THE COST OF WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 223, 20 March 1914, Page 2

THE COST OF WAR.

GREAT SUFFERING IX rTALY. RIOTS Af!AI\ST HIGH REXTS. The bitter cry of legions of unemployed is being heard in every part of Italy, more in the industrial north than fn the neglected southern provinces. According to figures just published by Signor Mazzoni, Parliamentary Commissioner on unemployment, the Tripoli war is one of the main causes aggravating the crisis. Fierce rioting has taken place in Naples as a protest against the heavy rise in house rents, which in many cases amounts to 25 per cent. Distress almost of an unparalleled kind is rampant m Sardinia, following eight months' droughty Fresh milk in some cases costs. 8d a quart, and at Cagliari milk- re unobtainable under 6d a pint. At Paliano, near Rome, 3000 peasants, who marched to demonstrate under the windows of the residence of two big brother landowners, named Tucei, crying-, "dive us bread! Cive us work!"' were fired on by-these landed proprietors froni the upper windows and 10 of their number were wounded. The sudden outset of severe wintry weather made the crisis still more acute. Many projected public works on a vast scale wore voted in the last Parliament, but have hitherto been held up through lack of funds. Signor Sacchi, who presides at the Ministry of Public .Works, which is said to have no less than :C40,<)00,000 worth of projects under consideration, has promised to spend about £1,750,000 during the present Budget year on, relief work . A vivid idea of the stagnant state of affairs can be formed from the fact that more emigrants left Italy during the last six months of 1013 than during the whole of the previous year. Indeed th» number of emigrants is said to exceed a million.