Evening star., 1947-12-19
De Casper Expected
To Ask Assembly for
New Confidence Vote
BY the Assoeiofsd Pres.

NoME, Lee. l9.-GalleQ Oy q
continuous barrage of criticism
from the far Left, Premier Alcide
de Gasperi was expected today
to ask the Constituent Assembly
for a new vote of confidence as
a swelling wave of labor strife
convulsed Italy.
Violence flared up both on the
Assembly floor and on the labor
front last night, and the country
faced its second national-wide strike
in a month-that of 100000 food
handlers whose walkout was sched-
uled to begin tomorrow.
In Palermo. the first city of Sicily,
10 persons were reported to have
been wounded in gun battle be-
fore the City Hall. Dispatches said
the melee occurred, after general
strike in Palermo had ended, when
5000 strikers tried to invade the
City Hall.
Togliatti Charges Subservience.
On the Assembly floor, Palmiro
Togliatti, Italian Communist leader,
accused the government of sub
servience and complete obedience"
to the United States and then
turned on the Republicans, who
earlier this week joined the middle
of-the-road De Gasperi cabinet,
from which Communists were
purged last May.
You are dragging in the mud
the banners of a party which had
glorious national traditions" he
cried.
Giuseppe Chiosterci, SO, a member
of the Republican Party, charged
out of his seat, swinging his fists
at 9 Communist. Other deputies
pitched into the fight and Umberto
Terracini, the Communist speaker.
recessed the session for 30 minutes
to end the fracas and permit tempers
to cool.
Aim at United Europe.
Foreign Minister Carlo Sforza
then rose to give part of the gov
ernment's answer to Togliatti's S
charges, an answer which Mr.. De
Gasperi is expected to complete
before asking new confidence vote
1--WE are aiming" Mr.. Sforza said,
"at united Europe, and it is clear
that a united Europe will not obey
any country"
The foodhandlers' strike, involving
workers in food and candy plants,
stores, distilleries and mills, threat
ened to deprive many Italians Of
Christmas treats. Bakeries, milk
distributors and ice handlers are
exempted from the strike call, which
was blamed on breakdown in nego-
tiations for a new contract
General strikes in Palermo and
Catania ended yesterday, but there
were threats of new strikes in Syra-
cuse, Argrigento and Trapani, all
in Sicily, and a general strike was
called in Messina, Sicily, and Cal
tanisetta. All were for pay bonuses
not received.
A miners strike at Castelnuovo
del Sabbioni, near Florence, con-
tinued. Three thousand workers
there were protesting the dismissal
of l,500 others.
The newspaper Momento-Sera
said trains from Pescara, on the
Adriatic Coast, arrived late in Rome
because workers at Roviano sat on
the tracks. Police removed them
but the trains lost more time by
similar action at Mandela and vi
covaro.
Dunn Denies Charge.
Rome newspapers reported Ameri-
can Ambassador James C. Dunn
had recommended suspension Of
American shipment to Italy in re-
taliation for Togliatti's blast last
night, but the embassy issued for
NAL denial.
The Independent morning news
paper II Momento said the Ambas-
sador had urged suspension of sup
ply shipments because of the Com
munist leaders assertion that Mr.
Dunn had been holding conferences
with Italian Industrialists.
An embassy spokesman quoted
Mr.. Dunn as saying:
There is no truth in the story. y