The strikes in the Italian metal industry have taken a
curious form. Instead of leaving the factories because the employers could not pay the higher wages demanded, the workmen have barricaded themselves in the factories and made a pretence of continuing work in their own interest. They are rapidly discover- ing that without expert management, without discipline and without raw materials the mere possession of a factory avails the workmen little. Signor Giolitti, the Premier, is apparently content to watch the situation, and the troops and police remain inactive. On Sunday the Italian Labour Party decided by a majority of three to two not to attempt a political revolution, as the Bolsheviks desired, but to aim at " the syndicalist control of industries." The real causes of the unrest are doubtless the very high price and scarcity of foodstuffs and of coal.
Previous page
