ITALIAN BUDGET

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 33, 9 February 1939, Page 11

ITALIAN BUDGET

j a DEFICIT OF £54,000,000 I The Italian Budget estimates for the I fiscal year 1939-40 show, a deficit of ' £54,000,000, reported a Rome message I to the "Daily Telegraph and Morning ' Post" on December 14. 'i About £25,000,000 is to be spent on '; the speeding up of armaments. This r is only the first quarter of the total : sum earmarked for defence expendi- ; ture during an unspecified period. , I The figures were revealed after a « Cabinet meeting at which Signor 'l Mussolini presided this morning. An * official commentator observed that the \ sacrifices entailed in extra expendi- ; ture for the Army, Navy, and Air Force r had become necessary because Italy 1 must face the feverish armaments J undertaken by certain other countries '' which are spending "astronomical ' sums." I The estimates for public works, agri- ;. culture, corporations, and transport y also show an increase on the present ; year's expenditure. The reason given \ for this is that the extra money will - be spent on developing national self- ■ sufficiency plans. j The Italian Chamber of Deputies met ' for the last time and at the end of the ; meeting passed out of existence to be I superseded by the Chamber of Fascios » and Corporations. Having agreed to their demise as a « body, the Deputies passed a Bill stating i that they considered themselves to be * immediately mobilised for active ser- ;■ vice in the front line of the Italian t army in the event of war. •■ The new Chamber of Fascios and " Corporations will meet for the first time on March 23, the twentieth anni- : versary of the foundation by Signor ' Mussolini of the Black Shirt Storm Troops.