there has been no occasion for it.
Therefore the government has declined
to Interfere. trusting that he employ
ers and men will finally adjust their
differences. The government Of Italy
is in more precarious position than
any other of the great powers and
cannot afford to antagonize the labor
ties and communists. If the soviet
movemen! spreads to other industries
and interferes with the public services
and the provisioning Of the people,
Premier Giolitti may be forced to in
tervene. In order to meet that event
uality, 1t is said, the employees of the
communiZed automobile factories at
Turin are building armored cars ami
tanks, and the airplane makers at
Brescia are mounting on planes mum
Der of machine guns that were secret
ly removed from the arsenal al Ven
Ice. The situation may be cleared up
by two conferences that opened near
the close of the week.
Italian manufacturers declare that
the wage increase demanded by the
100000 metal workers employed by
them would add at least 1.OO0,0OO0OO
lire to their pay roll, and that this
burden could not be sustained. They
point out that Italy pays Is times the
pre-war price for coal, while England
pays only three times, America only
3.5, France six, and even Germany
only IL. AS a result foreign produc-
tion is replacing Italian.
Polish troops. in their operations
against the Russians, have run afoul
of the Lithuanians, and hostilities have
broken out between the two countries.
The bone of contention is the province
of Suwalki, which is inhabited main
ly by Lithuanians and was given to
Lithuania by Russia when the Poles
were driven out recently. Attacking
suddenly, the Lithuanians defeated the
Poles in the region of Seiny and then
by forced marches advanced beyond
the city of Suwalki, with the evident
intention of assaulting the AugustOwO
fortress, to which heavy Polish re-en-
forcements were rushed. Poland pro-
tested to the League of Nations against
the action of Lithuania, but that coun-
try refused to accept the blame, stat
Ing that 1t does not recognize the lines
Of demarcation fixed by Earl Curzon
and Marshal Foch. but is ready to
cease hostilities and negotiate new
line.
] Of course, the Russian reds took
. - ~ - Il :. j.