The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-05-18
Italy
Continued from Page u

Continued from Page j
Germany, virtually occupied by
about 100000 NaziS from one
end of the peninsula to the 9TH
er, and with no sign of effective
opposition to Fascism, neither an
Italian collapse from food
shortage nor an economic break
down seems imminent.
But the elements are lacking
to make Italy an ally of pre-
dictable worth TO the axis.
AXIS RELATIONS
Mussolini apparently has be-
come virtual gauleiter under
Hitler and as the Nazis tighten
their hold on the country the
Italians deep-seated antipathy
for the Germans grows more in
tense.
AS for the Japanese, there is
some admiration for their swift
successes but Mussolini himself
once characterized them as q
barbarian menace to western
civilization and some Italians
profess shame that II Duce later
told them it was "a privilege"
to fight side by side with heroic
Japan"
A steady flow of picked Ger
man fighting men, chiefly air.
men and submarine sailors, and
many gestapo agents are keep
ing the Italians in line with the
Nazi program.
THE UNITED STATES
One phase of the discomfort is
the view that the war with the
United States, although it means
long, hard struggle, encourages
the widespread hope of German
defeat
Indeed, some say that half the
Italian people would like to see
Americans and British invade
Europe as means toward !
crushing Naziism and lifting
from Italy the oppressive yoke |
of the Germans.
While l was in Italy, Ameri- |
cans were regarded as friendly |
enemies. There was not one an
ti-American demonstration re-
ported in all Italy since the
declaration of war.
FOOD AND OTHER
NECESSITIES
Injured as they are to priva-
ton, the Italians are beginning
to feel sharply the shortage of |
food, clothing and fuel. Another
winter may begin to take a toll
of deaths from cold and hunger.
Deficiency items even include
the Italians staples - bread,
spaghetti and olive oil.
Having depleted her insult
ficient stocks of ar-essential
raw materials - iron, copper
and other metals as we'll as oil,
and some textiles -
Italy has had to pay with great
quantities of home grown food
to get these materials from Ger
many.
Fruits, vegetables and canned
goods, once plentiful, are scarce.
Even in good years Italy must
import wheat to meet her needs
but now Greece and Dalmatia
look to her for some of their
food, That explains, in part,
why the Italians bread ration
was cut one-fourth last March,
leaving them a daily allotment 4
of three dark gray one-ounce
rolls.
Along with this, black
market has flourished for those
Italians who can afford such
prices as $2.16 for a dozen eggs, l
81 for a pound of chicken or
butter, S25 for a pound of tea or
a ham.
These are for the rich and the
Fascist party raCketeers only
and observers report widespread 1
bitter resentment. Even Musso-
lini's attempts TO check the
scandal have had little effect.
PRICES
The high cost of living is the
of the Fascist war
economy and Mussolini recently
has been mainly concerned with
a desperate attempt to halt in
flation.
Since his warning April 26
that the Ira would be maintain
ed with good means if possible,
with force if necessary, to pre-
vent at any cost, first, the de-
probation of the money and,
finally, its complete cancella-
.ion," II Duce's experts have
on the problem.
Months ago Italians started a
'ush to buy everything from
shoes TO diamonds because they
acked faith in the stability of
he lira's buying power Mil
ions were spent on jewelry
llone and Mussolini denounced
hose "thoughtleSS, hysterical
persons who are rushing TO