Evening star., 1953-05-05
Continued From First Page.)

launched q carefully worked out
12-year development plan that
includes housing, road building.
irrigation, soil reclamation and
irduStrialization. The effects
are already being felt in higher
consumption rates, which have
gone a long way toward relieving
a temporary depression in Italy's
northern textile industry.
Even in the military field,
Italy seems to be emerging from
the comic-opera class to make
something like a genuine con-
tribution to European defense.
The latest figures show total
forces of about 328 1000; seven
infantry divisions at varying
strength levels; three motorized
divisions and. one armored divi-
sion, one armored brigade and
three Alpine brigades. The navy
includes three cruisers. 13 de-
stroyers and more than 100 es-
cort craft and minesweepers.
The air force has three fighter
groups which are being equipped
with jet planes.
More important, perhaps. is
the recovery of morale and
standing of the Italian military.
which finished the war at an
understandably low ebb. Unlike
many countries in Europe, re-
armament is not being made into
a political football here. Italy
has come as close as any Of her
partners to meeting optimistic
NATO commitments, and is
likely to keep on doing it.
Aid and Initiative.
These measurable examples of
progress have been made largely
as the result of unexpectedly
vigorous Italian initiative. Amer
ican aid. of course, has played a
part, in terms Of plenty of ad-
vice and a reasonably liberal
helping Of cash. The bill to the
American taxpayer since the war
has come close to So billion.
It is very easy on the basis Of
a few encouraging facts to con-
clude that all the features on the
Italian landscape are uniformly
bright. Unfortunately, however.
there are some ugly flies in the
Italian ointment that no amount
Of optimism can conceal.
Perhaps the largest of these
is the classic problem of over
population and unemployment,
which has plagued Italy for gen.
erations. Up to 1920. this prob
lem was solved by the emigra-
ton of hundreds of thousands
of Italians each year to other
European countries and to the
New World. Mussolini tried to
handle it by building up the
country's industry and encour-
aging colonization. The return
Of these colonists since World
War II. combined with rigid re-
strictions by most countries on
immigrants from Italy. has put
a serious squeeze on the en-
ployment picture.
Today, despite a million new
jobs created in industry, it is
estimated that there are close
to 2 million unemployed in Italy.
There is perhaps an equal num-
ber underemployed, plus nearly
a half-million refugees from
Yugoslavia and North Africa.
The total backlog is placed at
about 4 million people more than
the country's economy can sup
port.
Basically a Poor Country.
No recital Of economic prog
ress can change the fact that
Italy is basically a poor country
where AZ million people try to
earn their living on 10000
square miles, two-thirds Of which
is unproductive. Nothing can
disguise the meagerness of Italy's
natural resources or her urgent
dependence on others for raw
materials.
These primary facts color the
whole Italian political and
economic picture. They 20 a
long way toward explaining