Evening star., 1939-01-19
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN,
Star stan Correspondsnt.

Star Stan Correspondent.
ROME, Dec, 1938-Italy is like
a bone without flesh. 1t is one
OF the poorest countries in Europe.
Credit must be given to these people
Tor their industry in making them
selves self-sustaining up to a point.
The Fascist regime has steeled the
Italian nation and put it to work.
The standard of living is low,
although for the masses it is higher
than before. It is the formerly
wealthy class and the upper middle
class which are being sacrificed.
The Fascist regime does not want
to raise the standard of living even
II 1t could do so. The reason, to
quote high government official:
We are looking far into the future.
We are endeavoring now to provide
for the well-being of future genera
tions. We have to be thrifty in
our habits and tighten our belts
now in order to make the next gen.
Grafton happy.
Our men may have to conquer
new lands containing raw materials
we lack for our industry and agri-
culture, because we want Italian
citizens of the future to live in
happiness and comfort. We have
almost reached the end of exploita-
tion Of our natural resources. All
the land which could be reclaimed
Is now under cultivation and we
have had crops this year as large
as Canada's. But that is nowhere
near enough to feed the growing
population. We have discovered
coal and are working our new mines,
but that cannot satisfy Italys grow
ing industry.
Destiny Is to Conquer"
"Our men are hungry for work and
we have no unemployment; but
neither have we enough raw ma
terials to give work to all these men
who do not want to remain idle.
Our destiny is to conquer, by persua-
sion or by force. lands containing
raw materials and foodstuf1s and to
which we can export unhampered
the products of Italy's national
genius. In all industrial fields we
are tops. Aviation, ship building
automobile, textile industry. Every
where We are able to challenge the
most advanced and prosperous in
dustrial countries. The only trouble
with us is that We have no access to
raw materials which exist in such
overwhelming quantities in the
British Empire, the United States
and France. But we will get them. "
The alliance with Germany has
done Italy harm. The Italian gov
ernment believes the one way to
success lies in an arrogant, over
bearing attitude. This is against the
nature Of these people, who are
naturally kind and easy going.
Since Hitler took all of Europe
east of the Rhine as his exclusive
field of political and economic ex-
pansion, Italy has been directed to
find room somewhere else: in Africa
for raw materials. and in certain
sections of South America for
markets.
Hope for Productive Empire.
The leaders of new Italy trust that
their alliance with the Fuehrer will
enable them to get a productive
colonial empire in North Africa
Meanwhile, they barter away most
of Italy's products for the necessities
Of industry.
Food has become exceedingly ex-
pensive because it must be imported
from abroad. Silk-one of the main
industries of this country-is more
expensive in Italy than abroad. The
consumer must be sacrificed for
the exporter. This year, because OF
the increased tempo of general in
dustry. SO much has been exported
that now Italy has to import vege-
tables from France. Even wheat
remarkable as it may sound-has
been exported, and for a while the
bread flour was mixed with all kinds
OF substitutes which made the prod
uct unpalatable. Doctors reported
that the health of the nation was
being impaired. Women protested
loudly against that concoction. A
number of bakers were Immediately
placed In lail for "SDeculatinp''-the