Shortage of Luxuries

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 23, 28 January 1937, Page 8

Shortage of Luxuries

ITALY UNDER SANCTIONS Some interesting observations on Italy under sanctions were made at Christchurch recently by Mr. H. Spriestersbach, a German business man, at present touring New Zealand. The conclusion he reached was that sanctions, at least as they were applied to Italy, had little effect.

“In March-April, 1936, during the period when sanctions were applied in the most severe form, I travelled in Upper Italy,” Mr. Spriestcrsbach said. “Living at the various hotels I found gin, whisky, imported cigars, and Cigarettes, and a few other things were sold out completely and stocks could not be replenished. Otherwise there were no inconveniences, as food, wine and beer were plentiful. Petrol was very expensive, about 8s a gallon, but foreign tourists could obtain it at halfprice. One did not see any Italian cars about, the people being asked to refrain from using their vehicles. Sanctions in Italy were generally considered a failure, as Austria sold iron and steel to Italy, Germany coal and coke, and the United States petrol.’'

Economic sanctions, he continued, appeared to have rather a boomerang effect. They were started off, not seen for a time, and then unexpectedly they bit the starter in the back. The restrictions in Italy took place after the 1935 crop of citrus fruits, grapes, olive oil, wine, and so forth had been sold, so what was the use of them? If war was being waged the people could do without a little gin or whisky or imported cigars and cigarettes. In every little mountain village even, memorial tablets were being put up at the local church denoting which countries had applied sanctions and which had not. A t ll the newspapers had a line across the top of their front pages: “Seventy-fourth (as the case may be) day of economic beleagurement by sanctionist countries.” Feeling against saactionist foreign countries was running very high at the time, but it was not shown towards the individual.