ITALY'S ATTITUDE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 70, 23 March 1915, Page 4

ITALY'S ATTITUDE.

A week ago the one indubitable fact about the situation in Italy seemed to be that the Italian Government would maintain its neutrality under almost any conceivable circumstances. In epite of the sympathy openly displayed for the Allies by the Italian people, and tfheir traditional Tiatred of Austria, it aippeared that the natural desire of the ruling classes for peace, and their fear of GermanyV-reAfeeaftdeS prevent the King of Italy and his advisers from taking any active part in the struggle. Then -came the operations at the Dardanelles, which aroused Italy's apprehensions lest she should be ignored at the final settlement of affaire in the near East; and the general impression at this moment certainly seemed to be that the Italians were on the whole more likely to come into the war on the side of Germany than against her. It was known that all this time Germany had been making desperate efforts to secure Italy's support, and as the German envoy was offering to bribe Italy at Austria's expense, he could afford to be somewhat lavish in his proposals. But Austria has new plainly declared that slie refuses to be sacrificed to Italy to save Germany: und as the ItaifeffiUasK agreai' deal more, than the Austrians are cede, it is becoming clear; that Italy cannot expect to gain much from the enemy by way of direct negotiation. It is probably the realisation of this that has produced a distinct change- in.. the' attitude of the Italian Government; for' if we are to judge by our cable messages to-day, the signs of the times are pcOTlting just now directly to the intervention of Italy on the side of the Allies. Not only have the Italian half-pay officeiß of the first line been caAled to the oolouns, in spibe of the dislocation of tire public services to which many of them belong, but Austrian and. German residents have been requested by their respective governments to leave Italy at once. From ettiheT point of view, there are indications of the approach 'of hostilities; and though Hie outbreak of wajr may yet be delayed ot prevented, an even more ominouts sign is the rapid concentration of Austrian troops in tch-e "unTcdeemed" provinces along Italy's north-' era frontier. On the whole, we can safely say ithat the prospects of Italian intervention on -tfhe side of -the Allies are far more favourable tihan they have been since the frnst month of the . wax; and <bhip determining factor seems to have ■been ibhc failure of Germany and Austria, to convince Italy that they -will tpay her an adequate price for her tneutralitv, if filhe -will only wait tiU the war is over.'