ITALIAN AFFAIRS

Otago Witness, Issue 3525, 4 October 1921, Page 20

ITALIAN AFFAIRS

A REPUBLIC MOOTED. LONDON. September 30. The Daily Express Rome correspondent states that significant political manoeuvres are going on. Signor Nitti’s paper. 11 Paese, is vigorously attacking the Duke of Aosta, the King’s cousin, whom the newspaper accuses of protecting the Faseisti and using them to promote his ambitions for the throne. It is rumoured that the Duke promises to support d’Annunzio if it becomes necessary to counteract the subversive propaganda, now flooding Italy. The big banks are supporting Signor Nitti's return to power, believing that even a Socialist Government would he better than the present unrest. Many well-informed Italians expect a change of regime, and talk openly of a republic with the Duke of Aosta as President and d’Annunzio as Premier. D’Annunzio is starting a great daily newspaper to compete with Signor Nitti's propaganda. FRENCH MISSION IN ITALY. LONDON. September 28. The Daily Express’s Paris correspondentstates that Marshal Fayolle and a part-v of French officers and troons visited Italy to attend the unveiling of a monument to the French soldiers who were killed on the Italian front. The mission received a hostile reception at Milan, where generally it was hooted, the officers being maltreated in the streets. The gravest incidents occurred at Venice. The city was generously beflagged, but no French colours were visible. The French troops displayed the tricolour, whereupon the populace hooted and groaned. Men and women broke the cordon of police and chased Marshal Fayolle into the Campanile, shouting: "Down with France." The disturbances continued for hours. When an Italian mission visited France cn a similar errand it bad an enthusiastic reception.