ITALIAN SOCIALISM.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1920, Page 7

ITALIAN SOCIALISM.

MORE FACTORIES SEIZED. TALK OP REVOLUTION. By TelejraDli.—Prew Aasn.—Cocnisbt. London, Sept. 12. The Milan correspondent of The Times writes that Government is practically non-existent. The workmen are seizing without interference factory after factory, and the Socialist leaders are discussing whether the time is ripe for a revolution. They will probably conclude that.it is not ripe, but the question is whether the leaders will be able to control the men. If the owners <*rant their demands it is possible that the storm may pass, leaving Italian Bolshevism a grotesque failure. Describing the seizure of the factories, the correspondent says that a whistle sounded and the gates were rushed to prevent the exit of the masters, experts and directing personnel. These were requested to continue their duties. The men then organised under Soviet management and noisted the red flag. Tho stewards impose discipline more rigorous than would be tolerated under the masters. Robbers and other offenders -are punished most severely. The families of the workers bring in their food and emissaries paiss between the factories and headquarters exchanging tools, machinery and other necessaries.

A Soviet organ boasts that under, the regime production has increased 10 per cent., but its own figures disclose that it is really reduced by seven-eighths. No raw material is arriving at the factories, no sales are arranged and outside finnß refuse to give or receive orders.

A tour of the city makes it hard to believe it is nursing a Soviet. All is orderly and normal excepting in the factory quarter. A typical, incident of the new rule was-iWhen four policemen walking on a footpath were ordered to walk in the middle of th 6 street iby a sentinel at the top of a building. They hastened to obey and the sentinel oried "All right."—Reuter. EXTREMISTS DEFEATED. Rome, Sept. 11. Further details of the decisive defeat of the Extremists at the Milan conference show that, despite the Government's warning that any extremist resolution would lead to immediate armed intervention, with probable bloodshed on an unprecedented scale, the executive of the Socialist Party proposed an extension of the agitation to all categories of workers, and also its transformation from an economic into a poli-tical-struggle and the employing of a revolutionary attempt. After a discussion lasting all day. Deputy Daragonas moved an amendment negativing such a course, and it was carried by a majority of nearly 182,000 out of 1,100,000 voters. Ninety thousand abstained from voting. . - The Socialist group then adopted a resolution demanding an immediate reopening of the Chamber. The Moderates who signed a powerful manifesto on the eve of the conference included Buozze, who was largely responsible for the metal workers' agitation, and Tur'atjL Treaves and Prampolui. , The manifesto censured the ists for precipitating useless and irritating conflicts with the authorities and capitalists. The manifesto added: "The Extremists profess that violence is the normal means of struggle, yet they raise an outcry when violence of others, more rapid than ours, hurts us." —Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn.