COSTLY FAILURE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21280, 25 February 1939, Page 7

COSTLY FAILURE

ABYSSINIA GAMBLE ITALY’S COLONISING EFFORTS PARIS, January 28. Writing in a French newspaper this week, Jerome Tharaud declares that the Italian regime in Abyssinia is, partially, at least, a failure. Tharaud was formerly a writer friendly to the Italians, but was expelled from Italy recently for antiFascist criticism.

He says that Italian settlers and workers are quitting the country in thousands, discouraged and impoverished in their struggle to build homes there. Thirty thousand demobilised Italian soldiers, who hoped to find work in Abyssinia after the war, have been sent back to Italy because there is no employment available.

The only outstanding Industrial achievement of the Italians is, he declares, a magnificent cement works built at Diredaoua. It is modern, equalled only by the latest cement works in Europe. But the cost of producing cement there is approximately £7/10/0 a ton, and Belgian or French cement can be imported from Europ and landed at Jibuti at £4/10/0 a ton. So the factory is working only part time. Italy has built 1900 miles of macadamised and stone roads, but they have been costly, and are frequently damaged by the torrential rains.