The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1950-01-05
Report From Brituin
Ianiea w. Silver. Chmn. Dept. Of
History. University of Miss.
Canzo. Italy
December 80, l949


IL you are looking for advice
on this business of carting a size.
able family around the world, I'm
the guy to come to. Week before
Last we packed our bags in Aber-
deem. Scotland, prepared to grab
the9.l5 am. train for London,
with reservations through to Italy
During the night Betty decided
to continue the family's campaign
to wreck the British National
Health service, with the resulting
loss of four teeth and five DAYS
from our schedule.
We negotiated the intricacies of
London traffic and channel cross
ing with the aid of doses of dra-
mam,ne and rolled through Nor
therrl France without seeing it.
The journey will always be me-
rytorUb'e, though. because of my
firsttry at a combination of high
school, French and Indian sign
language-which netted couple
Of beds for the kids. Missing and
changing trains in Switzerland
was ;hee Joy because of the gor-
geous co ntryside but put us into
A1Neu at night unmet and appar-
5.s.y dnwept. My major accom-
pltstu,ent Of the year came in
getting through Italian customs,
changing stations, and arriving on
schedule by local train at Canzo
Provincial dl Como, some twenty
miles north of Milan, without
meeting single person who
spoke English,
For the past week we have been
soaking in this rare Italian atmo-
sphere and George Carbone, my
colleague from Ole Miss, and
have been swapping notes on Bri.
tain aud Italy. We have come tc
some tntative conclusions.
Italy is" a tourists paradise
Meals are out of this world and
the stores are crowded with mer-
chand,se, including almost every
luxury you can dream of. There
are few controls and prices aren't
too Tor out of line for the Ameri-
can who can afford to come over
here. Plenty of sugar, steaks. but,
ter, chocolate, eggs, cigarettes
everything. Bread is particularly
Cheap and meat runs the same as
in Britain or the United States
AS in Britain, rents in older hous.
ing are controlled and reasonable
but sky high in new buildings
Gasoilne costs twice what it doe:
IL Britain and four times the price
io America. Cigarettes run about
a third more than in Britain
where they bring two and one
hslf timeswhat they sell for ii
Mississippi
Tue catch 10 all this seeming
abundance is that the working
man ia Italy simply cannot AFFORD
the standard of living availabl,
To his counterpart in Britain
where rationing and price con
trots divide up supplies on a fair
U equitable basis. Italian work
ers are lucky to get enough lir,
60 take care of food and rent
They buy few new clothes. T,
help with the housework, the Car
bones hire a woman whose hus
bsnd IS a metallurgist who doe
not make enough to keep his fam
lily gong. The gulf BETWEEN ricl
and poor is definitely closing il
the United Kingdom but is NOR
than toiding its own here. Be
you,i that, unemployment raise
its ugly head in this Mediterran
ean country, especially in tn
south. Forty-seven million IItal
ians are just too many for the re
sources of their country.
Buttons ana Italians are ex
1reeeiy grateful for economic ali
from the United States and ar
aware of its source. Both have a
thsr supreme passion the con
finuation Of peace. They realiz