82 INFORMATION RELATING TO AGRICULTURAI^ ECONOMY IN GENERAI, ^^ 



The former General Direction of Credit and Thrift is reconstituted on 

 a better proportioned system with bureaux established on larger bases and 

 is called the General Direction of Credit, Co-operation and Private Insur- 

 ance. The departments for social thrift complete the labour bureau, and 

 the union of these services produces the General Direction of lyabour and 

 Social Thrift. 



The statistical department, hitherto attached to the labour bureau, 

 again becomes a central autonomous bureau. The general inspectorate 

 of industry and industrial education and the general inspectorate of inte- 

 rior trade are co-ordinated, and a new bureau, the bureau of economic 

 policy and foreign trade, is formed, and centralizes all .matters regarding 

 the development of national economy which are not the concern of special 

 services. This bureau must use appropriate means and be aided by re- 

 search and enquiries, thus supporting initiative tending to develop the va- 

 rious industries and the traffic accessory to them. It must obser^^e the 

 facts of economy, industry and trade. 



A large part of its programme is taken up with the study of economic 

 and social measures to have force after the war, and the preparation of the 

 'measures necessary to the transformation of war industries into peace in- 

 dustries. 



The Bureau of General Economy will soon take on the character of a . 

 commercial administrative body. 



Finally a general secretariat for the whole Ministry' of Agriculture will 

 be responsible for the staff and the complex needs of the working of the two 

 ministries. 



* 

 * * 



3. INSTITUTION OF A PROVINCIAI, I^ABOUR OFFICE AT RAVENNA. — Bolldino 

 ddVUfflcio del Lavoro, Number 8, Rome, 16 April 191 7. 



The provincial administration of Ravenna recently decided to institute 

 a labour office which should have the following programme (i) : to supple- 

 ment the action of similar offices in the communes of the province and the 

 action of the government labour office ; to study the conditions of labour 

 and workers, of the various industries and of trade and traffic in the pro- 

 vince by compiling statistics ; to study the phenomenon of the interior mi- 

 gration and the emigration abroad of labour and make such proposals as 

 the interests of production and of tlie workers might suggest ; to see that 

 the laws as to labour and hj'giene were applied ; to disseminate among wor- 

 kers the spirit of thrift and co-operation ; to study the phenomenon of unem- 

 ployment and propose methods for remedying it ; to assist the placing of 

 labour by connecting supply and demand and collecting necessary infor- 

 mation ; to intervene for purposes of reconciliation in disputes between 



(i)* As to the provincial labour office lately constituted at Rome see our issue for 

 April 1917, page 112. 



