Evening star., 1935-12-03
ITALY PLANNING
NEW OIL WELLS
Use of Fuel Restricted,
"Brain Trust" Maps
Wartime Diet.

(copyrisht, 1885, by the Associated Press)
ROME, December 3.-Premier Mus
soltni's cabinet met the threat OF
League of Nations oil embargo today
with plans for increasing its supplies
Of oil and reducing its use.
Oil is to be produced in greater
quantities and every possible step is
to be taken to hasten Albanian produc-
ton and the output of native Italian
wells.
An official communique issued after
q session of the cabinet announced
provisions affecting reflneries to be
maintained by plants producing oil as
. by-product.
Operators of coke gas factories and
tar distilleries were instructed to main
tain oil refining equipment SUFFICIENT
TO handle the output of their plants.
To Develop Wells.
In addition an administration for
italian minerals and metals was Gre
ated to accelerate discovery and de-
velopment of oil deposits on Italian
lands.
With sanctions again uppermost in
their minds, the ministers adopted
other measures to conserve and aug
ment the domestic food supply.
Creation of a brain trust" to re-
model the Italian diet along wartime
lines was announced by Achille
Starace, secretary of the Fascist party.
A commission of eminent professors,
doctors and hygienists, Starace an
nounced, would instruct all Italians In
how to keep healthy on homegrown
foods behind the economic barrier.
Supply Held Sufficient.
"Italy's national food production, ii
carefully and intelligently utilized, can
be suficient to cover our needs" the
commission said.
It announced that 5000 calories a
day would be sufficient for the average
Italian to live and work in good health.
That amount of food, it asserted, can
be produced from Italian soil without
dependence on the nations applying
financial, economic and arms sane
tions for its Ethiopian warfare.
Special attention was given to in
creased supplies of fish and game.
which are playing an increasingly i'm
portant part in the Italian diet, as a
substitute for imported meat.
New penalties were ordered for
merchants who violate price-flxing
regulations and restrictions on imports
and exports.
Business Men Fearful.
Business leaders meanwhile said the
pressure of the international boycott
was becoming stronger. With trade
diminishing and more and more chan
nels to foreign nations cut, they said
two major problems soon would de-
velop-unemployment and business
credit.
If sanctions reduced imports and
exports to half their normal amount
of about 1000, 100000 lire a month
(about s80000,000), financial au-
thorities estimated. the cut would be
equivalent to wages for nearly mil
lion men.
Leather production also came under
the Councils consideration, with ap-
proval of measures to regulate the
domestic supply.
Air Force Strengthened.
1taly's air force, which would be
strongly relied on in the event of war
with Great Britain, was stiffened by
an order for all vacancies to be filled
Special advantages were offered to
recruits. Many measures previously
adopted to make the air service at
tractive were extended for another
year.
Concern over sanctions did not pre-
vent the cabinet from continuing the
abolition of noise. Motor cycles and
light cars were ordered to use ade-
Quate mufflers.