The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-04
CAPITAL AND LABOR
IN ACCORD IN ITALY
Premier Says Recent Indus
trial Upheaval Has Brought
About Better Relations.
WHY MEN HELD PLANTS
Fear of Lockout Caused Action
Results Obtained Benefit
Nation, Declares Giolitti.

Nation, Declares Giolitti.
ROME. Oct. 3.-Italy has gone through
II radical Transformation in the relations
existing between employers and workers
with little injury to persons, property or
the order of things, says Premier Giolitti
In a statement to the Associated Press.
He explains the significance OF the set
Element reached between the owners of
industrial plants and their employees,
and says that more cordial relations be-
tween capital and labor will exist In
future.
Incidentally. the Premier takes occa-
sion to ridicule alarming stories printed
In the United States and other countries
relativ teo conditions in Italy in the last
month.
Metal workers were receiving wages
from Is to 20 lire daily" says Giolitti in
explaining the situation that existed at
The beginning of the movement to occupy
plants. Considering the present rate
or exchange these wages represented less
than one dollar American money. What
would American worlSmen do If they re-
eeived such pay?
The italian metal workers presented
memorandum to their employers ask
Ing for wage increase of four lire
daily, which would bring up their wages
so that those who received the highest
pay would get what was equivalent to
one dollar.
Men Feared Lockout.
VIhe employers, who during the war
made enormous sums, refused to grant
me mems request, claiming the profits
OF their establishments did not leave
them sufficient margin to further in
crease working expenses The men, fear
ing lockout, refused to leave factories
and In the absence of proprietors and
technical STATS, undertook to carry on
the plants themselves.
This was the origin of the vast social
movement from which we are emerging
with, perhaps. less or lawlessness and
bitterness OF feeling than Is to be found
IN most European countries Naturally.
extremists among the workmen tried to
take advantage of the situation in order
70 inclte their companions to turbulence.
Ihey tried to force what was a purely
economic upheaval into politics. but sue
ceeded in casuing only isolated episodes
OF violence. The large majority of the
men, as well as the responsible leaders
or the Confederation Of Labor, were true
~ their programme of maintaining the
dispute strictly in the economic field.
Many persons volunteered advice to
the Government as to it's using force
ana employing soldiers, cannon and ma
chine guns for what they considered
the necessity OF making the rights of
property respected Considering the
fact there were more than SOC, 1000 work
ers involved in the movement and that
over 600 factories were occupied, an
attempt to dislodge the men by force
would have plunged the country into
civil war. and hundreds, IL not thou
sands. of persons would have been
killed
General Resumption Of Work.
THE widening abyss between en-
ployers and worlSmen could not be
bridged at first but by following the
counsels of moderation. prudence and
Cancellation the number of those killed
was about a dozen Now. / rejoice TO
say. work Is generally being resumed,
factories have been evacuated, and the
men are cooperating with the owners
and technical stats to set things going
once more.
I'VE thus have succeeded in salts
factorily settling one Of the worst eco
nomic conflicts in Industrial history
without grave losses. and have Initiated
what is most important-better feeling
between employers and men. In addi-
ton. we may congratulate ourselves on
having solved this problem in accord
ance with the spirit of the age. and /
firmly believe the present arrangement
probably has postponed the advent of
Socialism In Italy for perhaps century.
md certainly for fifty years.
what have Italian worknen gained
Larger wages, amounting altogether 70
81 a day, which is still much less than
Is earned in America one weeks holiday
In n year, and participation in n COM !
mission composed of masters and men !
which will present 20 the Government !
the project for q hill TO be passed by |
Parliament enabling the men 20 check |
up on financial ard technical conditions
of factories
"This last is an excellent thing. There !
has been no want for mischief makers
who have assured the men their en- |
ployers were realizing fabulous profits /
at the expense OF workers. The latter /
were naturally inclined TO believe this
but the day when their representatives
can verify the accounts of factories ana I
reaiize the revenues and expenses. IL VIII !
no LONGER be possible to trade upon the 1
Ignorance of workers and make bad
blood between them and their employers.
They will then know up to what limit
they can ask for betterment OF condl-
tons. beyond which point insistence upon
demands would he killing the goose that
lays the golden eggs.
Reports Greatly Exaggerated.
'In other countries tho movement mas
been almost entirely misunderstood. IL
not deliberately misrepresented. IL has
been called control Of. workmen over
factories This evidently g the result
of a poor translation OF the Italian word
'controlIo' which means verihcation, not
domination. of business
Honestly. think Italy IS to be con.
graduated. Few countries can boast OF
having gone through such radical
I'm relations between en-
ployers and workers with so little injury
TO all concerned. The theory OF those
who urged that the attitude OF oVo.ooo
4. L., tla 1