PEACEFUL ACTIVITIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23491, 31 October 1939, Page 6

PEACEFUL ACTIVITIES

Most European countries to-day are given over to war and precautions against war. Italy is no exception, as her latest armaments budget shows, but at the same time Signor Mussolini is energetically practising the arts of peace. He has given many signs that he hopes to avoid being involved in the war and that he plans to proceed with the work of national development. A few days after the war broke out, II Duce gave instructions that construction work -for the international exhibition at Rome in 1912 should proceed normally. Another earnest of peaceful intentions was given last week by the launching of a great scheme to cost £20,000,000 for the development of derelict estates in Sicily. An area of 1,250,000 acres is to be transformed into 20,000 small farms, giving work and providing bread for tens of thousands. This project inevitably brings to mind the reclamation of the Pontine marshes, near Rome, a national achievement which has won Signor Mussolini world acclaim. Another stage in the ousting of swamp and malaria in favour of production was reached at the week-end when II Duce opened still another Pontine village. To-day reports are published showing that Marshal Balbo's heroic scheme for the colonisation of Libya is proceeding, a second contingent of 11,000 having embarked at Venice to join the 20,000 pioneers who were settled at the beginning of the year. The scheme provides for family emigration and the settlers go to farms prepared in advance. It is true that all these schemes have a military motive, adding to Italian selfsufficiency and her defensive strength, but they are also victories for peace. A people that is prepared to work so hard on unpromising material, whether in the Pontine, Sicily or Libya, improving the poor national patrimony—such a people and such labour compel admiration.