ITALIAN CABINET CRISIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16254, 13 June 1916, Page 8

ITALIAN CABINET CRISIS.

RESIGNATION OF PREMIER. national ministry. MORE VIGOROUS WAR POLICY. ■Rome, June 11. The motion expressing confidence m the Government was negatived in the Chamber of Deputies by 197 votes to 158. Certain Cabinet resignations will be announced on Monday. The political crisis is the culmination of long-whispered complaints alleging lukewarm conduct of the war and aloofness of the Govern-, ment from the Parliament and the J people. Supporters of the Govern- j ment deplore the action as having been taken at the most inopportune moment—the height of the Austrian J offensive. The Government organs describe the situation as simply painful, and declare that the military situation has been cleverly used to influence certain members of the Chamber, whose anxiety was easily | aroused. These members consider that the only remedy is a National Ministry, formed from all parties. Signor Salandra, the Premier, although not opposing an extension of the Ministry, has not adopted the proposal, preferring to hand in his resignation, and give the King an opportunity to reconstruct on a national basis. All parties agree that the war must be conducted more vigorously, and that there must be a closer union with the allies. During a speech in the Chamber of Deputies Signor Salandra stated that favourable conditions had enabled the enemy to gain an initial success on the Italian front, "We must show manly courage," said the Premier, " and admit that if we had better prepared for the enemy's advance we could have held him a little longer. But he has been arrested, and has mad© little progress since his first easy success. He would be a bold man who could say that the critical moment has been successfully passed, because the flanks were stopped by our heroic resistance in the centre, but we can view the final outcome with confidence." SALANDRA'S WORK. SERVICES TO THE ALLIES. Paris, June 11. M.. Saint Brice, in an article in the newspaper Le Journal, says: "We ought not to allow Signor Salandra to go without paying a respectful homage to the brilliant services he rendered to the Entente. Italy's decisions on August 4, 1914, and May 26, 1915—'the one parting company with the Triple Alliance, and the other declaring war on Ausa—will live in history and the grateful recognition of France." Signor Salandra is an Apnlian, of firm « character and penetrating intelligence. Bora at Troia, near Foggia, in 1853, he studied law and became Professor of Administrative Science in th© University of 1 Borne. His competence in administrative -and financial matters speedily attracted • public attention, and in 1891 he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for ... Finance in the Rudini Cabinet. In 1893 lie became Under-Secretary for the •Treasury, of which Sidney Sonnino, now Foreign Minister, was then Minister, and aided him in the desperate fight against . bankruptcy which Sonnino waged success- . fully from 1893 to 1896. The friendship and confidence between the two men dates from this period. Until Salandra took office as Prime Minister in March, 1914 , in succession to Signor Giolitti, his political action had been mainly determined ... by the advice of Sonnino, and even then lie only accepted office after Sonnino had declined it. When the death of tha Marquis di San Giuliano left the Ministry for Foreign Affairs vacant last December, Salandra insisted that Sonnino should fill it. Their close co-operation was thus resumed.