Nearing Revolution.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume X, Issue 204, 13 September 1920, Page 5

Nearing Revolution.

THE CRISIS IN ITALY.

GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO INTERVENE. GIO LI TIT’S STRANGE DOCTRINE. [By Cable. — Press Association.—Copyright.! . Rome, Sept. 10. Four hundred thousand workers are involved in the present movement. A big exodus of families from Milan has begun owing to a fear of outrages. The seizures include the Michelin tyre factory. The workers are also seizing coal supplies and taking them home. Labriola, Minister of Labour, interviewed by a correspondent of the German paper “Allgemeine Zeitung,” said: “It- is the State’s duty to maintain •public order in the streets only. So far as private premises are concerned it. is open to the owners to take judicial proceedings against the workmen. The Riot Act cannot be applied to a thousand workmen. Besides the workmen are armed and intervention might lead to revolution. The guilt of the crisis lies with the employers. The guiding principle of Giolitti’s policy is so to adapt the country’s institutions that they can be utilised forthwith if a change from the capitalist to a Socialist system is made. If the owners decline to give up the factories they can be compelled to' do so, because the general welfare must stand before the welfare of the individual.” —A. and N.Z-

SCENES IN MILAN. GOVERNM ENT NON-ENISTENT. HOW THE FACTORIES ARE SEIZED (Received 13, 1.15 p.m.) .London, Sept. 12. The “Times” Milan correspondent wrues that government is i practically noil-existent, workmen seizing witnout iiiterlerciice factory after factory. socialist leaders are discussing whetner tlie time is ripe for a revolution. fhey will probamy conc.ude tnat it is not ripe but tne question is whetner the leaders will be anie to control tne men. if rue owners grant their demands it is possible for the storm to pass leaving Italian Bolshevism a grotesque failure. Descioing the seizures- of tlie facto/ries the correspondent says when a wms tie sounds the ga.es are rusaed to prevent the exit oi masters, experts, and direction personnel. These are requested to continue tneir duties. The men are then v organised under the Soviet management and have hoisted a red flag. Stewards impose discipline more rigorous than would be tolerated under masters. Robbers and other offenders are punished most severely.Families workers bring in their food. Emissaries pass between factories and headquarters exchanging tools, machinery and other necessaries. A Soviet organ boasts that under the new regime production increased ten per cent, but its own figures disclose that it is really reduced by seveneighths’. . . No raw material is arriving at factories, no sales are arranged and outside firms reftfte to give or receive orders.

A tour of the city makes it hard to beheve it is nursing a Soviet.

All is orderly, normal, excepting in the factory quarters . A typical incident of the new rule is that four policemen walking on the footpath vfiere ordered to walk on the middle of the road by a sentinel on the top of a building. They hastened to obey and the sentinel cried “all right.” —(Reuter.) PESSIMISTIC REPORTS. London, SepJ 11. Pessimistic reports are arriving regarding the industrial situation in Italy. It is asserted that the movement has* become political and may become revolutionary.—A. and N.Z. DEFEAT OF EXTREMISTS. MODERATES SWAY CONFERENCE Rome, Sept. 12. A conference between delegates of the General Workers’ Union led to a complete victory for the moderates. A large majority passed a resolution in favour of strike through Parliamentary action—A. and N.Z.

MODERATES’ STRONG ARGUMENT (Received 13, 9.30 a.m.) Rome, Sept. 11. Further details of tho decisive defeat of the extremists at the Milan Conference show that despite the Government’s warning that ajiy extremist resolution would lead to an immediate armed intervention with probable bloodshed on an unprecedented scale, the Socialist Party’s Executive proposed an extension of the agitation to all categories of workers ; also its transformation from an economic into a political struggle, implying a revolutionary ►attempt. ’ After discussion lasting al 1 , day. Deputy Daragona’s amendment negativing such course, was carried by nearlv an 183,000 majority out <of 11,000,000 voters. ■ Ninety thousand abstained from voting. The Socialist group then adopted a resolution demanding the immediate re-opening of the Chamber.

The Moderates, who signed a powerful manifesto on the eve of the conference included Buozze* who is largely responsible for the metal workers’ agitation. and Turati Treaves Prampolui. The manifesto censured extremists precipitating in useless irritating conflicts with the authorities and capitalists. The manifesto added: “Extremists profess that violence is the normal means of the struggle yet they raise an outcry when the violence of others, more rapid than ours, hurts us. —(A. and N.Z.)