ITALY 1047 



while the number of station offices is 1930, as in 1904. The parcel post and money order 

 services are increasing rapidly (17 million parcels were sent, and 80 million pounds worth 

 of orders paid in 1909-10), and the value of the foreign orders paid in Italy has gone up 

 to over 95 millions, of which over 45 millions came from' the U.S.A. (nearly double the 

 whole total of the foreign money orders paid in Italy in 1901-2), while the orders of the Banco 

 di Napoli sent home by emigrants amounted to nearly half a million more. 



The length of the telegraph lines has been considerably increased, and on December I, 



1910, the internal telegraph tariff was reduced to 6oc. for the first 10 words. In 1909-10 

 there were 219 urban telephone systems and 426 interurban lines. The number of trunk 

 and international calls has increased by over 50 per cent since 1907-8. 



Government. The number of senators has been considerably increased during the present 

 (the 23rd) parliament of the Italian kingdom. From March 24, 1909, to December 31, 



1911, 103 were nominated, and 68 died, making, with the 335 already in office, a total of 

 370. As to the Chamber, the number of deputies (508) remains the same, but the number 

 of electors on the list of 1911 was 3,227,183, or 9 per cent of the total population, as against 

 7.6 in 1904. The percentage of voters in the election of 1909 was 65.3 (62.7 in 1904). A 

 bill for almost universal male suffrage, however, was passed in the spring of 1912. Those 

 who have served in the army and navy at once become voters; while those who have reached 

 the age of thirty years, even if illiterate, are added to the existing electorate. Women's 

 suffrage has not yet come into practical politics; and the Court of Appeal has ratified the 

 cancellation of the name of Signorina Labriola from the list of Counsel in Rome. 



Crime. The total number of prisoners is on the decrease, and at the end of 1909 there 

 were only 52,155, of whom 4,323 were women, with a diminution in all the various classes 

 of criminals. There is, however, a slight increase in the number of offences, due in part to 

 a continuance of the rise in the number of contravenzioni, and the figure per 100,000 was 

 still 2.439 m 1908, which is only a little under the average of the quinquennium. It is said 

 (but this remains to be seen) that the deathblow to the Camorra was struck by the Cuocolo 

 murder trial, which, in order to remove it from the atmosphere of Naples, in which it would 

 have been hard to obtain a verdict, took place at Viterbo, near Rome, and ended after about 

 17 months on July 8, 1912, in severe sentences on all the accused, over 30 in number, who 

 were supposed to be its leader and chief officials. 



Army.^-The strength of the army in 1909 showed a considerable increase on previous 

 figures. Of 498,082 who were liable, 108,794 were physically unfit, 127,528 were put back 

 for re-examination at the next levy (mostly after medical inspection), 48,865 failed to appear, 

 and 212,895 were enrolled for service. Of these 151,839 were assigned to the active army, 

 34,079 to the second category (for short training), and only 26,977 to the third category 

 (territorial militia). The former term of service for the active army was 3 years in the 

 infantry and 5 in the cavalry; but it is now 18 months, except for those who do not become 

 efficient, who serve 6 months more. Those who pay 48 and pass an examination serve one 

 year only. They then have one month per annum for another 6 years. The peace establish- 

 ment (including carabinieri) is nearly 14,000 officers and 255,000 men. 



Navy. The Italian navy possessed at the end of 1912 four battleships of the Dreadnought 

 type, built in Italian yards, one of about 19,000 tons with twelve 12-inch guns in four centre- 

 line triple turrets, and twenty 5. 5-inch guns; while the other three are of 21,500 tons and 

 will have thirteen 12-inch guns, nine in triple and four in twin superposed turrets. The 

 two ships laid down in 1912 will have twelve 13. 5-inch guns in four turrets. Next come the 

 ships of the Vittorio Emanuele class. 



The warships available at the beginning of 1912 were as follows: battleships, 18 (9 

 are somewhat antiquated); armoured cruisers, 1st class 15 (each about 7,000 tons), 2nd 

 class 10, 3rd class u; torpedo vessels, 5; destroyers, 23; torpedo boats, 82; submarines, 

 7. At the same time they were building 4 battleships (two Dreadnoughts), 9 destroyers, 

 30 torpedo-boats and 13 submarines. The naval expenditure for 191! was 8,379,940, of 

 which 2,277,302 was for new construction. The personnel on active service in 1910 con- 

 sisted of 1,927 officers and 27,529 men. 



Education. The number of infant schools has hardly increased at all since 1901 ; the total 

 number of elementary; schoolrooms both public and private (the latter having decreased by 

 2,000) has risen from 61,777 to 68,031, and the number of pupils from 2,783,349 to 3,150,249, 

 or 9.3 per cent of the total population: but there are still not enough classes, while children 

 who live more than ij m. from the school need not attend it. In the poorer villages the 

 three classes are often grouped in most inadequate buildings; while the teachers' salaries 

 are low. In 1911-12 nearly one million sterling was devoted to the increase of funds for 

 elementary and popular education, so that improvements may be expected. The new schools 

 for adult illiterates, founded by the laws of 1904 and 1906, gave instruction to 128,000 individ- 

 uals, four-fifths of whom were men; and about three-fifths of them passed the examination 

 imposed on them. In 1909-10 there were 478 Ginnasi with 45,699 scholars (including 234 

 government schools with 32,303 scholars), 500 Technical schools with 83,621 scholars (237 

 government with 61,492), 216 Licei with 14,947 scholars (133 government with 12,125), 

 102 Technical Institutes with 20,305 scholars (60 government with 16,849), and 20 Nautical 

 Institutes with 2,026 scholars (19 government with 1,998). These figures show a large 



