Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-01-16
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS REVIEW
Continued from Page -

(COnt1nueQ from rage -
ian armies would have been with
drawn almost at once. AS it is now.
oil sanctions, if they are to be applied
which still is matter of deep un-
certainty-may prove relatively in
effective, for during all these many
weeks while the question has been
discussed. Italy has, of course, had
plenty of time to supply herself, and
probably has such vast quantities on
hand, that oil sanctions can be
laughed at in Rome.
In modern warfare oil and gasoline
are two of the most important of all
factors; without these products no
automobiles may he driven, no tanks
pushed forward. no battleships pro-
PEELED, no airplanes flown; in short,
without oil and gasoline Italy would
be simply paralyzed. and if an en-
barge had been placed on these in
dispensable articles from the very be-
ginning, it is quite obvious that mill
tary progress would have been i'm
possible.
. -
October there has been a smell of oil
in the diplomatic atmosphere
smell sufficiently strong to prod Mus
solini into the task of preparing
against the possibility of sanctions.
Sources of Supply.
In this connection it is of interest
to look at some of the sources of the
Italian oil supply: About one third
of it comes from Roumania: one fifth
from Russia; IL per cent is imported
from Iran (new official name for Per-
sia), 1919 per cent from the Dutch
colonies in the East Indies; then fol-
lows the United, States with about 10
per cent, and finally a considerable
supply reaches Italy from Colombo
Venezuela and. by reshipment, from
France.
OF these countries Venezuela is
still undecided as to whether or not
she will sanction an oil embargo; the
others, with the exception of the
United States (not a member of the
League of Nations) have without
reservation declared their willingness
to support all League decisions in
this regard.
AS for the United, States there is
said to be a possibility, depending
somewhat on legislative proposals
now before the congress. that the
present policy of discouraging oil
exports to Italy may be supplanted
by a definite embargo-when the
time comes.
If all the important sources of
Italy's oil supply are to be plugged
by League sanctions, there will be
no immediate injury to the Italian
war machine, but after while. of
course, the lack of oil will be felt.
Other Possibilities.
There are, however, other possibil-
tiles than those of increased League
penalties; for instance that of an
Ethiopian defeat administered to the
Italian attackers. That prospect is
not nearly as remote as it would have
sounded three months ago when the
Italians overran the northern part Of
EtHIOpld anu eSldDIlSHeu lHeulSci'co
in the Ogaden section in the south
east. For at that time it was the
boast of the Italian war lords that
this little Ethiopian adventure would
be over in a fifty; why, those poor,
"uncivilizeCi' devils-who so stub
bornly refused to accept the blessings
of Mussolini's blood-and-iron civiliza-
tion-surely could not put up fight
against fascist-drilled soldiers armed
in the most efficient and up-to-date
manner! 1t was really laughable to
even imagine that the Ethiopians
could fight!
But-curing those three months