Italian Village Sets Up Its Own Town Council

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28888, 7 May 1959, Page 7

Italian Village Sets Up Its Own Town Council

(N.Z. Press Association—Corjunahti

(gee. 8 p.m.) LONDON, May 6. The village of Marotta, on the Adriatic, tired of the inconveniences of being partly within the jurisdiction of three mayors, two bishops and two sets of taxcollectors, has declared itself a single united independent local government, says the Rome correspondent of "The Times.” It has proclaimed a municipal gortrnment in exile—the first in Italy and perhaps in the worldin the “neutral” territory of Senigallia. Marotta has been growing rapidly in recent years because of its fishing industry and popularity as a bathing resort. It has never had its own municipal identity, but has simply extended into the territory of Fano Mondolfo and San Costanzo, whose mayors have each been responsible for part of

it ' gome inhabitants found themgelves in the bishopric of Fano and others in that of Senigallia. Telephoning a friend in the next atreet, which might be in a different commune, might involve

an expensive long distance call through a distant exchange. A demijohn of wine taken from one house to another perhaps 100 yards away might be liable to communal duty, perhaps twice over. Some houses have electricity, others not. In the living room, a man might pay taxes to one authority, but when he goes to the bathroom there is a whole set of taxes imposed by another administration.

The village’s last request to the Ministry of the Interior for an end to be put to these anomalies produced a reply seven years ago that it was too small to look after its own affairs, having fewer than 3000 inhabitants. Now it has more than 4000 and the legal right to do so, to say nothing of the determination.