Evening star., 1927-05-30
HOLDS i. s FINANCE
AIDS PEACE ABROAD
Fascist Minister LaudS Work
Done by Americans in
ItaIy's Struggle.
By PERCY WINNER


ROME. May 80 CPl.-American
finance and industry are performing
a work sacred for European peace
by aiding Fascism make Italy self
supporting, in the opinion of Alfredo
Rocco. minister of justice in Musso-
lini's cabinet.
Largely through American assist
ance, Rocco declares, it will be pos
sihle eventually to accommodate
10000. 900 more inhabitants within
1talys present boundaries in conti-
mental Europe, thereby alleviating the
gravity of one of the nations most
acute problems which the Duce sum
med up recently in the sentence:
Italy must expand or suffocate."
The American dollars which in the
form of long-term loans to industry"
the minister of justice says, ARE sol
diers in the cause of peace. since they
relieve us from the pressure of over
population. With this capital we are
beginning seriously to accomplish
utilization of our sCanty natural re-
sources. At the same time American
industry is giving us lessons in the
application of scientific methods to
production problems. This, in a coun-
try like ours. is Il question of life or
death. Naturally we have to work
harder than other nations to achieve
normal prosperity. and we hope we
can do SO peaCeahly."
Urges american Ideas.
A similar view of aid from the
United States has been expressed
hy Minister of National Economy
Belluzzo. in whose opinion Italian
frI oil ho
based entirely upon lessons from
America, particularly in reducing
costs to underSell foreign competitors
in the world market.
American loans to hydraulic COM
spanieS in Italy. it is pointed out.
have already reduced the cost of
power to the lowest level in the
world and are quickly reducing the
need for coal Importation. The use
of American agricultural machinery
and the application of American
methods have contributed likewise to
diminish grain imports while American
ideas of factory management. par
ticularly in regard to mass produc-
tion, are being spread widely in the
industrial sections of Northern Italy.
While it is considered undisputedly
true that American loans have been
partially responsible for the rapid rise
in the value of the lira, opinions in
industrial circles are divided into two
camps on the benefits of this improve
ment Even in Facist circles many
,industralists complain that the none
tary reform is ruinouS since it makes
expectation extremely difficult.
Unemployment Grows.
Unemployment has risen. according
to official figures, from about $4,000
last Summer to more than 100000
and continues to soar. Many fac
tories are closing in Milan, Turin and
other industrial cities of the north.
AT the same time the cost of living
has not vet begun TO go down. throw
ing hardships on the working classes
whose wages, the employers say, not
only cannot be raised, but must be
reduced.
Several important last minute
changes made by the Facist Grand
Council in the text Of the Charter
of Labor" are generally interpreted
here as being connected with the in
dustrial situation. These changes
were:
capital and labor are henceforth to
be unoer the direct tutelege of the
state. but the final for of the charter
eliminated the word capital"
Seek to Avoid Imitation.
The original specifically forbade
strikes, lockouts, boycotts. obstruc
tionism and sabotage. but the final
form did so only by implication. The
original specifically declared against
a minimum wage" whereas the final
form let this be implied.
These and other similar changes
are taken to mean that the regime
realizes the inadvisability OF irritating
either the industralists' or the workers,
but particularly the former. Except
for the provision for direct state ope-
ration of industry in cases of insuffi-
cheney or lack of private initiative,
the charter. in its final form, re-
moves the fear which had been widely
spread among business men that
Fascism was swinging away from
faith in so-called capitalism toward So
ciafsn.
Elimination of the provision for
bidding strikes, it is stated, was
prompted by the realization that, I'M
der the present conditions, it would
he virtually impossible to prevent
them, while the clause about mini
mum wage" was taken out because it
was felt it would look like an invita-