BRAVO TITO!

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 161, 26 July 1937, Page 7

BRAVO TITO!

-Press Association.)

Fascist Message Sent to Italian Tenor SALUTE PROTEST

(By Telegrapb-

AUCIvLAND, This Day. "Bravo, Tito, I embrace you.M This message Was received by the Italia.il tenor, Tito Schipa, after the heWat* papers in . Rome reported objections raised by a Sydney Alderman to the Fascist salute being given in the Town Hall. The message was signed by Achille Starace, secretai-y of the Fascist National Party, and the singer believes it Was sent at the instance of Signor Mussolini. Count Grandi, Italian Ambassador in London, cabled : "1. rqad in the papers with pride your deeided answer for giving the Roman salute. Bravo. In this way Fascists must respond, cheerio," A handsome man and still on the sunny side of 60, vivacious and Witfcy, Signor Schipa, a through passenger by the Mariposa for Oalifornia on his return to ltaly, toid an interviewer this morning that shaking hands among Fascists Was forbidden. "X do not shake hands any more," he said, in broken Engljsh. X salute in Roman fashion sometimes when I go on the platform, and sometimes when I leave it. I have done ' it in many places — • Paris, London, Berlin, Pertb, Melbourne and Adelaide. "Was I ever told 1 must not do it? No, no. Only by Alderman Grant, but he not stop me, I said I would not sing any more. It would not matter to me. I was only expressing loyalty to my country, jttst the same as you would express by some action of loyalty to Great Britain. If somebody had come to me and said, "Tito, please avoid any trouble; just abstain from the salute because there is jealousy and feeling', maybe I would have said, 'all right, but I • was provoked. The statement was made that I Was an agent of the brutal Fascist Government, and I said I will not stop in your country. As a good Italian I will alWays give the salute." Suiting action to the Work he raised his right hand above his head. "It is not sometliing new; it is th© old iioman salute, known for thousands of years," he said. Schipa said he had received congratulations from thousands of people in Australian on the stand he hpd taken. He replied to the newspaper article stating- that Itaily was a peaceful country. He said he was considering bringing to Australia and- New Zealand next year his own opera company, for which he" would have to ask for Government support.