The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1920-10-01
Attempt Of Communists to Run
Metal industries Of Italy
Likely to Fail.
TECHNICAL Men HOLD OUT
lithuanians Open Hostilities Against
the Poles-6ritish Won't Release
Irish Hunger strikers-Destrue.
tive Earthquake in ItaIy-0e-
veIopments in Politics.
BY EDWARD J. P,ckARp.

Soviet rule in the industrial region
of northern Italy came rather sudden
~, but 1t was not unexpected by those
who were watching developments
there. The experiment of the workers
Is OF great interest. but the indications
are that 1t will be a failure.
Employers in the big metallurgical
works Of that part Of the country I'M.
dertook to head off Threatened gen.
eral strike for increased wages by put.
ting lockout into effect. The imme.
dihte result was the seizure Of the
plants by the workers, who put them
under the management of the sOviets,
aud are trying to operate them ON COM
munistic principles. The owners did
not resist, but the technical and adj.
Ministrative stats unanimously re-.
fused to Join in with the others, aud
consequently the latter are having a
hard time in making good. They have
n" one capable Of directing their ef-
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 fur the communists have gener.
ally refrained from viOlence-in,leetl.
there has been no occasion for It.
Therefore the government has declined
to interfere. trusting that the 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 aud
cannot afford to antagonize the labor.
ties and communists. If the soviet
movement 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
communize3l automobile factories at
Turin are building armored cars and
tanks. and the Mirplane makers at
Rrescia are mounting on planes num-
Der Of machine guns that were secret
~ removed from the arsenal at Ven.
ice. The situation may be cleared up
ny 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 1904. OOO. 600
lire 10 their pay roll, and that this
burden could not he sustained. They
point ont that Italy pays IS times the
pre-war price for coal. while England
pays only three times. America only
80. France six, and even Germany
only II. AS a result foreign produce
ton is replacing Italian.
Polish troops. in their operations
against the Russians, have run afoul
of the Lithuanians. and l,ostilities have
broken out between the two countries.
The hone of contention is the province
Of SuwaIki. which is inhabited main-
~ by LithTanians and was given to
lihunnia by Russia when the Poles
were driven ont recently. Attacking
suddenly. the Lithuanians defeated the
Poles in the region Of Seiny and then
by forced! marches advanced heyOnd
the city of Suwalki. with the evident
Intention of a>saulting the AuyuStOWO
fortress. to which heavy Polish re-en-
InrcementS 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 de,narcation fixed by Earl Curzon
and Marshal FOch. but Is ready to
cease hOstilities and negotiate a new
line.
OF course. the Russian reds took