ITALY TO-DAY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16210, 7 December 1926, Page 5

ITALY TO-DAY

! MUZZLED BY MUSSOLINI NEW ZEALANDER'S VIEWS tSpeciai to the H«rald.) AUCKLAND, this day. To be not 150 yards from Signer Mussolini when a, homb was thrown at him when his car was traversing the Piazza Porta Pia, Rome, on September 11, and within e.ight of the Tombs Frison, Now York, when a battle was fought between prisoners and warders on .November 3, were two of the experiences which befel Mr. Charles Wilson, formerly Parliamentary Librarian, who recently returned froin a world tour by the Niagara yesterday.

Describing what he saw of the. Mussolini incident, Mr. Wilson said that although only 150 yards distant ho did not hear the explosion of the bomb thrown by the young stone-mason, Giovaunini, bat knew that something was amiss by the sudden appearance ot hundreds of Fascisti. They smashed the windows of a nearby Socialist co-opera-tive store. "Troops with machine guns then came on the scene, and I thought it time I got out," Mr. Wilson said. "Needless to say, all the Socialists in the vicinity disappeared. LITTLE SYMPATHY. "The cabled reports to the effect that the Rome crowds were, incensed are entirely wrong. Outside the Fascisti there was no manifestation of sympathy at all. On the night, of tire incident the people of Romo were sullen, quiet, and discontented. That evening I heard Mussolini address a crowd in the Piazza Colonna. He made a strong speech and bitterly attacked France by implication. It is no exaggeration to say that Italy is muzzled by Mussolini. It seems to me that his rule is changing from a dictatorship to despotism. The latest advice was that he held seven Ministerial portfolios, find he is undoubtedly trying to run the country himself." Mr. Wilson 6 aid he believed the people were becoming tired of his rule. One could not speak in Italy without bringing fear of the wrath of the dictator and "his followers on one's head. The Fascisti themselves were very young and irresponsible, and it was a question ot whether Mussolini could keep them in order There was no doubt that industrially Italy was making wonderful progress Mussolini being responsible for much of it. On the other hand, the cost of living was simply crushing. AFRAID OF THE FUTURE. I

"There is no question that Mussolini has power, but I confess that I am much afraid of the future. What will happen I cannot say, but the people seem discontented." , ■ Speaking of the New York incident, Mr Wilson said he was out driving in a charabanc with his wife, and when passing near the Tombs prison they heard shots. "At first I thought the people were celebrating the victory of Al Smith for the New York Mayoralty," he said. "Suddenly, however, dozens of police appeared from nowhere. We heard more shots, and then our charabanc took another route. We later heard, of course, that the fight was brought about by an attempt to escape made by three prisoners. Three were killed and two others mortally in-

jured." Despite these, adventures and many others of minor importance, Mr. Wilson has returned fully restored to health. With Mrs. Wilson he visited Australia. France, Holland, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, and Canada. While in) Paris he renewed many acquaintances made during his stay there many years ago.