The Washington herald., 1920-03-04
GERMAN TRADE
| WITH ITALIANS
CAUSES ALARM
Allies Vexed at Stiff Com
petition Offered Them
By Former Foe.
SELLING WAR LIKELY
Rate Of Exchange Proves
Detnment to American
Business Men.
SELLING WAR LIKELY
Pusiic Ledger Service. Special Cable
Dispatch.)
By CARL w. ACKERMAN,

'SeAoA ihNeSAOh Oh Italy lS IN
full swing. An economic offensive
has been launched and German
statesmen. engineers. contractors
and fnanciers. may be seen every
day in the leading hotels Of Rome.
Milan. Genoa and other cities. What
Is more important, German manu-
featured articles such as cameras,
small electrical appliances. jewelry,
dyes. medicines and war substitutes
are on display In shops, especially
In Northern Italy. which before the
war was under German economic
domination.
! Germans are returning. One hears
German spoken in hotels, cafes.
stores and depots. In the sleeping
car which brought me from Rome
to Milan there was more German
\ spoken than either French or Eng
lish.
Germans Lost No Time.
The allies come to Italy through
Switzerland for travel; the former
enemy, for business.
| They are calling upon former Gus
toners and representatives. They
are selling what manufactured arti-
cles they can gather in Germany
and send by mail. They arc extend
| ing credit and making hattering
promises.
They declare Germany is hard at
work; that the people work twelve
hours daily. and that within a short
time they can ship quantities of
goods. They are at the leading
hotels, dress well, tip recklessly an.
ride in private cars Intsead of taxi
cabs.
Exchange Rate Aids Germans.
AS yet the German in vasion is by
no means alarming to either the
British or Americans. At the pres
ent exchange rate Italy cannot af-
ford to buy anything. in America
except necessities which cannot be
obtained elsewhere.
Neither Americans nor English
are leaving the Italian market to
the Germans. English woolens and
cotton goods are on sale. although
| the prices are exceptionally high
Italy. however. is being closely
watched by American bankers.
whose representatives are making
frequent journeys.
From reliable sources / am in
formed that American financial in
terests are now endeavoring to OBJ
tain concessions in Northern Italy
for the development of water power
factories, railroads and wharves at
ports.
Italy Receivers Slowly.
Judging from amount of busi-
ness discussed and developments
contemplated in Italy. one cannot
avoid the impression that it is only
a question of time until Italy comes
back. l heard remarks such as
these:
In Paris 1t was said "the situa-
tion is improving here every day
and despite the railroad strike and
the printers strike IL will not be
long until France gets to work. but
in Italy 1t does not look so en-
couraging."
In Rome 1 was assured by men
whose judgment / think is good that
Italy will soon settle down; that
Italy would be settled now except
for the Adriatic issue, but that
France was disturbed"
In England they have confidence
in England's ability to reconstruct
the nation politically and economi-
cally without a revolution, but the
same confidence is not given to
France or Italy.
Confident Of Future.
In Italy nearly everyone was
confident. In France most of those
| with whom 1 spoke were confident.
In England there is confidence
This was one of the reasons ] con-
cluded from what / had heard and
observed in the leading allied coun-
tries. that there was not going to
be collapse. but a recovery
Now that there is to be interna-
tional trade with Russia and the un-
certainty which existed in Italy
about Fiume and the Adriatic is to
be removed. am confident Italy will
| go ahead and not back. Italy, no
| more than any other country. is 60
| ing to return to 1914 conditions.
Outside of Italy strikes are al
! ways interpreted as being indica-
| tions of very grave industrial and
political conditions, but in Italy it
self these strikes, even general
strikes, are no longer regarded as
of revolutionary Importance.
Gain Point i'm Strike.
| 1t is generally admitted that
strikes will continue. because the
workers themselves consider the
strike the only means they have
of expressing their desires. They
point to the fact that the last gen.
eral strike on an Italian railway
gave the employees representation
on boards of directors.
The war Is over. The people want
food. peace and prosperity equally
distributed and to be left alone
without fear of attack from the out
side; without danger of other powers
combining against them; without
other nations intriguing to seize
their territory.
II granted some kind of a quick.
| peaceful settlement of troublesome
international questions, Italy, CO.
operating with former enemies and
allies. will work out her salvation
peacefully.
/