New-York tribune., 1920-01-24
Italy Is Striving
To End Unsettled
Home Conditions
British Correspondent Finds
Spirit of Hope Despite
the Tangle of Politics and
Of Congested Railways
Neac York Tribune :
FOreiun Prose PUrp1,,


LONDON. Jan. "Travcling in
Italy is still far from being a pleas
ure," writes Percival Phillips in THE
London Express.' "Trains are crowd
ed and none too plentiful The tourist
III search of enjoyment is likely to ar
rive at his journeys end considerably
dishevelcd and wholly disillusoncd.
"a watchful eye must be kept on
luggage. Hand kit has a habit Of van
llsshlng almost under the owners eyes.
Nl1mole-fingered lnn,,'l gentry have been
known to lift all the portable posses
sIons Of voyaeor during his brief
absence in a dining car.
Recently a, British officer stepped
out OF his sleeping compartment at
Eome minus ali luggage and his tunic.
lheS mad been distracted through the
open window during halt in the
night All his papers were missing
ana he had some difficulty at first in
proving That ne was what he was.
Touring Not Popular
Tourists are still in the minority.
Worried business men constitute the
pulk OF the travelling public. You
meet keen American banking agents.
English commercial men. quite a num-
Der of French and even a few German
representatives on the main HIGHWAYS
ne germans are creeping back SLOW
~. Wo OF them sat in the lounge of
NoMe hotcl last night, within arms
i,c"Eth OF BRUSH officer, and talked
loudly of the failure of British policv
in Syria,
"The American 'hustlcrs' are driven
to despair. Those | have met are
making lightning trips to italy and
France for rapid survey Of the finan-
ciai situation. They want to dart
about as they do at home. Slow trains
madden them; their passports drive
them to despair.
The authorities make things as
easy as possible. They are invariably
courteous and helpful. Yet the regu-
iatlons in themselves make traveling
lelsurely business.
"Departure by boat is an oven
greater trial. A good many people aye
wanting just now to go to Egypt. Per
berth is far harder A fortnirhtlv
service from laramie and another
from Genoa and Naples are inadcauatc
to carry all who wish to cross the
Mediterranean. On. company insists
on half the passage money being for
felted IT ticket holders do not sail
Four British passengers, detained be-
yond sailing time by congestion on
the railways, had to pay $3.50 for the
experience.
transportation Is Lacking
The country is badly crampcd bv
Its inadequate railway facilities. Jtalv
suffers even more than her neighbors
from lack Of goods wagons. Needed
imports pi!c up near the frontier and
at seaports; factories cannot Get raw
materials. Letters from England take
tour or five days, sometimes week:
kilograms from one part Of the coun-
Try 10 another spend day, often three,
ON the journey. The telephone service
is nearly as bad as in England.
Yet, in spite of the topsy-turviness
of things, the tangled politics and more
tangled currency, there is an atmos-
phere of real optimism in the business
world Merchants and bankers are
fully alive to the dangers and diff
cuitles Of ltaly's present situation. but
they are striving earnestly to surmount
them.
Business Men Frank
financial group told me that in his
talks with representative men who
want substantial advances in order to
hasten recuperation he was impressed
by their attitude.
"lhey did not try to minimize or
dlstort facts. They even rejected some
of the illusions which are clung to in
other Countries
For example, some of them say
quite frankly that they see no hope
of salvation in German indemnity.
Germany they are prepared to write
off, so far as financial help is con
cerned. They want to fight their way
out of the slough with the .elp of
friends abroad"