MUSSOLINI’S EARLY‘DAYS

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1930, Page 9

MUSSOLINI’S EARLY‘DAYS

GROCER’S ERRAND BOY? EXPULSION FROM SWITZERLAND. A curious account of Signor Mussolini’s life in Switzerland in .about the year 1905 is. published in a Paris newspaper. It is in the form of an interview between a special correspondent of the journal and M. Charles de Paulis, a Lausanne grocer, who employed the man who is now Prim© Minister of Italy as an errand boy for nearly a year. M. de Paulis has been urged by certain Fascists not to indulge in reminiscences. He states, however, that Mussolini had just been expelled frn the Canton of Geneva when he went to Lausanne. H© wa© recommended to’ Mr. 'de Paulis, himself a Socialist, by a “comrade,” and the friendly grocer offered the young revolutionary £1 4s a month, with bed and board. Mussolini, who was eager to continue his-university studiesaccepted with alacrity. \- The grocer did not find his bookish errand boy a good worker. H© was mor© interested in reading and in writing articles than in delivering parcels, “Often,” says M. de Paulis, “he would leave the shop with a parcel on his shoqlder and a book in hi© hand.”

Less than a year later the tradesman, ov ing to the bad state of business, had to part with his errand bqy. Shortly afterwards the latter was expelled from Switzerland. “The expulsion order;” declared M, de Paußs, “had not been, can? cc-lled when Signor Musgolfni, as prime Minister, (Came'to th® Lausann© Conference.” '