ITALY'S WAR PLANS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 4747, 17 September 1935, Page 6

ITALY'S WAR PLANS

BRINGS RUIN TO MANY. The campaign that Italy is planning againit Ethiopia differs from all previous colonial wars in that it will be fought by an army composed mostly of conscripts, telegraphs Arnaldo Cortest from Rome to the New York Times. The officers are often men torn from lucrative occupations by the call to arms. Numerous officers suffered considerable losses through. l the call to the colours. Professional men suffered most, because they are not covered by the decree that the jobs of salaried men must be open to them on their return.

Thousands of doctors, engineers, lawyers, and business men face ruin when they return from East Africa. Their businesses will be taken from them by competitors who remain at home and the Government can do little to put them on their feet again. They face the prospect of having to begin life again after an interlude of even only a few months in Africa at an age when most men are firmly established in their businesses.

The families of many officers already find themselves in difficulties. The pay of most army officers is only a small fraction of what they earned in civil life. The wives, children, and other dependants of those who were living solely on their earnings have been obliged to move into smaller houses, to watch expenses carefully, and to pinch and save. The hardship is rendered greater by the fact that many of the recalled officers are of middle age, with wives and families, and belong to specialised branches of the army, such as the engineers and medical corps". They are men of superior intelligence and education who were doing well in professions. To make things worse, the army that Italy is preparing for use in East Africa is not sufficiently large to have rendered necessary the recall of all reserve officers. Only a selected minority rejoined the colours, while the vast majority remained in civilian life to compete for the jobs left open by those who were chosen for service. In view of the great dislocation of interests that any mobilisation must necessarily bring about, it is remarkable that little grumbling is heard.

Those who complain are submerged by the enthusiasm with which the majority of the population looks forward to what it considers will certainly be a victorious campaign against Ethiopia.