ITALY CONFIDENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 402, 11 January 1909, Page 5

ITALY CONFIDENT.

MESSINA AND REGGIO. REBUILDING AND THE FINANCES. A SURTAX. (BY TELEftfUPII—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COrrBIOHT ) (Reo. January. 10, 4.30 p.m.) Rome, January 0. The Chamber of Deputies cheered a statomont by tho Premier, Signor Giolitti, that Messina and Rcggio would be rebuilt. The Chamber granted a million and a quarter sterling from tho Budget surplus to provide for urgent needs mid to reconstruct public buildings. It was also resolved to impose a surtax on cortaiu sources of revenue for two years. RELIEF FUNDS. (Rec. January 10, 4.30 p.m.) London, January "9. The Mansion House fund has reached £80,000. Messrs. Reoves and Coghlan, onf behalf of Now Zealand and New South Wales respectively, have recoived the Italian Government's warmest thanks for generous donations. Melbourno, January' 9. The Consul-General of Italy (Sigrior C, Bertola), in acknowledging the Commonwealth's contribution to the earthquake fund, says :— "The Commonwealth Government has given most generous sanction to a most noble prinoiple—a principlo which ignores timo and distance, is abovo race discriminations and prejudices of every kind, and is the true basis of civilisation. It has earned the everlasting gratitude of tho warm-hearted Italian pqople." ' i