Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-25
ITALY LIFTS FEE
I0WS|T MUSEUMS
Government Finds tourists
Avoided Art Treasurers
Because of Expense.
n FREDERICK HoLLowELL.
Nv Radio to The star.

ROME, August 24.-EnectlVe on sep
TENDER /. admission fees to all national
monuments, museums and picture GAL
leries in italy will be abolished. This
radical measure was taken recently by
Mussolinfs government after consider
able period of trial and error-mostly
error-in the administration Of Italy's
treasure house of antiquities and art in
such 4 way as best to make 1t known
throughout the world Scarcely any
decision made by the Duce during his
seven years in power has met with such
widespread and general approval, and it
Is the general prediction that 1t will
serve more than almost any other one
thing to induce more tourists to visit
this country.
After all, the principal object of most
tourists in coming to italy is to visit the
scores. indeed hundreds, of ancient Ro-
man ruins, museums of priceless Ro-
man, Etruscan and medieval relics, and
picture galleries filled with the most
wonderful paintings by old masters that
are to be found anywhere in the world.
Mussolini has finally realized that in
these things Italy has something to
offer which no other country in the
world can boast Of, and that 1t Is time
this national treasure be exploited to
the best advantage.
Plan Pennywise.
Experience of the past few years has
proved that the administration hitherto
in vogue has not served this larger ma
tional purpose, but has been0a penny
wise and dollar foolish policy. The re-
suit has been that during the past two
or three years museums and picture
galleries have been almost empty be-
cause tourists found that to visit them
all it cost literally more than travelling
expenses through the country. AdmiS-
sion fees ranged from 5 to Is lire each
which meant that II the average tourist
visited an average Of six or seven
museums daily he found he was spend
ing too much money and stopped going
about the second day. Therefore, real
ling that admission fees were eating
up too much capital-and since rnu-
seums constituted his principal motive
for coming to Italy-the average tourist
left the country about as soon as he
stopped frequenting the museums. He
then proceeded to advise all his friends
not to come to Italy because the en-
trance fees cost too much.
The cumulative effect of such policy
on the general tourist trade can readily
be imagined Moreover, another in
sidious tendency lately became manifest.
It was noticed that most of the big
tourist agencies in foreign countries
those which sell all-inclusive tickets.
Including tips"-had developed the
habit of calculating about $40 per head
to cover the entrance fees to museums
Then, in taking their groups of tourists
around in rubberneck wagons, they
would stop outside some of the important
museums and the official barker would
explain what was inside without ever
letting the tourists see for themselves.
1t was like seeing bullfght by proxy,
as in Carmen. Therefore. the GUS
todians Of Italy's wonderful treasures
were generally left to twiddle their
thumbs and the treasures went unseen
and unappreciated. 1t naturally re-
dlired considerable courage and fore
sight to forego deliberately source of
income which until recently yielded an
annual revenue of 5000 900 to 10,000, 900
lire-just as 1t did to abolish visa fees
on American passports, which had once
yielded considerably more. But Mus
Solini believes the ultimate benefit to
the country from the increased number
OF tourists will more than Offset this
immediate disadvantage.
Passport viii Be Necessary.
In the administration Of the museums
under the new arrangement, ample
measures have been taken to see that
no undue advantage is taken of the
abolition Of admission fees. Care will
be taken that museums and picture gal
leries will not serve as children's play
grounds or as places for the leisurely
gathering Of persons who have nothing
else to DO than pass the time of day.
The presentation Of an Identification
card or passport will be required of all
visitors except those wearing uniforms
Of some branch of the armed forces. Re-
SpectiVe custodians will be held re-
sponsible for the conduct of all visi-
tors of their particular bailiwicks. Some
Of the details of the regulation are
incidentally, quite interesting. For ex-
ample, one provision states that lad
mission Of ali persons not decently
dressed will be prohibited" Another
provision prohibits taking into any
museum or picture gallery any books
except guide books or books of study
Of that particular monument or gall
lery lin order that our national lnonu-
ments and. excavations shall not become
public reading rooms" Children I'M
der 1S years of age are excluded I'M
less accompanied by parents or guar
dams. Taking in of canes, Umbrellas
cameras and other similar objects is
also prohibited. This free admission
measure naturally applies only to mu-
seums and galleries and such under
national administration and does not
include museums and galleries admin
istered by. the Vatican City. 1t Is be-
lieved by some that the Vatican may.
see At TO follow suit since the Vatican
will naturally wish to continue to at
tract tourists to the celebrated Vatican
Museum for many of which its treas
ures are unique in the world.
Copyright. 1921