Evening star., 1926-04-18

~ HE following is a brief sum-
mary of the most important
news of the world for seven
days ended April II:
~
The British Empire. British
fiscal year ended March 81. There was
a surplus of revenue over expenditure
e36, 900, 900 The total of revenue for
the IL months was approximately
1852 ,o0o,0 900. The cost of the coal sub
sidy is estimated at f19 10000 The
revenue exceeded budget estimates by
about FIJI 900, 900. The floating debt
was reduced within the year by about
f3S.000, 900 to f742, 100000.
In a farewell address to the Council
of State and the Assembly at Delhi,
Lord Reading. the retiring Viceroy,
happily described the goal of British
policy In respect to India as the
progressive realization of responsible
government in India as an integral
part of the British Empire.
~
ltaly.-Tpst before embarking at
Fiumicino for Tripoli. the chief port
of the Italian colony of Libya 1tal-
dreadnaught Conte di Cavour the
provincial secretaries Of the Fascist
party and made them this little speech
tin substance): II have summoned
YOU on board this ship because I
would have YOU pay homage to our
glorious navy. on which our hopes
are founded. because | would have
you. inspired by this visit, arouse an
enthusiasm for the navy among the
people of your several provinces. We
are MediteFra mean people and our
future, like our past. lies on the sea. ="
Arrived in Tripoli. Mussolini. Of
course. at once made speech. MY
visit" he said. must not be inter
preted as merely an administrative
act. 1t is rather, a manifestation of
the force which originates in Rome
and which extends from Rome to a
glorious and triumphal littoral. Fas-
cist Italian Tripoli. you represent
here Italy, which grows day by day
more prosperous and more powerful.
No one can stop our inexorable will
You understand me more for what
have not said than for what I have
said. Only such language Is possible
in the Fascist style.
No doubt "Fa scist Italian Tripoli"
readily understood what was not said.
but not so the non-FaSCist world
which would be obliged for enlighten-
ment in language, nOnFascist style.
Glorious and triumphal littoral' is
a trifie exaggerative. BY 'littorar
Mussolini no doubt meant the mar
row strip Of land between the Gulf
of Sidra and the Gulf of Gabes, and
between sea and mountain. and.
farther East. the Barca Plateau.
.f,l 10,
fairly productive.
A large part of those littoral strips.
then irrigated and sown. has reverted
to desert. No doubt by irrigatinS
science and effort the ancient pro.
ductiveness may be restored and
even improved upon. and Italian
settlers are addressing themselves
cgloriously and triumphantly," II
YOU please) to this task. But 1t is
doubtful II by the most ingenious
science and the utmost strain of effort
all Libya Italiana 100000 square
miles) could ever be made capable of
absorbing any considerable part of
the Italian surplus of population.
The splendor of Tripoli in Phoe-
nician and Roman imperial days was
mostly beholden to the caravan trade
with Central Sudan, and in later
times partly 10 lidl lIduc anu partly
10 the booty brought in by the Tripol-
itan pirates. The caravan trade Is
moribund, never greatly to revive.
Decatur ended that glorious episode
OF piracy. There are. TO be sure, pos
sibilities in Fezzan. agricultural and
pastoral; but limited. As to the oases
of the I.ibyan Desert, the Senussites
are already making the most of
those. So what is understood, but
not expressed. Fascist style" may
scarcely refer to Libya. To what,
them. What, then-are the shores
destined 10 exneriencs- ths-- Easciat