The New York herald., 1921-06-11
Mushroom Concerns Badly
Affected; Big Plants
Will Pull Through.
WORKERS LESS ARROGANT
Socialists Telling Members tt
Get at Their Tasks and
Drop Agitation.

sion, which shows signs of i'm
Provement and which is expect
ed to be over by the end of the
summer. Labor also seems to be
more conciliatory, many Social
fists advising their followers to
give up agitation and continue
at work.
Special Correspondence 10 THE NEW York
fna HERALD.
ROME. May 23.-"We are going
through a bad time, but it is not sc
bad as in some countries. The great
asset that Italy had in the industrial
world was the cheapness OF her labor
which permitted her to import raw ma
terials and export them as manufac-
tured articles at "A profit.
To-day we cannot do that. because
the cost Of labor is very high and the
cost OF raw materials also. But this
is merely a temporary crisis. and will
pass. Here, as everywhere, wages will
have to be reduced, and when wages in
Italy again come down to a rea sonable
figure Italy will be able to compete in
the worlds markets at a profit"
The foregoing statement made by
Commentators Toeplitz, chief director
one of the most astute fiuanciers In
the world, and called by many I'll vero
re d'Italia."
The siderurgical and nretallursical In
dustries have been hit badly. although
this cannot be judged actually from
the numbers of unemployed Many
firms are working still on orders re-
,eived last year and on Government
contracts, but the prospects for the
near future are not rosy.
1.-The actual big and well established
firms. which have good reserve funds,
wiIl,be able to survive the crisis. but
., large number of the small mushroom
firms which have arisen as a conse-
puence of the war are bound to sue
eumb" said Commentators Toeplitz.
Mig steel Plants to Close.
He informed me that il was prob
able that the great Elba firm, which
works the Portoferraio and other iron
mines, might have to close for the time
being. adding:
What with the cost Of labor and
the depreciation in prices, IL is not
worth while excavat!ng the iron ore
and converting 1t into steel. 1t is
cheaper to import. pig iron from abroad.
Every firm to-day must look to the
reduction of it's expenses"
4.
OF meatllurgical Industries which is
hoaded by the llva Company and com
prises 1o7 different concerns. The group
has. been severely hit by the "Ilva''
scandal: but OF this further anon.
Tn the metallurgical trade the wages
vary according to the districts. For q
weel, Of As hours in Milan skilled me-
chsni"s are paid az Ere $50 an hour.
apprentices 1856. comuon male labor.
2.S5, semi-slSilled male labor. 2.95. and
female labor. 2.40. AZ Brescia the wages
nre slightly lower. those for the five
classes mentioned being $40. i.60. 2.15
and 120. respectively. and In addition
are high cost of living bonuses. fixed
according to the number of employees
in the factory and the ages OF the
workers.
Giovanni Ansaldo e. Co. the grea test
merger in Italy. had heavy stump
last year. and although the net profits
amounted to s,00o0oo lire. this sum was
cautiously placed TO reserve. Ansaldo,
which is employing 5000 men. is now.
however. working well. and this ~
partly due to the fact that IL is the
only company in Italy that has It's
own mines of first class iron ore near AZ
hand. In the war the company bought
the iron mines at Coyne In the Val
dAosta, and near by set up it's own
electrosiderurgic establishment for the
conversion of the ore. II also obtaIne
the concession OF the Val d'Aosta water
courses. and is therefore Independent
OF the external raw material.
Aerial Railways Carr, Ore.
The ore Ia conveyed to the furnaces
frohn the mines by telurifiche. or over
head wire railways. The hydroelectric
rower. besides furnishing fuel for the
establishment at Aosta. is carried TO
the Ligurian coast. where Il supplies
twenty establishments belonging TO the
firm. At Sampierderena are five works
building heavy artillery, locomotives.
sirplane motors. motor ploughs and
ether heavy steel work. Armored plate
Is made In one Of the seven stabish-
meuts at Cornigliano Ligure. where Ia
also the oxygen and hydrogen distil-
ery. the electro chemical works for
tungsten and molibden, AS well as the
large Savola shipbulldng yards,
Scattered along the coast are nunier-
our other shipbuildinr yards belonging
to ths firm, aeronautic yards. tube fac
tories and bronze foundries. while at
Ppgli is another huge iron foundry 1t
WIN thus be seen that this firm. which
has capital Of 500 0oo, 90 lire, Is entirely
self-suprorting.
AZ pres mt together with the Asso-
ciate Company. Ansaldo S. Giorgio, II
has twenty large steamers on the stocks.
It has large contracts for airplanes for
South America and the Far East, and
has sufficient automobile and tractor
contracts TO occupy those particular
branches for twelve-month In the
naval establishment II has three scouts
under construction for the Government,
while the Victory artillery shops are now
adapted to the manufacture OF electric
motors for railways.
Commentators Pho Perroni says that
no has had little trouble with his work
men. They are producing better thon be-
fore the troubles of last autumn. He
thinks that the naturalization bug Is
scotched for the time being. but In years
to come Is bound to crop up again.
"The present generation of workers
nas seen that II viii not WORK. hu: In a
lev years time. when the next genera
tion comes along. they. with their young
itar