ITALY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 239, 9 October 1935, Page 6

ITALY.

Information, together with some statistics pertaining to affairs in Italy, may be of interest. These are official Italian statistics, and have special significance to business people. Bankruptcies, monthly averages, 1922, the last year of democratic rule, 321; 1928, after six years of Fascism, 970; 1932, after ten yeare of Fascism, 2005, over six times greater than 1922. Promissory notes protested for nonpayment: 1922, 300,703; 1927, 1,096,447; 1931, 1,063,716, over five times greater than 1922. Railway traffic, passengers carried: 1923, 100,145,000; 1932, 80,272,000, 20 per cent less. Goods carried: 1932, 44,540,000 tons; 1935, 36.970,000 tons, or 18 per cent less. In forced sales of real property for non-payment of rates the increase is tragic: 1922, 1357; 1931, 10,290, or ten times as many. The consumption of sugar has fallen from 3,470,000 quintals in 1927 to 2,991,000 in 1932, or 18 per cent less. Table salt, an absolute necessity, has fallen from 295,000 tons in 1927 down to 178,000 tons in 1932, a figure 40 per cent lower. The consumption of chocolate in Italy is equivalent to six ounces per head per year against 51b in Great Britain. Taxation has increased 50- per cent and salaries decreased 35 to 50 per cent below the rates for 1921. The total pay roll was 6,040,000,000 lire in 1929, but in 1932 it was only 3,800,000,000 lire. Deaths among babies on account of immaturity, weakness and defects at birth have risen by 48 per cent from 2933 in 1926 to 4340 in 1931. In referring to law courts the Special Tribunal in its first five years of life has sent nine people to death and 1656 others to prison for an aggregate of 10,327 years. These are only a few of the statistical data that I have in my possession. It is authentic, being a pamphlet issued by the Italian League for the Rights of Man. London. HARRY WOODRUFFE.