Evening star., 1942-05-27
BY RICHARD G. MASSOCK,
Wide World.


Wide World.
LISBON, May 27.-Italian indus
tries are suffering from a shortage
of man power and raw materials.
Company reports for the last year
nevertheless show the general
rhythm of industrial activity to be
still fairly high, thanks to supplies
of raw materials from Germany.
just how many planes, tanks,
ships, guns and other ornaments
are being produced in Italy is. of
course, a military secret. But quail
fled observers say they cannot be
many, at least in comparison with
Germany's output. The Axis pro-
duction of arms combined, further
more. falls far short of the poten-
tialities of the United Nations.
AS an indication of how little
Italian factories are able to produce
under their handicaps is the esti-
mate that shipyards are turning
out an average of fewer than five
submarines a month.
Supplies From Germany.
italian production is dependent
almost entirely on supplies OF coal
and steel from Germany While
the Nazi ally is keeping Italian fac
tories busy, Berlin probably finds 1t
more economical to build arms
nearer home. in Germany itself and
in occupied France.
A marked deficiency of labor, par
ticularly in the skilled trades, Is
reported in Italy. Germany has
borrowed some 100000 Italian work.
ers. Many thousand more are
among perhaps 100000 men under
arms.
Mussolini now Is seeking labor for
his factories under the decree of
February 26, which authorized the
conscription of all male workers be-
tween the ages Of Is and SIS. Women
are not yet subject to the call for
work in factories beyond the num-
bers already employed there. but it
was limited their turn might come
later.
War industries will have absolute
preference over all others, Musso-
llni announced. The drafting of
labor, he said, has "the same nature
as military mobilization and those
failing to answer the call will be
summoned before military courts"
Jews Subject to Draft.
Jews who are barred from military
service, incidentally, have become
subject to the labor draft.
Not only the shortage of labor and
supplies but an unexpected de-
ficiency Of water power has seriously
crippled Italy's war industries. This
situation is the most serious since
the exceptional winter of 1922,
when there was perceptible slow
ing down Of factories because of the
deficiency in rainfall.
The current shortage has been
felt all the more because of the coal
shortage, which led to a 10 per cent
curtailment in allotments for heat
ing and prevented plants from max
ing up the water-power shortage
with thermal power.
The power shortage was felt most
severely at the turn of the year
when the government was forced
to order factories to lie idle one
day a week in addition to the GUS
tomary day of rest.
All plants depending on electric
power in the highly industriaized
provinces of Piedmont, Lombardy,
the Venezie. Liguria, Emilia and
Tuscany thus suffered 20 per cent
curtailment Of their activity, with
a further reduction to IS per cent
ordered in February.
BY the end of March this had
been relaxed, but the reduction Is
still at 20 per cent.
Motor Production Cited.
Company reports for the past
year were so abbreviated that little
could be cleaned from them to in
dicate the arms output.
The big Fiat motor works at Tu-
rim reported total of 74,000 work.
ers, only moderate expansion over
the 10000 employed in 1910. 1t
mentioned agreements concluded for
constantly closer technical Coop
Grafton with Germany" emphasized
Flats intense motoristic produc-
ton" for armament purposes and
referred to new Fiat water cooled
aviation motors of the highest We
locity type.
Isotta Fraschini, which is a COM
paratively small company, stressed
the intensification of aviation mo-
tor construction. 1t also mentioned
the extra financial loan which such
works must carry owing to the Of
ficial system of deferring payments
for government orders over series
of veore from Nav On 1Q12