Evening star., 1939-01-19

poor men made bread out Of the
flour the government gave them.
Finally the government had to re-
lease some Of the wheat stored for a
war emergency in order to quiet the
population.
Italy is selling everything she has
to obtain raw materials. These are
being transformed into finished
products bartered for food, which, in
turn, is bartered for raw materials.
It's the old story of the cat-and-rat
farm. A vicious circle the govern
ment does not quite know how to
escape. But the war industry has
profited because Italy has been able
in this manner to keep in full pro-
duction her navy yards, her air.
plane factories and her gun fac
tories. The Fascist government
could not have afforded to keep
them unless 1t received orders from
abroad.
1T is not so much that we want
to keep these factories busy for war
purposes" explained my Italian Of
ficial friend, "but in this manner
we acquire the good will of many ma
tions which eventually will place
with us orders for other industrial
products"
Seeks Latin American Orders,
And having an eye on South Amer
lea. Fascism is doing all it can to get
orders from Latin American coun-
tries. 1t barters all kinds of war
paraphernalia on long-term credits
and prices defying competition. It
throws, furthermore, into the bar
gain free training for Latin Ameri-
can officers in this country.
For the time being this policy has
succeeded. Bolivia ordered planes:
their number is military secret
but it is known that % Bolivian air
officers are taking courses at the
military air academy here. Two
Chilean naval officers are doing duty
on the cruiser Boizano and the Chill
can government intends to order a
few warships. Peru has placed i'm
portant orders for airplanes in Italy
and an Italian factory is being es-
tablished in that country now.
Eighteen Peruvian officers are
studying at the military flying school
Paraguay has two students at the
institute OF aeronautical engineering
and seven officers on sea duty and
at the naval war college. Two de-
stroyers are reported being built for
that country. Venezuela is in the
market for artillery and airplanes
These will be sold for what have
you" Meantime, there are eight
officers studying at the army war
college, three at the artillery school
and ii cadets at the aviation school
There are IS Ecuadorian officers at
tending advanced flight courses and
'he Caprone factory is sending a
number OF bombers to that country
Brazilian aviation experts are ex-
pected here shortly to inspect the
Italian airplane factories and Rome
hopes to obtain a substantial order
from the Rio government. A number
OF Brazilian newspapermen have
toured Italy at the expense of the
ministry for propaganda and were
entertained lavishly.
Prefer American Machines.
Some South American aviation
experts, here to supervise the con-
struction of the ordered planes. ad-
nit frankly that they prefer Ameri-
can machines. They are more EN-
clent and particularly easier to han
dle.- But, they say, these people give
us such long credits that we must
place our orders here. In the States
we have to pay cash"
These orders from abroad-other
countries like Greece and Turkey
also have bought war material of ali
xmas IN this country-have enabled
Italian arms factories to maintain
hlgh-speed production which will
prove valuable if Italy fights another
war. Specialists have been EMPLOYED
continuously and plants have been
expanded. This would not have been
possible without orders from abroad
Ioday the Italian arms experts say
they are as we'll equipped and pre-
pared for large-scale production as
the Germans, and far ahead of the
French and the British. All they
need to keep their plants working is
raw material, and this they hope to
obtain in time Of war from their
supporters and affiliates-Germany
and the countries in the Danubian
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