Evening star., 1939-01-22


year. Nineteen thirty-nine will witness
either the complete control of Europe
by Hitler and Mussouni or their spec
tacular downfall. The stage is set. Mus
solini, in throwing the gauntlet to the
French, is playing card more important
played last September.
Despite-or because of-the great diff
hculties which the two dictators are en-
countering within their borders they are
determined to effect showdown in the
next few months. It is impossible to
realize from outside the internal weak
ness Of Italy and Germany. In spite of
the tremendous efforts both countries
are making to capture international
trade by complex economic system
a combination of underselling the democ-
racies and political blackmal of neigh
boring countries-there Is an unmistaka-
BILE dearth of almost every essential COM
modify in Italy and Germany. Food is
short; clothing and other necessities of
life are of the poorest imaginable quail
ity and in the last six months prices have
risen sky high. Salaries and wages are
low. A highly skilled workman, fore
man in a factory in Italy, for instance,
earns in exceptional cases 1900 lire a
month (about $3.50. In Germany their
earning capacity is about the same. A
major general, a full admiral or an am
bassador receives the highest salary In
IA toll N{v faS.k
Of 81, 400 year. Top salaries for German
high ofncials are about 80 per cent
higher.
Lacking many of the essential food
stuf1s and raw materials Italy and Ger
many have to purchase them in foreign
countries at high price. The barter
system works, but when the products
finally reach the totalitarian states their
book value is about as high as If they
had been bought for cash. They cannot
be sold to the consumer at any lower
price than If they had been purchased
with foreign exchange. Many of the
bartered products obtained from South
eastern Europe or from South America
are used for the war industries.
Food Being Stored.
This is true even of food, a great per-
centage Of which is being slowed away
for a major emergency when the COM
munications with foreign countries might
be disrupted. Hence, the masses find it
increasingly dificult to purchase the es-
sentials Of life because of their low earn
ing capacity in relation to prevailing
prices. Even for foreigners with tourist
lire or tourist marks the prices are dis
proportionately high. Coffee, a staple
drink In Italy, is about 80 cents pound !;
butter about IS cents pound In Ger
many prices are not lower on the whole
Cof1ee Is somewhat cheaper, but pure
butter, II 1t can be obtained, Is mucn
higher Shoes made of a leather which
is said to last for three months and with
wooden soles cost 80 lire in Italy (s450)
In Germany they are about 20 per cent
higher. But one must not forget that 80
lire or 20 marks represent many days of
labor for the German and Italian work.
ingman, be he employed in factory, IN
store or in one of the government
Offices.
Your observations illustrate the ne
ceSslty facing us to secure for future
generations territories where we can OBJ
tain all We require as do you, the British
and the French" said high Italian of
flclal to me. THE poverty you mention
is one of the causes Of what you call our
az
medley OF scallywags when he started to
conquer the world. He showed them
across the Alps into the great Italian
plains and at their head he destroyed
the powerful armies of the Austrian En-
peror. Napoleon's men were barefooted
and poorly armed. The Emperors regi-
ments were well fed, we'll clad and we'll
armed. But they could not resist that
Italian hero who led the French armies.
History repeats itself. Make no mistake
about it. Napoleon represented the new
thought-the Fascism of those days; the
emperors and the kings represented the
old decrepit order-the democracy of
today. Ideals will make men fight though
hungry and ill-clad. OF course, in mod
ern times they must be well equipped.
Our army, like that of our friend across
the Brenner Pass, is better equipped than
any other in the world"
But" I answered, Napoleon did not
know when to stop and in the end he was
defeated by the British" My Italian had
presumably heard this argument before
because. quick as a flash, he replied
Don't compare England in 1900 with
England OF today. She was then a rising
power. Remember that Mr.. Chamber
lain said in the House of Commons in
September that when the lives of hun
dreds of thousands of his fellow citizens
depended on a yes or no from him, he did
not have the heart to say no. England
today is an old country with splendid
qualities, but with no fight in her. The
last war drained her of all bellicose spirit.
Britain cannot fight two major wars
within 20 years." And this philosophy
OF high ranking Italian, not shared
probably by the rank and file of the peo-
pie, is automatically accepted by the
leaders OF italy and Germany.
Mussolini Not Blufdanx.
Mussolini's challenge on November 30
to the unsuspecting French had Hitler's
blessing, according to the highest author
ity In Rome. That the timing appeared
poorly chosen to the outsider, because
the general strike which he had hoped