NEW REGIME IN ITALY.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17645, 23 December 1922, Page 13

NEW REGIME IN ITALY.

REDUCTION OF PERMANENT ARMY. A FASCIST MILITIA. (By Cable— Press Association —Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received December 22nd, 8.50 p.m.) ROME. December J2l. The Government has decided to transform the Fascist forces into a militia for national defence under Signor Mussolini's direction. The force wili be organised on a voluntary basis, the men receiving pay only after mobilisation. The Royal Guards and the Carabiniers will be greatly reduced. The estimated cost of the militia is 12,000.000 lire annually, as compared with 1000,000,000 lire for the Guards and Carabiniers. A number of the volunteers Will be asked to serve as regulars immediately, the remainder to be placed in the reserve [Service in the Italian Army hitherto has been compulsory and universal. The total period is nineteen years, beginning at the age of twenty, ihe young men of the vear are divided into three categories; the first being posted to the permanent army; the second also to the permanent army, but with ''unlimited leave" : and the third, that is those exempted from active service, to the territorial militia. The term of service in the permanent army is two years for all arms. Afterwards the men are placed on "unlimited leave," that • is, they are transferred to the reserve in which they remain until they have completed a total of eight years service. From the reserve the soldier passes to the mobile militia, the term of service in which is four years- Subsequently he is transferred to the territorial militia, in which he remains seven years; this finishing his military service at the ago of 39. The second category recruits are regarded as belonging to the permanent army for the' first eight years of their service, during which time they receive from two to six months' training. The third category j men receive 30 days' training.] f j MORE DIRECT ACTION. j ; I ! "CURING" DRUNKENNESS AND CRIME. i (Received December 22nd, 11.25 p.m.) ' LONDON, December 21. The "Daily Chronicle's" Rome correspondent says that after a fortnight's efforts drunkenness and crime have been , banished from Alessandria, in Lom- ! bardy. First of all, drunkards were oured by doses of castor, oil Then habitual' thieves and blackguards were collected at a thieves' conference and told they would be soundly cudgelled unless they changed their habits. r It took two days to cure drunkenness. Bands of stalwart Fascist*, .armed with thick sticks, paraded the streets, and every person, even moderately, under the influenoe of liquor was seized and' given a very stiff dose of castor oil, and* warned thai the next time he would bo soundly beaten. The Fascists also ordered. a supply of castor oil to be kept in every public-house, and plncardsi exhibited declaring what drunkards; wove liable to. >