Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-01

pact by returning to the longer day
than eight hours. also the agreement
of the international Labor Confer.
ence, held in Washington in 1921,
when the eight-hour day was stipu-
lated as standard for all countries.
Italy, however, never really accepted
that standard. except with so many
reservations and exceptions as to
make it a farce. Overtime not exceed
ing 2 hours daily, or II hours a week.
was authorized in Italy by the decree
of 1923, providing the parties agree
on it," the overtime to be paid at
10 per cent above normal time, al
though the Washington conference
had stipulated % per cent extra for
wages on overtime, and the American
custom is so per cent extra rate.
Prior to the Washington Interna-
tional Labor Conference of 1921 the
usual labor day in Italy was 10
hours. and the conference stipulated
that reducing the day to 8 hours
must not permit employers to reduce
wages pro rata, but the Mussolini
decree of 1928 failed to include that
prohibition Nor did the 1923 reform
in the day apply to any of Italy's
colonies. possessions and protecto.
rates.
Prof Mortara, Italy'S foremost econ.
omist. is authority for the statement
that in the last three years wage In
crease has not kept pace with the
rise in the cost Of living.
From the Monthly Labor Review
of the United States Department of
Labor October, 1920 Is quoted the
following summing up of the Italian
labor situation:
Assuming that. all things consid-
cred. the Italian worker has succeed
ed in raising his standard of living,
as compared with the years before the
war, the question arises as to his
the workers of other countries. When
this question was put to a well
known Italian labor leader he imme.
diately replied that the Italian worker
was infinitely worse off than the
worker in Great Britain, and that,
according to the information at his
disposal, was even in a position in
ferior to that of the worker in Ger
many at present.
"The chief problem in Italy, if the
standard of living is to be raised, APP
pears to be that of increasing per
capita production, in order that a
greater amount of wealth may be
available for distribution"
Italy is not suffering from unem-
ployment, in spite of overpopulation,
but from export markets for her
products. Mussolini cannot decree
export markets, and. obviously, say
economists, the question of overpro-
duction and overstocking of her ware.
houses may quickly result from his
speeding up output without increas-
ing exports.
Last October the Fascist govern.
ment decreed the adjustment of "col-
lective bargaining" by trade unions,
and established the Confederation of
Fascist Corporations as the sole rep.
resentative Of employers, while the
workers were obligated to transact
all their business with the employers
through the local unions. called "sindi.
cato locale" Against that order, the
General Confederation of Labor
strongly protested that 1.-THE Italian
employers are now endeavoring to
paralyze the freedom of. trade union.
ism in Italy"
The law provides courts for COM
pulsory industrial arbitration of all
collective disputes.
According to the United States De-
partment Of Labor, the cost of living
in the United States December 1924,
was 20 per cent higher than in 1918.
In Italy, in the first half of 1914, the
index compared with 1913 as 1907
stood at 286, and in December, 1924,
it was 573, and in April, 1925, 1t was
600-six times as much as before the
war.
Copyright. 1896 BY Paul v. collius.,