Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-11
LAW AND ORDER RULING
ITALY AS NEVER BEFORE
Taxation Has Increased, However, Under
MussOlini Era and Cost of
Living Has Grown.

scourge of the country, is being fought
with all the resources at the govern
ment'S command. Adult education is
making tremendous strides.
Minimum Wage Guaranteed.
In the field of labor legislation Italy
is one of the leading countries of
Europe. A minimum wage and the
eight-hour day are guaranteed by law.
Child labor is prohibited Special laws
for the protection of women in industry
are strictly enforced. All workers are
insured against involuntary unemploy-
ment, illness, accident and old age. The
44-hour week is making Roadway. En-
ployers may not discharge their en-
ployeS without Just cause. Strikes and
lockouts are not permitted. There is
special labor court for the settle
ment of industrial disputes. and a
charter of labor which is the basic
code of industry and agriculture. Italy
and Russia are the only countries in
the world where organized labor is an
integral part of the state.
In agriculture, equal protection is eX-
tended to the peasants, who are the
main beneflciaries of Fascist rule.
FasciSm is Waging strenuous CAM
paign to ruralize the country, on the
theory, correct one, that an industrial
Italy without coal and iron is problema-
tical, to say the least. Credits to the
extent of 400,000,000 lire have been
placed at the disposal of Italian farm
ers, who are gradually learning the use
of machinery and modern methods.
Technical schools have been established
in all the country districts. A very
good example of the interest that the
government is taking in agriculture is
offered by the battle for wheat"
Production Increased.
Credit banks, farm schools, scientific
boards, the press and the universities
have been cooperating in the fight for
wheat, which is the largest item of
national importation. After three
years of campaigning, wheat produc-
ton has increased from 41,000,000 to
61,000,000 quintals yearly, which is
100000 quintals short of the amount
necessary to feed the entire population.
Similar results have been obtained in
the production of tobacco. In 1921
Italy imported 80 per cent of her
tobacco from America. In 1927 the
percentage had fallen to 26. This
years crops are said to set new high
record for italian agriculture.
: Hard for Italian Business Men.
The weak spot in the Italian picture
is the plight of industry. While there
has been an enormous improvement
within recent years, with spectacular
results in the adoption of modern
methods and machinery, and the Crea-
ton of new enterprises, on the whole
Italian business men are having hard
Industrial Italy has debated less since
the war than any other country in the
world. There is too much competition,
too wide distribution of capital insult
ficient concentration of management
and personnel. There are altogether
728,000 industrial establishments in
Italy employing an average of seven
men each. There are too many shops
and middlemen. The automobile in
dustry is case in point.
While America, with buying power
which is the highest in the world, has
only Al automobile factories, Italy, with
a very limited buying power, has 81
factories-and American cars have COM
pletely won the market in Italy. An in
dication OF the present slack is the dis
count rate. which has dropped twice in
the past four months and is still drop
ping. Banks are paying practically no
interest on deposits. They are Quilted
with money, and there is no market
for it. The sterilization of the Ira has
been hard on exporters. Production and
wholesale costs are too high. The SAL
walton of Italian industry lies in
mergers, which the government is en-
couraging; in the elimination of super
fuous enterprises, concentration of
capital and management and the reduc-
ton of overhead
Mussolini is doing everything within
reason to remedy this situation, but his
usefulness is limited It is the opinion
Of experts that if the Ira can be main
tanned at its present level industry will
come back. Already there are signs of
a gradual recovery, with unemployment
steadily decreasing The recent congress
Of employers was very optimistic in
tone. 1t is expected that in the next
few years industrial Italy will Surmount
its present difficulties and, like agricul-
ture, enter a period Of genuine pros
perity. Time is the essence in the
solution of Italy's problems. In fact, it
is the essence everywhere.
Copyright, 1929