Evening star., 1931-12-18
ITALY PREPARES
TO AID JOBLESS
Government Hopes to Keep
Number From Rising More
Than $4,000.
special Dispatch to The Star,

Special Dispatch to The Star.
ROME, December l8.-Italy Is strug-
Cling as best 1t can to keep down the
number Of jobless men in the cities and
country and the go"ernment will feel
that it has dore gLaat work If, with
the Winter, it can keep the number OF
unemployed from rising more than 50,-
600 or $4,000 month.
During the Spring and Summer
months the number Of unemployed
diminished by about 10000, only to
rise again as it old from 637 900 at the
end of July to COS, 900 at the end Of
August. Compared to the 5000, 900 and
100000 jobless in England and Ger
many, the figure is small, but 1t Is
heavy enough for Italy.
For the past II months the most ab-
sorbing task of the government has
been to maintain the figures as low as
possible, and every week or fortnight
special steps are taken to regulate the
labor problem and to distribute with
impartial hand all the new works In the
ninety-odd provinces to give employ.
ment to the men.
How the Task Is Met.
The situation is saved only by the
rapid and buslncsslike methods made
possible by the Fascist dictatorship.
The Duce and all the ministers study
the needs of the country, collect sta
tistics In every center, consult the
podeStas of every town and the projects
OF every province and then periodically
meet to propose and sign orders, called
DEGREES, for public works which satisfy
the most urgent needs of laboring men
who are in danger Of being without
work.
The ministers meet under the presi-
dency of MuSsolini One minister after
another makes proposals for his depart
ment They total up the demands for
further public works and decide on q
further sum Of $50 million lire, dis
tributed item by item. For port works,
8 million lire; for road, 81 million
lire; for workmenS dwellings, NIL
lion lire; for school and public buildings
In southern towns, million lire,
and all necessary extensions for further
land reclaiming works, which already
absorb more than 600 million lire per
year.
BY methodical appropriations of this
kind, repeated every month or six
weeks, work is provided for an addi-
tional 10000 or 10000 men and is
evenly distributed in all the provinces
according to the local needs as well as
the general public interests.
Parliament Acts Later.
No previous discussion takes place In
public. The Senators and Deputies
themselves are not consulted. Parlia-
ment Is not even called to have the
question put before it. But when the
measures are decided by the ministers,
the press Is informed and Parliament
is merely called on later at the rare
period when it meets to approve the
DEGREES.
On the other hand, about one-third
OF the JobleSs are provided for by a
small benefit which they draw from the
National Fund for Social Insurance.
Every employer of only two or three
men Is obliged to have them registefed
and to pay every week one-half Of the
contribution to the insurance fund and
the other half is paid by the laborer.
The sum amounts usually to about
per cent Of the wages. When there
are 100000 unemployed there are
usually about 200 900 who draw a small
weekly benefit of about 81 lire, amounts
ing 10 lire day. It is Just enough
10 Keep the men, with what thev
may nave laid aside, for q certain mum.
per OF weeks, not more, and compels
them to look seriously for work. II A
not like the dole, which is SUFFICIENT Ia
keep workman almost as well as If he
was working and therefore enco1ras asrs
them to remain idle.
The largest number Of men unem-
ployed at this time Of the year are the
agricultural laborers, about I50. .lflf)
Next TO them come the laborers in
tCopyYisht, Is3l)