The Wilmington morning star., 1946-04-27
ITALY NEAR TOP
AMONG HOPELESS
POSTWAR LANDS
BY HAL BOYLE

H| 1te4y Is one of -.
most hopeless countries in " ls
Western world today beos~,. 2e
people feel it is impossible for T. us
to make both ends meet t1o aIyM .'.sM
lem OF the masses in all cou1+u? y, w.
and all ages. -'''-es
Their morale has been beata, >.
pieces On the anvil of shows. .- ~
and low wages by the bamroaSs 'aSsS
high prices. This feeling that tbo VI
is little use in working beo.T.s s
their labor brings them m cSs 49,
quate return has spread Isa @e'
wave of disaster through t1e ~.
ton, paralyzing efforts al person. r's,
and civic recovery from tn. r1in
of war. AL
And the reflex defensive resnl.
OF this feeling of hopelessness Nv
the individual is don't rsraa ~
attitude about his job a loweriru
OF all moral standards and eyni
cal indifference to everything ev
cept his own belly and mis- own
amusement.
Authorities estimate that it take,
q salary of 10000 lire a month
about $99 - for a family Of 4va
to buy the food needed to keen
them in good health.
Yet the average Italian office or
college graduate, does not averaga
better than halt that amount T6s
father must spend virtually his on,
tire wages on food for his wife
and children.
That doesn't give them the food
they need. It merely keeps them
alive.
Shelter is one Of the most reason.
able items in the budget because
the fascists froze rent levels and
they have, and patching has be.
Clothing is SO high that most fami.
lies simply have to do with what
they have, and patching has be.
come so commonplace it consti-
tutes new style Of Italian mosaics
al fresco, done in fabric instead Of
stones.
A poor suit costs $40, and after
the first rain the wearer looks
like a laundry bag wrapped in a
gunny sack. A good suit costs
$3.50 to $500.
In Rome there are scores Of
stores stocked with high priced
luxury goods. There are windows
loaded with fine and fancy foods.
But these displays are for the rich
OF all Italy who have thronged 10
Rome, where they live off their
financial tat. Many are absentee
landlords.
They live here partly through
fear. They don't like to live too
close to the people from whom
they draw the income that permits
them to live better than their
neighbors. Things might happen
to them if they stayed at home in
the provinces. In these times of
uncertain tempers the landlord
would just as soon spend his money
at a distance.
Merchants complain that stocks
of necessities as well as luxury
goods are sloW-snoving. The mass
desire to purchase is there, but
the buying power isn't.
In the old days of Roman glory
the Caesars solved temporarily
the periodical problem of hard
times and mass content with the
formula of providing bread and
circuses.
The poor who thronged to Rome
were kept from revolving by grain
handouts - the breadliAes of those
times -. and edifying spectacles
in the coliseum, such as the feed
ing of Christians to the lions,
Now it is the turn of the hungry
Christians. Grain is short, and they
are ready to eat the lions.
The Italian soul for $500 years
has fed on pomp and pageantry
the splendor of painting and statu-
ary and music. The italian still has
his mandolin for his spirit, but
there's not enough spaghetti for
his stomach.
Italy needs less history, more
hope.